TOWER.COM REVIEW
Leona Lewis - Spirit
Possibly one of the most exciting things to come out of the U.K. in the past decade, British reality television discovery Leona Lewis first got attention when she was discovered by Clive Davis and American Idol judge Simon Cowell on Cowell's popular British talent show, The X Factor. After winning the contest, Lewis, a 22-year-old London Native, became the first artist to be signed by both Cowell and Davis to J Records / SyCo Music, Cowel's joint label venture with Sony BMG.
Originally released in the UK in November 2007, Spirit entered the album charts at #1 and has since become Britain's fastest selling debut of all time. Her lead single "Bleeding Love", co-written and produced by OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder, was the UK's top selling single of 2007, atop the charts for seven weeks.
Now, on April 8th, North American fans will finally get their chance to experience the "spirit" of Leona, when the U.S. release of her debut album hits the shelves (and virtual shelves.) This release features two brand new tracks - "Forgive Me", written by the allmighty Akon and "Misses Glass", produced by Madd Scientist and Rock City.
Spirit is a shot of R&B adrenaline and beautifully balanced mix of up-tempo dance tracks and soulful, retro ballads. Perhaps the most surprising standout track is Lewis' cover of the Roberta Flack classic, "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face" that manages to take the listener far away from Clint Eastwood love memories (if you catch the "Play Misty" movie reference) and stirs up romantic gushy feelings for even the most skeptical listener. Alongside fellow British breakout star Natasha Bedingfield, Tower Records recommends a dose of Leona into your musical diet to cure all feelings of being lost in the musical wasteland.
Favorite Tracks - "Bleeding Love", "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face", "Forgive Me."
David, Tower Pulse - 04/01/2008