Heartbreak on Hold

[mrk2010]

Album Review

Vocals 5/5
Songs quality 4/5
Genre 3/5
Total Score 4/5

Well she’s sold more than 4 million records in the UK since 2008 having won the talent show X-Factor, had numerous no. 1 singles and a number one album; Alexandra Burke returns with her sophomore album titled Heartbreak on Hold released this week in the UK. Having been touted as the best female artist since Whitney Houston by legend Dionne Warwick, Burke releases material reminiscent of artists such as Donna Summer, Soul 2 Soul and the late Whitney Houston.

(http://www.metro.co.uk/music/900749-alex...ck-tribute)

As stated by Burke that this album will get "down and dirty", promising the record that will take risks. "It’s got to be sexy. So I’m going to get a lot fiercer and sexier. Well does it do this? The answer is yes it does! Heartbreak on Hold is mainly an upbeat affair clearly drawing inspiration from the legends such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey but with a modern day twist which will appeal to the mass market. Despite the upbeat nature of this work the two ballads “What Money Can’t Buy” and “Between the Sheets” are clearly the standouts in terms of vocals however it is highly notable Burke often belts out a tune full even up tempo, in a style which is very comparable to Whitney, Mariah and Toni Braxton.



So in terms of the albums styling yes it is very comparable with todays current trend of dance inspired music and ballads which may seem very generic however it is done to a standard which blows away Burkes peers such as Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Adele.



What is unique to this album is the way Burke is able to put soul into a dance track and the various vocal tricks she uses such as belting the same note for 15 seconds then seamlessly moving onto a falsetto although at times all the various licks and tricks used can lose their wow factor although for a U.S vocal showcase this needs to be done. What is also clear from this album is that it was clearly made as a U.S.A showcase as a lot of idiomatic expressions are used and the styling is rather American.



So in terms of the negatives, there are a few slight niggles; on first listen it could be said that Heartbreak on Hold is very generic and a lot of the songs sound the same, however upon second listen you get to see this is a very cohesive piece of work by Burke which was clearly meant to combat U.S based artists such as Lad GaGa and Rihanna. As mentioned previously Burke does over do the vocals as some of the notes are belted in to obscurity however this is preferred to artists who rely on autotune.



In terms of positives there are many, Burke is obviously a very proficient singer and although effects are used to produce a “dance” theme she is not overshadowed by this and her distinct powerful, deep and raspy voice is distinguishable as her and is characteristic of her previous work. Every song on this album could be a hit single and if marketed correctly will be very successful. With this, Alexandra Burke is no doubt a megastar of the future who not only stand up to her contemporaries but manages to blow them out of the water a valiant effort by Queen Beast.

Review by, mrk2010 (Beastie for Life)

[Rainbowmum]

Cool, thanks for sharing.

[mdna]

however it is done to a standard which blows away Burkes peers such as Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Adele.

Alexandra Burke is no doubt a megastar of the future who not only stand up to her contemporaries but manages to blow them out of the water a valiant effort by Queen Beast.

Except Rihanna, Nicki Minaj and Adele are all worldwide recording artists. As for Alexandra being a future megastar? Maybe outselling her contemporaries in the UK would be a good start and considering the results this album has delivered. That seems pretty unlikely now. I assume this post was written before this album charted at #17 in the UK, with less than impressive sales of 6,731 copies?

[Rikki]

Let's remember that quality does not necessarily mean popularity. If beating her contemporaries simply means being good it does not mean she has to be popular - it just means making quality music and singing properly. I personally am not fussed about Alexandra Burke but evidently she beats the shit out of Rihanna and Katy Perry etc vocally. She is good, and I do like the couple you showed me mrk

However, I disagree with the comment about putting soul into a Dance track being a unique quality of Alexandra's. She may be able to do it but she is not a Dance artist, and many true Dance artists put soul into their music.