Leona Lewis - "Echo" Era (17th NOV 09)

[r.enato]

Nov 10, 2009 22:33:27 GMT -5 Would've Been The One said:

"can't breathe" should have been her US single. it's easily the best song she's ever recorded.

[BrokenArrow]

Part of an interview with Ace Showbiz and Brent Kutzle, bass guitarist with OneRepublic

ASB: About your duet with Leona Lewis for her album ["Echo"]. What brought you up together for the project?

Brent Kutzle: Leona called Ryan [Tedder] and wanted this to happen. We were very honored and ended up cutting the majority of the song in Denver. It was fun to see the dynamic in that song specifically. I believe "Lost Then Found" is slated to be one of her singles.

www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00028779.html

So another single possibility, I hope so, the track is epic.

[S_Bunny]

I like both You Don't Care and Fly Here Now, FHN is better for me. So 80's, it reminds me of another song but I can't put my finger on it.

[Eu]

I love this album but as a lot of people have said, I think Happy is an awful choice.
I don't think Can't Breathe will be a hit, although I LOVE it.
I Got You sounds like a hit to me, so does OMH.

[Mike]

Wow, she adlibs up to an A5 on "You Don't Care" towards the end. Yowza!

Edit: I think it's a G5. I don't know why I thought I heard the A lol.

[muzikfeak]

Where can I hear You Don't Care and Fly Here Now?

[Mike]

Fly Here Now:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0azWCilg7Rk

You Don't Care:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi3cEzJnmWI

These tracks really aren't doing anything for me. I think they should have just kept the UK tracklisting.

[r.enato]

I'm totally in love with I Got You, Can't Breathe, Brave, Outta My Head, My Hands, Naked and Lost Then Found.

[©!nful]

Nov 11, 2009 15:04:42 GMT -5 Mike said:

Fly Here Now:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0azWCilg7Rk

You Don't Care:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi3cEzJnmWI

These tracks really aren't doing anything for me. I think they should have just kept the UK tracklisting.

I agree. That said, Fly Here Now gets catchier every time I listen to it. I really like the production, but overall it doesn't compare to Naked. I fell in love with that song instantly. The lyrics are cute, her vocals are great and it just flows really well. It would have been perfect for pop radio.

[S_Bunny]

Nov 11, 2009 14:28:56 GMT -5 Mike said:

Wow, she adlibs up to an A5 on "You Don't Care" towards the end. Yowza!

LOL That made my ear ring a little. I have to turn the music down when it comes to that part.

[muzikfeak]

Nov 11, 2009 15:04:42 GMT -5 Mike said:

Fly Here Now:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0azWCilg7Rk

You Don't Care:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi3cEzJnmWI

These tracks really aren't doing anything for me. I think they should have just kept the UK tracklisting.

Thanks much

[S_Bunny]

Echo Vocal Range vid



I love videos like this. Leona was very vocally strong on this new album.

[BrokenArrow]

I love You don't Care.

Its got a Beatles influence and the chanting beat is great.

[esoteric76]

I'm surprisingly underwhelmed by Echo on a whole. The ballads all seem to blend together for me and I really loved Spirit so I went in naturally with high expectations. Yes, her voice sounds effortless and powerful I just wish the songs had more of an urgency. (it's missing a song like "Battlefield" that just knocks it out of the park).

That being said I think that "I Got You" would make a great single, and "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" is just gorgeous.

(i'm not feeling Outta My Head. From the raves on this board I was expecting something like Leona's "Take A Bow" but OMH just didn't "wow" me)

Will give the songs repeat listens to see how they grow on me...;)

[megataff]

My first post on this particular forum....hi guys!

I've posted on numerous other boards but really cant see what you're expecting from Leona's album - it's deffo a move away from Spirit...

If she'd have gone 'safe' - and done loads of middle-of-the-road type ballads & slowies....she'd have been slated for being boring! If she'd have done an uptempo disc, she'd have been slated for trying to be "something she's not".....

She's trying to show peeps she's 'versatile' by doing a mixture - and tbh, if you cant be versatile with theat voice, there's not much hope for the others is there?

I think she's got it just right with a nice blend of all genre's on this album.....I've always liked her ballads etc but tbh....my fav track on this is the 'banging' Outta My Head.....absolutely AWESOME!

I love her personality as it is - meek, mild, humble & polite - which is her main 'failing' if you listen to her critics.....I think that's a breath of fresh air in todays 'angry' society of disrespect and to me, makes her all the more endearing!

If I was on the fence about her before - this album would make me a fan - it's mega!

[r.enato]

^ welcome!

Yeah, it is a nice blend of all genres!


Brave's instrumental reminds me so much of Alanis.

Love Letter reminds me of Cher's A Song For The Lonely when the first chorus kicks in! LOL

[Mike Tuinstra]

I like both You Don't Care and Fly Here Now. You Don't Care is more of a sad mood, Fly Here Now is feel good. I like the feel good mood more so I'll go with Fly Here Now. Both are sung well, my compliments.

