Tag Archives: Leona Lewis

Music

Music Talks: Choice Top 7 British Soul Singers

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7. Corrine Bailey Rae
You might have heard her soulful voice with her big hit “Put Your Records On”, a song which takes you to reminisce of the good old days, but she had some other soulful songs on her records.

6. Paloma Faith
She is one of the longest female soul singers in UK and had multiple platinum albums. She’s still around and releasing music. Her recent hit album was “A Perfect Contradiction” which was already 2x platinum, and the number 6 hit “Only Love Can Hurt Like This”. Her voice is a classic soul with such power.

5. Duffy
Duffy quickly became successful with her debut. She was known for her top-selling album “Rockferry” and the number 1 single “Mercy”. However, her success stayed there as her succeeding releases failed to gain momentum. She also has a great voice, amd I can hear similarity with Paloma Faith.

4. Leona Lewis
She rose to success through winning “X-Factor UK”. Sje quickly achieved a number 1 album with “Spirit” and number 1 single “Bleeding Love”. But her popularity has gone down low. But she is one of the best voices. If only she did a music like other soul singers did, she might still be around and relevant.

3. Joss Stone
She was known for her hit albums “Soul Sessions” and “Mind Body and Soul” which has gone multi-platinums. Her voice is very soulful which hits the heart when you hear her voice.

2. Amy Winehouse
She has one of the best voices, unfortunately, she was gone too soon. Her album “Back to Black” has been huge and one of the biggest selling album during the second half of 2000’s.  Her voice is soulful and powerful and was like taking you anywhere.

1. Adele
She can be the voice of her time, and it translates to huge album sales. She is currently the biggest selling singer after albums “21” and “25”. Her voice even slips through your heart as you can feel what she feels when singing and she even tells a story while signing.

Video from YouTube / CapitolMusic

Music

Album’s Singles Review: Leona Lewis “Spirit”

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After winning the X-Factor UK, Leona Lewis‘ first album “Spirit” was finally released. The album was dominated by pop songs as well as soul and R&B touch on it. It was one of the biggest selling albums of 2008, which the album went to number 1 worldwide.

A Moment Like This
“A Moment Like This” was Leona Lewis’ first single after winning and as part of X-Factor UK. The song was originally sung by Kelly Clarkson after winning American Idol. She pulled the song well, though I still prefer Kelly’s version. The ballad became a big seller in United Kingdom after reaching number 1 there.
Rate: 8.25 out of 10

Bleeding Love
“Bleeding Love” is the actual lead single for “Spirit” despite ” A Moment Like This” topping becoming a part of the album. The pop R&B song is just beautiful as Leona Lewis’ input of her emotions was heartfelt. It reached number worldwide including US and United Kingdom, and one of the top songs of 2008.
Rate: 9.25 out of 10

Better in Time
“Better in Time” is a beautiful and soulful song which showcased Leona Lewis soulful voice. The song is a big hit too reaching top 10 in many countries, but almost made it to top 10 when it reached 11 in Billboard Hot 100.
Rate: 9.0 out of 10

Footprints in the Sand
“Footprints in the Sand” was released as a sole single and a double-sided single with “Better in Time” in United Kingdom. The song is beautiful with its melody and tune. It was a number 25 hit in UK as a lone single, and number 2 with “Bettef in Time” as double sided single.
Rate: 8.5 out of 10

Forgive Me
“Forgive Me” is one of the hit singles from “Spirit”. It was dance pop with soul tune which went to top 5 in United Kingdom.
Rate: 8.0 out of 10

Run
“Run” is a beautiful cover version of Leona Lewis which was a original song by the band Snow Patrol. The ballad became Leona’s third number 1 single in UK. It was a top 10 single in numerous country.
Rate: 8.25 out of 10

I Will Be
“I Will Be” was the last single from the album particularly in America”. It was originally performed by Avril Lavigne and there’s even a version of both of them. It only peaked at number 66 in the US.
Rate: 8.25 out of 10

Credits: Billboard / OCC / Wikipedia
Video from YouTube / leonalewisVEVO

Music

Battle of Same Song Title: Leona Lewis vs Pharrell Williams / Black Eyed Peas vs Simple Plan

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The first battle is between a female and a male singer, while the second one was two groups. Check the battles below:

Leona Lewis vs Pharrell Williams
“Happy”
Leona Lewis came back after the success of her album “Spirit”. This song was the first single for her album “Echo” and actually, the title of the song is opposite from its meaning. It’s about wanting to be happy while you are in the midst of sadness. The song went to the top 10 in many countries, though it failed to match the success of “Bleeding Love” as it only peaked at 32 in Billboard Hot 100.

 

Pharrell finally reached his peak of popularity with this song which was used for the film “Despicable Me 2”. The song which is plainly a happy song went to number one worldwide. Perhaps it success was due to its positibe sound and message. In its music video featured some celebrities.

 

Verdict:
Leona Lewis- Happy
Melody and Lyrics- 3.75 / Success- 3.0= 6.75

Pharrell Williams- Happy
Melody and Lyrics- 3.75 / Success- 4.75= 8.5

Winner: The lead was quite wide and it is clear to see that Pharrell Williams takes the “Happy” song battle.

Black Eyed Peas vs Simple Plan
“Shut up”
Black Eyed Peas gained worldwide success with “Where’s the Love?” So it is not easy to match it by its second single. The song may have failed to chart in the US, but it has been an international success especially in Europe where it went to number one in most countries.

