Monday 14 September 2009

Pixie Lott // Turn It Up

Pixie Lott first came to our attention with her song Mama Do in June and three months later we get the 12 track debut album, titled Turn It Up.

There’s a couple of tracks that stick out from the album and it’s these that will probably be focused on. Opening track is the debut single Mama Do (which is basically about doing things that parents don’t know about) and a song we’re probably very familiar with.

Cry Me Out requires someone to translate the first verse before we get anywhere. It feels as if there are too many lyrics for the tempo resulting in what can only be a mumble jumble of words. Memorable chorus and an alright melody. Then seems to sort itself out. Band Aid is one of those nice little laid back summery pop tunes and that you can just relax and float away to.  Boys & Girls (track 5) is the current single and here comes in original album format. However can’t help feeling that there’s a bit of an Rhianna influence to it (try playing Shut Up & Drive and this side by side and you’ll see what I mean). Jack (track 8) feels like listening to a bad mash up of nursery rhymes.

Nothing Compares (track 9) is a beautiful slow ballad much better than the ballad attempt at track 2. Here We Go Again has feelings of another group that have come to light this year, The Noisettes. Reminders of their songs Never Forget You and Young Wild Hearts. The final track on the album, Hold Me In Your Arms, has a feeling of incompleteness, like they forget one of the tracks when they were putting the final version together and kind of just leaves the album hanging.

On looking at the whole album, there’s too much going on. It’s mixed box of styles which hasn’t particularly worked. There’s no doubting her voice but there’s a feeling of trying to showcase too much in such a small selection of tracks. It would probably have been best to showcase a couple of styles this album, a few the next etc etc etc.

Rating: 3.5/5