You'll like her, not a lott, but you'll like her. (Turn It Up - Pixie Lott)

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	Turn It Up - Pixie Lott
Date:	13/11/09 (180 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great voice, big future.

Disadvantages: Some absolute dross on here.

Pixie Lott

Turn it Up (2009)

I have to say, when I first heard her single 'Mama Do' I thought, oh no, another little pop star that'll have a single or two and hopefully fade into the background, then I heard a promo of her (soon to be released) song 'Cry Me Out' and have to say, had to do a bit of a U turn, maybe we have ourselves a singer here?

Mama Do, is an out and out pop song that could be anyone from Girls Aloud to Gabriella Cilmi, not great, catchy and repetitive, based on that alone, don't bother with this album!

However, as stated, when the next track on the album (Cry Me Out)starts we get a pleasant piano backing that leads into a great drum beat and a real old style Americana Soul type vocal that is very, very good.

The Chorus is so familiar and yet I cannot place it. This is a big song, powerful vocals, great musical backing and great structure going from full on, orchestral to just a vocal with some guitar and drums backing, and back again. Excellent, worth a download on it's own. I should also mention that the video is directed by the same guy that directed the Beyonce 'Single Ladies' video, Jake Nava.

We then get another strong vocal in 'Band Aid'. A very different song, much more contemporary R&B, it is hard to believe, hearing this that this is a 19 year old, British White girl. Love the use of strings in this track.

'Turn it Up' sounds like Katy Perry and that is enough to 'turn it off'. Seriously, this is poor, not worth more than one listen in my opinion, atrocious.

'Boys and Girls'. Catchy, again, I honestly thought when I first heard this that it was Girls Aloud...it is very, very shallow, I should hate it, and part of me does, though to be honest, it is so damn catchy it stays around in my head....and in the video she is really, really hot, and I feel slightly odd saying that as she is only 19. Right, not listening to that one any more, I'll be buying Sugar Babes next, perish the thought.

'Gravity' is another slice of contemporary R&B, sounds a bit like Kelly Rowland...that is about all I can say about it....bored by the end of the first verse, then her screechy vocal comes in and I am not only bored but fed up, horrid!

'My Love' Same as, same as, Katy Perry sings R&B, bye bye Pixie!

'Jack' Oh god no....starting off with a nursery rhyme, then getting more infantile...at this point I turned the album off for a while, I could bear no more.

'Nothing Compares'. We get a nice acoustic guitar start and a very measured, breathy vocal a la Alicia Keys. This is so much better than the last few songs, no where near as good as 'Cry me Out' but actually very pleasant. I quite like the way the song builds. This is her strength, going from quiet to Diva. She has a great vocal range and can sing a great song, shame there are so many duff songs on this album.

'Here We Go Again'...we start with an 80's electro beat and then we get a horrid, twangy, disjointed vocal, possibly the worst track on the album, think Lady Ga Ga with a nasal cold.

'The Way The World Works' is a pleasant little number, no more, no less.

'Hold Me in Your Arms'. This song has a good strong start and her voice reminds me of a cross between Joss Stone and Christina Aguilera, this is a decent enough offering, but how this woman won MTV awards is beyond me, she aint that good, or at least, her material aint. In fairness, this is probably the 3rd best song on the album. She does it justice, especially toward the end as the song builds.

iTunes has a bonus track, a cover of Kings of Leon 'Use Somebody'. 2nd best song on the album. Very acoustic, her vocal is really, really strong here and if I heard this before any other of her songs it would get a 'wow' from me.


~~Final Thoughts~~

I don't get this woman. She can really, really sing as indicated on some tracks, yet the material on this album is really too weak and washy for a voice like hers and I cannot help but think someone needs to advise her on her next release as this one aint nowhere near what she is capable of.

My prediction for her is that she produces a similar 2nd album we won't see a 'lott' more of her. However if she concentrates on songs like 'Cry Me Out' she will be an absolute star...she is a diva in the making, but as for this album, I would only download the one or maybe two tracks.


~~Full Track Listing~~

1. Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)
2. Cry Me Out
3. Band Aid
4. Turn It Up
5. Boys and Girls
6. Gravity
7. My Love
8. Jack
9. Nothing Compares
10. Here We Go Again
11. The Way the World Works
12. Hold Me in Your Arms
13. Use Somebody

Summary: Good voice, naff songs.