Track Listing

1. Bleeding Love
2. Whatever It Takes
3. Homeless
4. Better In Time
5. Yesterday
6. Take A Bow
7. I Will Be
8. Angel
9. Here I Am
10. I’m You
11. The Best You Never Had
12. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
13. Footprints In The Sand
14. A Moment Like This – UK Bonus Track

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1196 in Music
• Released on: 2007-11-12
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Leona Louise Lewis is something of an anomaly. Not only is she pretty and endowed with a wonderfully elastic (four-octave) vocal range--she’s also a committed vegetarian and one of the few X Factor/TV talent show winners not to immediately try to capitalise on her success with an album of weak covers. Instead, her mentor Simon Cowell (and team) have coaxed Lewis into the studio with some of America’s biggest talents--Dallas Austin, Jam & Lewis--and come up with an album of weak originals. You couldn’t exactly call "Spirit" a bad album. It carries memorable melodies, some classic song-writing and, of course, Lewis’ seriously potent voice (she’s been compared to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey already). But what the album lacks is personality. Songs like "Bleeding Love" (produced by Ryan Tedder and Jesse McCartney) are technically flawless, but you’re left thinking ‘is this all the sass and sparkle a bonafide Hackney gal can muster?’ "The Best You Never Had", the Ne-Yo produced "I'm You" and many other songs here follow this play-it-safe formula, while the album’s ballads--"Footprints in the Sand", for example--are so bland even Whitney and Mariah would wince. Still, there’s no doubt Lewis is a real talent. Perhaps if she ditches the overpaid ‘superstar’ producers next time and makes the album she wants to make, we might finally hear some of her real ‘spirit’. --Danny McKenna

CD Description
2006 X-Factor winner Leona Lewis's long-awaited debut LP 'Spirit' comes nearly a year after her first single, 'A MomentLike This'. Preceded by 'Bleeding Love', this release sees Lewis collaborating with a wealth of different producers andwriters (as well as the ubiquitous Simon Cowell as executive producer) including Damon Dash and Ne-Yo. The sound rangesfrom slick R&B pop to power ballads, finding room as well for a delicate version of Ewan Macoll's 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'. Lewis herself was heavily involved in the writing process, sharing credits on several of the songs on 'Spirit'.

Customer Reviews

Well worth the wait!
Leona Lewis has been away for a year working on her debut album and to sum it up: it was definitely worth the wait! There is a fantastic variety of songs on Spirit, with a nice mixture of styles merged together. Here is a track by track breakdown:

1. Bleeding Love - Amazing comeback single! Seems like the whole of the UK is loving this one. It's had so much success and deserves it! Fantastic song, very catchy, great production and vocals from Leona! 10/10

2. Whatever It Takes - One of my favourites on the album. I love the soul/gospel sound and it's also really catchy. Definitely a possible single, nice feel-good song. 9.5/10

3. Homeless - Very emotional song, Leona's vocals are just perfect and the song is great. I love the subtle sound effects of rain at the beginning and end. The music really helps with the emotion of the song. 9/10

4. Better In Time - One of the stand-out tracks! Very catchy melody and chorus, love the use of piano and strings. My only criticism would be a longer final chorus with a bit more oomph and don't fade out at the end some amazing vocals. 9.5/10

5. Yesterday - Another one of my favourites. Takes a few listens to fully appreciate it I think. I find myself listening to this song a lot, great vocals once again and I like the old-school beat. 9.5/10

6. Take A Bow - Another of the stand-out tracks and DEFINITELY has to be a single. This will be a smash-hit I just know. Ryan Tedder produced this and Bleeding Love. He is an absolute genius, simple as. 10/10

7. I Will Be - A song you wouldn't expect on a Leona album! Definitely Avril-esque. Nice to see her delve into the pop-rock genre a bit. I'd like to see a few similar songs on her next album. 8/10

8. Angel - I started off disliking this song and thinking it was really average but I've grown to really like it now. Still annoys me that lazy Stargate rehashed that same beat yet again but it's a good song! 8/10

9. Here I Am - This is a beautiful song, beautiful music and lyrics, it just really needed a bigger climax at the end I think. It starts to and then ends so quickly. And with a massive ballad like this, I'd have expected a bit more from Leona's vocals. 6.5/10

10. I'm You - Not a stand-out track and people probably expected more from Ne-Yo as he produced it but I actually really like it. Funky music and beats, perhaps needs to be a bit faster. I like it more with every listen though. 7.5/10

11. The Best You Never Had - Love the music in this one and it's refreshing after all the mid-tempos to have something a bit more uptempo. Catchy chorus and melody throughout. It makes me smile, very clever lyrics. I also like this one more and more with every listen. 8.5/10

12. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - One word: angelic. It takes a lot to move me, I'm not one to cry at films usually and all that but the vocals on this are just flawless. So exquisitically sung, love it. 9/10

13. Footprints In The Sand - Fell in love with this song the first time I heard it and still do! The lyrics are beautiful and Leona's singing once again lifts the song to another level. 9/10

14. A Moment Like This - Heard this about a million times but I still love it! I'm so glad they changed it quite a lot from Kelly's to make it more original. Glad it's not gonna be on overseas editions of the album but it's still nice to listen to every once in a while. 7/10

Overall: AMAZING album! Once I get my copy, it's going in my car and staying there probably indefinitely lol. Leona is without doubt the best reality show winner ever IMO, and Spirit is easily the best first album from one. Can't wait to see Leona develop as an artist and be around for years to come.

The Great Divide
Opinions seem to be divided when it comes to Leona Lewis.

