$up3r-p0p-M@G!c: PIXIE LOTT ALBUM REVIEW!!

British pop singer, Pixie Lott, has a number one hit under her belt. The insanely catchy "Mama Do". The follow up single, the equally catchy "Boys and Girls", is set to be another hit for her. Her debut album, Turn It Up, will be released on the 14th of September. Check out my album review below!

Turn It Up is an example of a perfect debut album. It draws influences from other British acts, such as Duffy and Amy Winehouse, with maintaining originallity. It has lyrics filled with enough emotion to help Pixie's voice shine. It has many different sounds and pop stylings without sounding all over the place. This pretty much establishes that Turn It Up is: a) original b) emotional/relateable c) diverse. It's pop/soul at it's best.

The album opens up with the number one single, "Mama Do". The song is catchy, sassy and classy, with a few burlesque hints here and there. The planned third single, "Cry Me Out", follows. It sounds like Duffy's "Stepping Stone" put in a blender with Amy Winehouse's "Tears Dry On Their Own". It's very '60s Motown soul music, with a current pop vibe. Another hit for Pixie. "Band Aid" is one of my favorites. It starts off with an acoustic guitar intro, and than branches out into a full pop mid-tempo, bongo drums, synthesizers and all. The lyrics are very interesting, with Pixie comparing a significent other to a 'band aid', since they both heal when she 'hurt[s] and break[s]'. The track then dips into a reggae-tinged bridge break, which adds to the charm of the track. Another favorite of mine, "Turn It Up", follows. Another pop/soul tune with lyrics about letting go, saying goodbye, the whole breaking up process. The uplifting chorus is a brash confliction with the verses, which only makes the song better. The second single, "Boys and Girls" is a horn-filled, drums-reliant up-tempo, one of two on Turn It Up. It samples New Order's "Blue Monday", but in a more wholesome way than Rihanna's "Shut Up and Drive" did. Catchy, pure pop. "Gravity" and "My Love" are both great ballads, with inspirational lyrics, which bring out the best of Pixie's voice. The former is more of a drum-and-snare tune, while the latter is a guitar-and-base reliant tune. The album's first misstep is "Jack". It has cheeky, yet cheesy lyrics (rhymes Jack with back) and sounds like a secondhand, Duffy reject. "Nothing Compares" is the best song on the album. It starts off acoustically, and then branches into a full pop/rock ballad, and would be in place on a Leona Lewis album. The RedOne (Lady Gaga, Kat DeLuna) produced, "Here We Go Again", is the second up-tempo on the album. It's infectious, catchy and addictive. It's also RedOne's most diverse work to date. The last two tracks, "The Way the World Works" and "Hold Me In Your Arms" are the weakest songs on the album. They're both similar sounding, and a tried effort into big, X-Factor-like inspirational songs. Basically, trying too hard, which is a shame since the rest of the album, minus "Jack", is pure class A pop music.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5/5
LISTEN TO:
"Here We Go Again"