I also prefer the hard beat of Fly Here Now. It's known as 80's because the 1980's presented the hardest beats in music history. Everything else sold for hard is bogus. They're rhythmic, but never hard, unless they strike as hard as that. You just don't go beyond that, which is why the industry went back and sold less for more. I agree with the poster that said the beat on You Don't Care is reminiscent of a drum sound they they sold in the 60's. So you get that Beatles sound.

[EPG]

After giving the album plenty of listens, here are my ratings!

1. Happy - 9/10
2. I Got You - 9/10
3. Can't Breathe - 9/10
4. Brave - 8.5/10
5. Outta My Head - 10/10
6. My Hands - 8.5/10
7. Love Letter - 9/10
8. Broken - 10/10
9. Naked - 10/10
10. Stop Crying Your Heart Out - 8.5/10
11. Don't Let Me Down - 8/10
12. Alive - 8/10
13. Lost Then Found (Featuring OneRepublic) - 9/10
14. Stone Hearts and Hand Grenades - 10/10

Overall Rating: A solid 9/10 or an A- album

[Mike Tuinstra]

Broken is the clear stand out for me. Both sound-wise and vocally. This must be one of the best vocal performances of the decade. Power ballad AOR = Pop Rock crossover R&B. Once more a perfect example of a melodic, smart structured song. The tension building verses breaking out in the big harmonic chorus, with the bridge repeating of broken climaxing in a final all out power performance of the chorus. That's musical bliss to me. When people don't like it, it's for the mood, melody or lyrics. It is a good song IMO.

I really like Alive as well. That would be my second favorite of this album. It's less powerful compared to Broken, because it doesn't feature as big of a chorus, but it is a nice straight ballad.

Lost Then Found: third favorite and another example of the above. More of an upbeat mood, and more melodic at places with piano playing, keyboards soloing out and pounding drums in the background. Also note the big harmonic chorus once more resulting in a second part with a repeating of its title.

Out Of My Head is an honestly nice Dance Pop song probably being the uptempo people wanted Leona to do for so long. I like it, but she sounds like she's channeling Mariah's whisper mess on the second part of the chorus. Other places sound like a Justin Timberlake vocal attempt. He's not a Powerhouse singer. Stick to your guns Leona.

My Hands then. AC Pop, a continuation of what's on Spirit. Good vocal performance, straight ballad though. I like it nonetheless. It's a good one, a nice love song.

Stop Crying Your Heart Out is a superior cover to the Oasis song IMO. I like this original, but with Leona's Powerhouse and this arrangement I like it slightly better.

Naked is a Rock song which I most definitely encourage for the sake of diversity. But its straight play makes it more of a common outing. It's somewhat of an Alternative production that could be more. More melodic, smarter setup etc. That's what I'm missing here.

I Got You is more a fun Poppy Rock song. I like it to a certain extent.

Can't Breathe has a whisper vocal I'm not a fan of. I like artists with power to power out. I like the verses and the melody though.

The rest of the album has it's moments, but is very similar in sound, something that could easily be described as boring. Echo overall is a pretty good album, but it could be a lot more IMO. To me it has not reached its full potential in song selections, as I would have definitely switched some songs for the B-side and demo leaks. Let It Rain and Strangers, songs as great as Broken to me didn't make the cut, while I'd consider them clearly better to others on this version. Good album nonetheless. IMO.

[ƒreakshow]

I like You Don't Care a lot, but those high notes at the end aren't necessary, IMO. It's too much.

[Illusions]

To be honest I am not feeling Broken that much, to me it is a little overrated. My favorite is either I Got You, Naked, Alive, or Outta My Head. This album overall is really good.
A-

[BrokenArrow]

They announced the UK tour dates in the press today.

It says she is taking OneRepublic with her which will give them a huge boost in the UK.

[©!nful]

LEONA LEWIS has revealed the secret behind her quick recovery from being punched in the face - it's all down to her tough upbringing.

Today, in an exclusive interview with The Sun, the singer tells of her shock at being attacked at a book signing last month.

And she explains that growing up in a rough part of East London has prepared her for anything.

Leona said: "I'm from Hackney, so I'm hard. I'm not going to let something like that bother me.

"When you grow up where I did you learn to move on. There was always some kind of craziness going on in my neighbourhood.

"The boys were always fighting each other and there was loads of street crime. I know how to look after myself. The part of London where I grew up has the highest crime rates in the country."

X Factor winner Leona, 24, was assaulted as she signed copies of her autobiography, Dreams, at a branch of Waterstone's in Piccadilly, central London.

She was immediately rushed out of the shop by security men and taken to a Harley Street doctor.

Peter Kowalczyk, 29, from Waterloo, has been charged with common assault. He was deemed unfit to face magistrates and has been sectioned.

But Leona - on course for No1 this week with new single Happy - says everyone else is more stressed about the attack than her, particularly her long-term boyfriend Lou Al-Chamaa.

She said: "It was reported that Lou was there and that he leapt up to help me. Sadly, he wasn't even there and the idea of him leaping up like some ninja dude is really funny to me.

"But he was really angry about it - everyone was. It brought out his protective side."

And she insisted: "It's horrible, no matter who you are, to be physically attacked by someone, but I'm not letting it worry me. I know it was an isolated incident.

