Album- Turn It Up
Artist- Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott was one of the biggest stars of 2009 and was just
a grand success with two number one singles. This debut was so popular it sold
over 800,000 copies within the United Kingdom, a grand feat in the UK music
charts. However, her follow up album sold much less than this record, and it
has recently been reported that her label have delayed the release of her third
album as they are reportedly unhappy with it. So was this really such a great
album or were people just riding on the Lott bandwagon?
Track 1- Mama Do (Uh
Oh, Uh Oh)
The singer’s debut single is a strong pop offering that is
lyrically about Lott playing the role of this girl who sneaks out the house to
see this guy without her parents knowledge, with the chorus centred on the idea
of what would her mam and dad do/think if they found out. The slightly
rebellious tone of the track will appeal to some audiences and is given a
preppy quality through the glossy up tempo sound of the track that utilises
strong synth notes with a prominent drum machine and keyboard that give a
lively pop energy to the song that is accompanied by a nice, melodramatic,
soulful vocal performance from Lott. This is a song that works extremely well
as an introduction to Pixie Lott.
3.5/5
Track 2- Cry Me Out
From the preppy, poppy, up tempo energy of the nice album
opener we transition into this traditional soul and pop ballad. The song finds
Lott playing lyrically with the idea of heartbreak, as this time instead of the
girl being the one who is left crying over the disastrous end of this
relationship, Lott basically tells this guy that she doesn’t need him and he
will be the one crying in order to get her out of his head. The twisting of the
theme of heartbreak makes the song feisty and more interesting, with Lott
producing a strong vocal performance that shows off the range of her voice
nicely, and although she may not be the most powerful singer in the world, she
really gives the track her all vocally and makes the song feel like a powerful
statement. In keeping the production simple with the soft piano melody and
strings as well as the simple drum beat, the sound of the song is nice and
chilled but still powerful and really elevates the tracks vocals and lyrics,
making this song feel much more like a statement musical piece.
3.5/5
Track 3- Band Aid
Things are kept soft and delicate with this track that is a
mid tempo number where the singer moves on from heartbreak and is firmly in
love. The song finds Lott telling this guy how much she cares for him because
he is always there for her, with the chorus describing him as this metaphorical
band aid because he help her when is feeling hurt. The song is a bit lyrically
clichéd, but overall the song has a nice sweet quality, and the light vocal
performance of Lott makes the song feel more sincere, with the final choruses
of the song featuring some powerful ad libbing from the singer. The production has
a bouncy and light tone with the simple drum beats and musically organic tone,
with the bridge and the final section of the song having a slight reggae groove
that mixes the track up a bit and makes the song have a little bit more of a
lasting impression.
3/5
Track 4- Turn It Up
With a slightly more synthpop and RnB based sound the title
track takes things in a different direction lyrically once again. This time
Lott isn’t in heartbreak or in love but is simply in this state where she
recognises the relationship is going nowhere, and so her and her beau are just
going to sadly break up, but will both be ok and basically do the right thing.
The lyrics have a fast paced quality with a vibrant hook in terms of the turn
it up reference to the listeners who like Lott will move on from a relationship
and do this for the better. The song has a nice bittersweet quality but is just
light and vibrant in an infectious way, with the singer giving us a vocal
performance full of vitality but not being over powerful. Danish production duo
Cutfather and Joe give the song a simple light synth pop energy with a steady
drum beat, and the clock ticking in the bridge is a nice twist that makes the
final chorus a tiny bit more impactful.
3.5/5
Track 5- Boys and
Girls
Lott’s second number one single, Boys and Girls is an upbeat
electro pop song that utilises some retro styles with modern dance driven
sensibilities. The lyrical content of the track very simply follows the concept
of having fun with your friends in a party atmosphere, with Lott imbuing the
track with this fun and youthful air through the vitality of her vocal
performance, with the singers light tone making this a song for you to just
really throw your head along to. The retro style of the production comes
through with the use of brass instruments, whilst the synthetic rhythms of the
production with the synths, drum machines and keyboard creates a nice dance
blend that is just uplifting and is astutely designed to keep the party going.
4/5
Track 6- Gravity
A mid tempo pop ballad, Gravity was released as the forth
single from the album. The track lyrically focuses on Lott singing about how
this guy is like gravity in that she can’t escape his love, even if she may
want to. The track is vocally strong and has a delicate tone that gives the song
an emotional intensity, but the lyrical content of the track feels like the
writers were trying to pack too much in, and the chorus has an almost dreary
quality that lacks the panache of the previous songs. Furthermore, whilst the
production is a nice blend of light synths and simple piano and guitar, the
whole sound of the song feels a bit too immaculate and commercial, and is
missing something to make this song a bit more unique.
