Leona Lewis - Glassheart

For all of the arguments that Leona Lewis may be dull or a touch on the irrelevant side of UK pop music, there's a pretty hefty figure of sales and chart positions that can prove that she's anything but. Since storming to an X Factor win all the way back in 2006, Lewis has been hesitant to go all-out with the albums and singles, with this being only her third so far. Maybe it's refreshing to see a UK talent that isn't plastered all over the tabloids, and maybe it's her recent revival as a bit of a dancefloor queen, but my initial indifference towards her is slightly tipping in her favour.

Because what was once a safe, routine power-ballad belter filling her albums with covers of songs I cherished has become a pretty interesting performer: the voice hasn't gone away, but thankfully the non-stop string arrangements and sombre piano tones have. 2011's first glimpse of this album - the legally disputed Avicii collaboration Collide - invited the idea of Lewis as an upbeat, dancey songstress, and hopefully Glassheart - at the expense of a little commercial success - can revitalise her.

One unusual trick employed by album number three, however, is opening and closing it with, effectively, the same song. That song is 'Trouble', a brooding, self-pitying clusterbomb of hip hop beats, tragedy-beckoning violins and a soft, truly mournful vocal (in place of her usual all-commanding howls). The final version features US comedian/rapper Donald Glover under his alias Childish Gambino, and is admittedly a little bit redundant since he sticks around for all of 36 seconds, but the whole project demonstrates the potential for Lewis to adapt to modern trends and she does so brilliantly. Serial hitmaker Bonnie McKee (Teenage Dream, Hold it Against Me, How We Do (Party)) is drafted in on 'Un Love Me', which should give some indication of its mid-tempo, quite enjoyable but never really amazing nature. Further star-makers are thrown at 'Lovebird' - Dr. Luke and Ammo pop up with a songwriting credit - a first attempt on this album at a no holds barred romantic ballad, where the lyrics are predictable but delivered relatively nicely ("And I miss you every day/But there's nothing left to say").

But it's the album's gamechangers that are naturally the most appealing: electropop slow-grower 'Come Alive' might not possess enough hooks or lyrical catchphrases to warrant it being a single, but is thoroughly enjoyable. She unleashes her vocal abilities on the soaring 'Fireflies' and - being all children choirs and pianos as it is - it's a little expected of her, but strong enough in its songwriting to stand out. She shows darker, more melodramatic sides on 'I to You' that are a bit of a step away from her standard-bearers Happy and Better in Time), sighing "you are love, you are sin, you'll always be everything, everything to me" to someone who doesn't reciprocate. She even talks in an intro to 'Shake You Up' (even if it's the slightly corny artist/producer conversation shtick), although the rest of the song is relatively unremarkable.

She does make occasional returns to her roots, though: even her Christmas #1 cover A Moment Like This' songwriter Jörgen Elofsson pops up on the dreary 'Stop the Clocks'. Another returnee is Bleeding Love co-writer and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder on 'Favourite Scar', which, whilst instrumentally pleasant, equally fails to capture attention. And just as all things come in threes, the Better in Time writer Andrea Martin takes up her pen on 'When it Hurts'. I know this thought might be tainted by abhorrence for her earlier work, but I believe this trilogy to be the weakest section of the album. It's thankfully saved, though, by the blistering title track, complete with dubstep-lite breakdown and an understated, enrapturing synth backing. Aside from aforementioned opener/closer, the final track here though is the twilit, pure 'Fingerprint', as though proof of her true identity itself as a pretty, OK ballad.

Well isn't that a turn up for the books? An interesting Leona Lewis album. She fails to fully shake off her safety helmet, but this is a step in the right direction for her. Ignore this at your peril.

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: Glassheart, Trouble, Un Love Me, I To You, Fireflies, Lovebird
Avoid: Shake You Up, Stop the Clocks, When it Hurts

Artwork Watch: Put the saturation filter down.
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