 

Simple Plan released this single for their second LP “Still Not Getting Any”, and to be honest, I always associate this to the Black Eyed Peas song. The song was a modest hit worldwide.

 

Verdict:
Black Eyed Peas- Shut Up
Melody and Lyrics- 3.25 / Success- 3.75= 7.0

Simple Plan- Shut Up
Melody and Lyrics-2.75 / Success- 2.25= 5.0

Winner: Obviously, Black Eyed Peas won with 2.0 gap of points.

Credits: Wikipedia / Billboard
Videos from YouTube

Music

Memorable Lines in Songs: Kesha and Leona Lewis

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Kesha
Kesha became popular because of its electronic sounds with theme more often about partying. She also had love songs too, nevertheless.

Tik Tok
” Don’t stop, make it pop
DJ, blow my speakers up
Tonight, Imma fight
‘Til we see the sunlight”
It was about partying with loud music and and the party goes on overnight along with drinking.

Your Love is My Drug
” My friends think I’ve gone crazy
My judgment’s gettin’ kinda hazy”
When friends are reminding you as you are acting usually with a guy you are addictedly in love.

We R Who We R
” We’re tearin’ it apart part-part pa-pa-part
You know we’re superstars, we are who we are!”
It’s like we don’t care about others and think we are superstars because we are who we are and not somebody else.

C’mon
” C’mon ’cause I know what I like
And you’re looking just like my type
Let’s go for it just for tonight”
It’s like going out tonight and party with the one you like. Just reminds me of “Tik Tok”.

Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis became popular as a winner of X-Factor UK. She topped the charts then and had songs about love, heartbreaks, etc.

Bleeding Love
” But nothing’s greater than the rush that comes with your embrace
And in this world of loneliness, I see your face”
It’s like longing for the embrace by the one you love, but sadness covered you and kept hurting because you still love him/her.

Better than Time
” I’m gonna smile cause I deserve to
It’ll all get better in time”
It’s telling yourself to smile because that’s what you deserve but you’rr still hurting and hoping things will better at the right time.

Forgive Me
” Forgive me if I found a man 
Who understands just what I need ”
You already found a new love but asking the forgiveness of your previous love. Hhmmm… I don’t think it does need to ask for forgiveness.

Happy
” Don’t care about all the pain in front of me
Cause i’m just trying to be happy, yeah”
You still love that person and you are there to witness his vow with other person. You don’t mind if you’ll get hurt. You just want to be there because seeing that person makes you happy.

Lyrics from azlyrics.com
Credits to songwriters

Music

Top R&B Hits of 2005-2009

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Trends in music may be slowly changing during this period but R&B music is still doing very well. They even topped the charts in several weeks even reaching 14 weeks by a song.

Mario- Let Me Love You
This breezy, subtle and midtempo R&B hit makes me listen to it as it is too peaceful for the ear. It has been Mario’s signature hit as it spent several weeks in the US chart and was a big hit elsewhere too.

Mariah Carey- We Belong Together
2005 is a big year for Mariah as she redeemed the throne after 2 flop records prior. This song made a mark on Mariah’s career after sitting for 14 weeks in the US as well as good performance in global charts.

Pussycat Dolls- Don’t Cha
It seems this girls finally took the girlband throne which was vacated for a long time. This song served as an opener for Pussycat Dolls’ success as it was a mega-seller worldwide.

Beyonce- Irreplaceable
Beyonce’s success continues through this pop/R&B hit which was one of the hits that spent more than 10 weeks at the summit. It was also a success in several territories.

Ne-Yo- So Sick
The song that has become a formula by which similarities can be heard from hits of Rihanna, Chris Brown, Beyonce, etc. The song topped major countries as US and UK.

Rihanna ft. Jay-Z- Umbrella
Rihanna may had big hits prior to this but this song has been career defining for her. It made her a superstar and this song was one of the modern hits then with a lot of cover versions.

Alicia Keys- No One
This midtempo R&B hit showcased the amazing vocals of Alicia Keys. It went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2008

Sean Kingston- Beautiful Girls
You might hear “Stand By Me” in this song and yes it is. This is one of the catchiest R&B hits if 2000s which made it spawn to the top globally.

Justin Timberlake ft. T.I.- My Love
I love how the synth, R&B beat and hip-hop was infused in this song. It went on to become the second consecutive chart-topper for JT.

Flo Rida ft. T-Pain- Low
One of the biggest hip-hop songs in 2000s, this was a breakthrough for Flo Rida. The song was the theme of the dance-inspired film “Step Up 2”.

Leona Lewis- Bleeding Love
After becoming a UK big seller, it broke the US market and became the top song of 2008 in terms of sales.

Madonna and Justin Timberlake- 4 Minutes
We rarely hear Madonna sing R&B songs but she pretty nailed it in this danceable R&B pop tune with Justin Timberlake. It turned into a global smash in 2008.

Rihanna- Take a Bow
Following the Ne-Yo formula, this R&B midtempo ballad from Rihanna immediately climbed to the top.

Black Eyed Peas- Boom Boom Pow
Black Eyed Peas settled for a 12-week reign this upbeat hip-hop, electronic and R&B hit which portrayed a big part for the group’s career.

Beyonce- Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)
Beyonce came out with this upbeat song which made a huge contribution in pop culture. It was one of the biggest R&B hits of all time.

Some facts based from Wikipedia