2.5/5
Track 7- My Love
Keeping things on a mid tempo and delicate level, this song
has more of an emotional intensity than the last track and to me would have
been a better single choice. The song finds Lott telling this guy that she
really loves him and she doesn’t want to lose him. The lyrical content here as
more of a simple quality that makes things feel more catchy and truthful. The
vocal performance also feels grander and more passionate, with the chorus
featuring some nice vocal layering that gives the song this love driven and
almost pleading tone. The singer also really shows off some power in her voice with
the songs final minute, and is backed by some nice toe tapping beats and light
guitar rhythms that just create an appealing, radio friendly sound pop sound.
3.5/5
Track 8- Jack
Lott kicks things up a bit with the tempo of this song but
doesn’t quite go to a dance level and keeps things more acoustic, with this
track having a slight soul quality. The lyrics of the song find Lott singing to
us about this guy Jack who has played with her heart and who she can’t get
over, with references to the children’s story ‘Jack and Jill’. The song is a
bit strange lyrically but the singer gives us a powerful vocal performance that
imbues the song with this strong emotion, whilst the production is cool in the
way that it dips into more toned down sections and then goes full throttle,
with the use of the electric guitar giving the track a rock sheen that adds to
the songs intensity.
3/5
Track 9- Nothing
Compares
The tempo goes back down a level for this song which finds
the singer in a very acoustic setting. The ballad simply focuses on Lott
telling her man that to him nothing compares, and she just wants to be forever
holding his hand. The song is a bit clichéd lyrically but ultimately has a sweet
simplicity that makes the track appealing. Keeping the production light with
the simple guitar, piano and strings gives the song this dramatic sound that
builds nicely, although it does feel a little stereotypical in the way it is
formed. The vocals are also similar to production in that although we get to
hear the delicacy within the singers voice, which is good, on the whole the
song comes across as the singer trying to give the track true emotion without
actually being invested in the song.
3/5
Track 10- Here We Go
Again
A collaboration with a hit song maker at the time RedOne,
this track is interesting to me in the way that the up tempo dance song is
vibrant and party creating, but the song is cool in how the production doesn’t
feel like stereotypical RedOne and feels like the artist has definitely wanted
to remain true to her artistically roots. This is because the song is backed by
this 60’s influenced swing vibe that you can here prominently at the starts,
while the dance driven synths aren’t the typical sound of RedOne. The song
lyrically finds the singer having a bad morning after partying hard, but
basically doing the same thing over again, as she is always up for fun and
never wants to miss out. The lyrics have a fun carefree quality that is
elevated by the light vocal performance from Lott which is full of energy. To
me this is another song that would have worked well if it was released as a
single.
3.5/5
Track 11- The Way the
World Works
Once again we transition in terms of the energy of the
record, going into more of an acoustic mid tempo setting with this track. Here
we find Lott singing about missing this boy and not being happy about the rest
of the world that try to keep her and her lover apart. The song comes across a
little bit whiny but has a light and vibrant soul quality in the chorus that
makes for a catchy tune. The song is quite powerfully vocally, with the bridge
being fast paced and sassy in a good way. The light drum beats and twinkling
piano melodies are really nice, with the song also featuring some cool use of
horns that makes this song feel a little bit more old school but still very
modern and kind of uplifting despite the lyrical drama that is conveyed.
3/5
Track 12- Hold Me in
Your Arms
Keeping with the soulful groove of the previous track this
song takes things down a level but still keeps things mid tempo and to me has a
touch of 1960’s glamour about it. The song finds Lott asking this guy to simply
hold her and keep her safe and warm, a message that is sweet but unfortunately
comes across a bit clichéd and cheesy. The softness of the production is nice
with the steady drum beats and swirling strings just having this light energy
that is pleasant to hear. And th production blends nicely with the light vocal
performance. However things are just too sickly sweet with this song and
perhaps a bit of grittiness to the vocal or something would have made this a
more interesting and simply better track to listen to.
2/5
Final Review
Pixie Lott has a light and pleasant vocal tone that carries
many songs nicely and is pleasing to here. The tracks on this album are strong
in terms of their production, having a glossy finish that makes things feel
structured and nice, with some songs also nicely blending old and new sounds. However,
this album is very much a simple pop album with sadly clichéd lyrics, and
doesn’t feel like it has that mark of originality that means it deserves the
success that it had. A solid debut that is cohesive and fun to listen to, but
if this is all she can offer musically then it is understandable why she has
seen a decline in album sales.
5/10
Best Track- Boy and
Girls
Worst Track- Hold Me
In Your Arms
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