"It's just a shame it happened at all. I'm now trying to put it in the past and get over it. I'm a positive person and I try to look at the good side of everything."

Leona, who returned to perform on The X Factor on Sunday three years after winning the show, is busy preparing for her first live tour.

The former pizza waitress is heading out on the road for a series of arena shows starting next May, following a successful one-off gig at the Hackney Empire, near where she grew up, earlier this month. She also has a new album, Echo, out Monday.

Leona's detractors claim she never toured before because she was simply too shy and too nervous. But the singer is more steely and determined in real life than you would imagine.

She said: "The idea of me being scared of singing is crazy - absolute madness. Every performer wants to sing live. That's what I live for.

"Lots of people rush into things and do them badly. I wanted to wait until I had enough material - so I've waited until the second album. More importantly, I wanted to do a big show. I want to surprise people."

Leona road-tested new ideas at last weekend's MTV Europe Awards in Berlin. Now she is putting the finishing touches to a world-class two-hour production, complete with dancers, lasers, holograms and state-of-the-art lighting.

She has based the tour theme on her favourite movie, the 1986 fantasy Labyrinth, and promises a dark and romantic twist.

She added: "I've been to see a lot of live shows over the past two years to get ideas.

"My favourite artists are Beyonce, Kings Of Leon and Kanye West. I loved Beyonce's show so much that I've been back quite a few times.

"But my show will be very different - dark and ethereal.

"I have taken lots of inspiration from Labyrinth, loads of masks and costumes. I do like a stark performance. There are moments when it works with me just standing there singing in the mist. That can be extremely powerful. But I'm going to surprise people with lots of choreography and dancing."

The tour will also be the first time Leona has struck out on her own without the guidance of X Factor judge Simon Cowell, the boss of her record company Syco.

She said: "My tour is separate from his company, so I'm making a lot more decisions. It is my vision."

And the star has hired the best in the business - Kylie Minogue's creative director William Baker - to oversee the show. He is the man who put Kylie in THOSE gold hotpants. Leona added: "William is an amazing guy and he's doing some really cool concepts. It will be amazing to watch. We have developed a great relationship. He has an amazing vision and he is very inspiring. He's really fun."

www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2726065/Exclusive-X-Factor-winner-speaks-about-shock-attack.html

[Felicia]

'Naked' reminds me of 'Torn' by Natalie Imbruglia and I don't know why, What a great track! Loving that song, 'Outta My Head', 'Can't Breathe', 'Alive', 'Broken', & 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out'. 'SCYHO' is so underrrated. It's one of the album highlights for me.

[BrokenArrow]

Nov 11, 2009 23:02:43 GMT -5 Illusions said:

To be honest I am not feeling Broken that much, to me it is a little overrated. My favorite is either I Got You, Naked, Alive, or Outta My Head. This album overall is really good.
A-

Naked is a great song, but don't do what I did to hear it and search for "Leona Lewis Naked" on Google.

[muziclvr1]

[Deleted]

I know I'm a page late, but I'm really disappointed 'Naked' isn't gonna be on the US physical edition. It should be a single! She finally does some good uptempos and one of the best isn't gonna be on the album? >:(

I would have chosen as singles:

Can't Breathe
Outta My Head
I Got You/Broken
Naked

On the plus side, if Naked isn't gonna be a a US single, I can see Fly Here Now being one...with an edit of course.

[HEADOFTHEPACK]

Nov 11, 2009 23:02:43 GMT -5 Illusions said:

To be honest I am not feeling Broken that much, to me it is a little overrated.

I know. A little? It passed me RIGHT by.

[BrokenArrow]

Apparently, "My Hands" is going to be a theme song in the US/EU version of Final Fantasy XIII.

[©!nful]

Multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Leona Lewis has come on board with Square Enix to provide the theme song for FINAL FANTASY XIII. The song is entitled "My Hands," and is featured on her highly-anticipated second album ECHO (J Records/Syco Music) set for release on November 17th. Leona Lewis took the music world by storm with her 2008 6x platinum debut album Spirit which features her chart topping, biggest selling single of 2008 "Bleeding Love," and mega-hit "Better In Time.”

"When Square Enix approached Leona about including her song, "My Hands," in FINAL FANTASY XIII, she was honored to be partnered with such an iconic and groundbreaking video game series," said Tom Corson, EVP/GM, RCA Music Group. "Leona is a natural fit with the game’s powerful themes and strong female protagonist. We’re delighted to be part of this effort, bringing great musical artistry to FINAL FANTASY XIII which is a riveting and dynamic gaming experience."

Introducing new worlds, memorable characters and extraordinary stories with each new installment, the FINAL FANTASY series has continued to reinvent itself over the last two decades and has shipped over 85 million copies worldwide. The series is defined by a constant evolution, offering nothing less than the finest creative vision, graphical quality and gameplay system of its generation with every installment, and FINAL FANTASY XIII will be no exception to its legacy.

news.teamxbox.com/xbox/21478/Final-Fantasy-XIII-Release-Date-Trailer-Screens/

That's a pretty big deal actually. Wouldn't have put them together but people do use her songs a lot in FF vids on youtube.