Firstly, there are those who lump her in with every other reality show winner (and loser) as some kind of offence to the Gods of music. Citing `commerciality' as a criticism, they paint of picture of Leona standing over proper music's bloodied corpse, her affinity with Simon Cowell being proof enough of some Faustian pact to destroy all that is good and true.

Then there are those who fanatically proclaim Leona as a pretender to the throne, a jester in the court of Mariah - as though there were only room enough in this world for one octave-molesting uber-voice. These people seem to miss the point that the only remarkable thing about Mariah, aside from her distended ribcage and allergy to clothing, is just how long it's been since she recorded anything with a melody. Or that her gritty, R&B edginess seems increasingly disingenuous in an artist who cannot manipulate her own drinking straw.

And then there are the people who got a bit carried away, and mistakenly saw Leona's Christmas victory on the X-Factor as proof positive of her status as the second coming. The ones who misinterpreted Simon's proclamation of Leona's world class abilities as a sign - a star in the night that would lead us all to the finest fourteen tracks in the history of recorded music. Songs so powerful that they would need to be packed away in a crate and hidden in the depths of some unimaginably cavernous warehouse.

OK, I'm getting a bit carried away. Suffice it to say, I think all of these people are wrong. And the fact that Leona inspires such fierce debate is simply a sure sign that she has a big career ahead of her. After all, I don't recall people falling over themselves to castigate or lionize Steve Brookstein or Michele McManus.

So what do I make of Leona Lewis? Well, I do believe that her talent is a truly unique find. She's really the only talent show contestant I've ever heard who can tackle the diva-triptych head-on, and come out on top. For instance, her recent performance of `The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' on the otherwise lamentable Saturday Night Divas knocked Celine Dion's lachrymose and overblown interpretation into a cocked hat. And let's not forget that she took a stab at Whitney's yell-fest version of Dolly Parton's `I Will Always Love You' in a week where she was treated for tonsillitis. She even managed to make it less grating than Whitney's, whilst retaining all the song's power and impact. Best of all, she can sing like Mariah, but doesn't need to - thereby sparing us the latter's often shrill, dog-whistle technique. But enough of the comparisons - the fact is, hers is a voice that can bring people to tears, myself included. And I'm not ashamed to admit it.

So that's my verdict on the singer. But what of the songs? Again, Simon's hype about the time it takes to craft a masterpiece may be responsible for the weight of expectation laid at Leona's frequently bare feet. But let's keep in mind, she was making a pop album, not repainting the Sistine Chapel. And in light of that fact, she's done a bloody good job. After all, I can't remember any other album in recent memory where 13 of the 14 tracks have been added to my frequently played list. The only duff song is the rather dull and rambling `I'm You'. A solid vocal performance and a contemporary production not nearly enough to disguise the meandering pointlessness of it all.

If you're looking for standout tracks, there are plenty to choose from. Current chart-botherer `Bleeding Love' combines unusual lyrics, crunchy beats and a pared-down accompaniment with clear echoes of Whitney's mid-80s arrangements. Topped off with a phenomenal vocal, it's no wonder this is the year's fastest-selling single.

In contrast, penultimate track `Footprints in the Sand' seems to have the fans divided. `It's just like a Westlife song' they carp. And perhaps they're right. But if it is, then it's like a Westlife song from the days when they had the best ones to choose from. Soaring, bold and powerful, this is likely to be the soundtrack to a million weddings and funerals in 2008. It's a one-stop-tearjerker-shop. And it shows just what those amazing pipes can do. Just listen to the final reprise of the chorus and how she runs through five different notes on the word `despair'. Truly awesome.

Not quite as epic or instant, but a real grower is track 4, `Better in Time'. I've seen this compared to `Always Be My Baby' and I can see the connection. Despite sounding light and poppy, this boasts a hugely confident vocal in Leona's upper register, and uplifting lyrics - "gonna smile `cos I deserve to". The more I listen, the more I love this one.
Track 11, `The Best You Never Had' jumped out at me from first listen, partly because it was so clearly from the songwriting/production team behind Katherine McPhee's fantastic `Over It'. If I had one complaint about this track, it would be that the sound quality suffers on the singalong chorus, almost as if the microphone Leona was pouring her attitude into simply wasn't up to the job. Once again, she sings in a key that bats could hear, to the point that it no longer sounds like Leona. But you know what, the song's so good, you just won't care.

I suppose I should also mention `Homeless'. I've been a big fan of this song for a year now, since I first heard it on Swedish Idol runner-up Darin's latest CD. The moment I heard Leona was going to be singing it I got very excited - it's a vocal showcase of a song, with an enormous crescendo around the 2:40 mark.

And that's the thing about Leona - her abilities enable her to add something unique to every song, be it a power note, an extra run, or a falsetto spike, such as the end of `A Moment Like This'. For me, that's the mark of a true vocalist, someone who gives something of themselves to every song, whether they're reinventing a classic, or elevating the mundane to the exceptional. Leona's voice is a true gift, and I have every confidence that she'll continue to grow and evolve as an artist, whilst keeping hold of the qualities that made us fall in love with her in the first place.

In case you haven't already guessed, I recommend this CD.

What a missed opportunity
After the long wait I was pretty disappointed with this CD. Not with Leona's fantastic voice but with the songs and over production which hide her vocal range. The only track which shows off true talent is "First time ever I saw your face" which of course is not even a new song (but a classic one nonetheless). I was praying and hoping that the X Factor factory would not just give Leona a batch of covers to sing, but I am now wishing it had as the songs she sang on the television show were just knock out and showed off the incredible vocal range she has. Third rate songs for a first and world class voice. Such a missed opportunity. Lets just hope she changes record companies - and soon!