Thursday, 25 July 2013

Shontelle- No Gravity Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- No Gravity

Artist- Shontelle

With many comparing the Barbadian recording artist to Rihanna, it would seem that Shontelle was destined for success from the get go, producing some good pop tunes that many can really enjoy. However aside from the odd well performing single, she has not had the same success as such artists as Rihanna, and has had quite powerful commercial struggles. With her second studio album she produced her biggest hit but also still had poor album sales, resulting in a label shift. However is this really a bad album, or is the buying music public just missing out on another really good pop star?

Track 1- Perfect Nightmare

The opening number is a great two fold track that starts of with a twinkling and delicate piano melody before transitioning into a club driven pop power anthem that in turn emphasises the struggle that Shontelle is trying to convey. This struggle comes palpably through within the lyrics, in which Shontelle provides us with an array of emotions about this relationship that she is struggling to break free. Touches of clichéd ideology are used which could be very bland, but Shontelle’s smooth vocals are powerful and tap into the sense of heartbreak very nicely, with the ad libs of the final section making for a dramatic finish. It is a good opener that solidly fits into the use heartbreak and place it into a club/dance genre, but that is perhaps the songs downfall, as it feels that little bit too familiar and needed something like a darker electronic undertone to push it beyond the familiar.

3/5

Track 2- Impossible

Many people in the UK will now know this track more prominently as the 2012 UK X Factor winners single, with that version giving the track a whole new meaning. But before that Shontelle found some strong success with the song, being her only top 20 and platinum certified single in the US, and producing a beautiful and touching RnB ballad that focused simply on the pain of heartbreak. Lyrically the track draws on some clichéd ideologies but  has a nice purity to it and a kind of storytelling quality that many listeners will find appealing, with the chorus also having a catchy quality. Vocally, this is probably one of the best examples of how Shontelle is a strong vocalist, with her delicate performance giving the song gravitas and building powerfully in the chorus, whilst also having a smooth tone that makes for a comfortable listen. Production wise the track is based in a simple piano melody which is joined by nice chilled synths after a minute, making for a strong mid tempo sound that allows the track to build and grow stronger in how much you will enjoy it. It is not ground-breaking or original, but it is a solid heartbreak number, and easily one of the best tracks on the record.

4/5

Track 3- No Gravity

The records title track is an airy pop number that is centred around a “la la la” hook and finds Shontelle singing about this man who makes her feel so good that he is kind of like her strength, and in this sense of the record the message also expresses how Shontelle cant let anything hold back. The hook is strong and although the imagery is stereotypical the singers light vocal performance stops the track from being a bland listen, with the reaching into a higher register in the bridge allowing for a strong finish with some cool diva like ad libs. However the song does suffer lyrically in terms of the “la la la” hook, as this is definitely over repetitive and so as you listen becomes annoying rather than catchy. The production of the track gives the song an almost pop rock kind of edge with the forceful drum beats, and the synths have a nice lightness that taps into the ideology of the track in a great way.

3.5/5

Track 4- Take Ova (featuring Pitbull)

With a shout out to producer Darkchild from the beginning, this is a very straightforward dance number that sonically sounds like familiar Darkchild territory. The track lyrically finds Shontelle putting on the role of a “dance floor vixen” who reportedly just wants her and her girls to command the dance floor. It is highly stereotypical and by the bridge this means it’s a bit bland, but the hook is strong and catchy. And vocally Shontelle is once again strong, having a powerful tone, although the use of Auto Tune is a bit annoying in places. The production value is nice with the clattering dance beats and nice up tempo energy, but at the same time it is very dance pop paint by numbers and so is that bit annoying. Pitbull’s guest rap is either enjoyable or forgettable, but either way it does just feel as if he has come on to make the track even more radio friendly, with the small male female vocal off at the end just being extremely bland.

3.5/5

Track 5- Say Hello to Goodbye

Shontelle finds strength in heartbreak again with another mid tempo RnB ballad that finds the singer lyrically saying that this relationship is over and she is moving on. It’s a simple but nice hook driven song lyrically, and the lyrics have a nice story telling quality to them, although clichés like what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger feel unnecessary. The mid tempo setting is another example of when her vocals shine, as her soft and smooth vocal tone makes for a nice chilled affair, and when set against a production of light guitar riffs and steady drum beats that have an almost organic feel, this is a simple if familiar kind of RnB/pop number that you can sit and enjoy if you are going through a break up.

3.5/5

Track 6- DJ Made Me Do It (featuring Asher Roth)

Originally recorded by Nina Sky but given to Shontelle after their project was delayed, this is a cool pop number that has a sing rap style vocal performance and a snappy, sort of mean girls kind of a feel in my opinion.  The song has a cool laidback groove with a steady electronic bass and a simple but nice upbeat sound that gives the track a soulful swag. Vocally Shontelle brings out a soft quality in the verses that compliments the punchy, cheerleader like chorus. And the hook driven number is lyrically strong, having a simple story based nature that has strong sensual but dangerous kind of edge. The only major problem with this song is that I felt on first listen that Shontelle was trying to fit into mould that perhaps wasn’t the best fit, and that this almost cheerleader girl atmosphere was to left field, even though it meant the record is nicely diverse. Plus the Roth rap is a bit so so, and the track just kind of ends and needs a more punchy end.

3/5

Track 7- Love Shop

The seventh track is a cool RnB dance pop number that is a nice change of pace in that instead of the heartbroken Shontelle we are presented with the loved up and happy Shontelle, with the singer lyrically singing about this strong, addictive kind of love she feels for her man and how she will be like a shop for him that gives him love and all he needs. The track is simple dance territory but nicely keeps it in a lesser up tempo setting than dance floor territory, which allows for the lyrics (particularly the nice hook) and the vocals to be at the forefront. And again Shontelle delivers a strong vocal, although she does lack a little personality as the song continues.

3/5

Track 8- Helpless

From the title I thought this was going to another ballad of heartbreak, but instead this is a more up tempo affair that does touch on more negative emotions but isn’t heartbreak driven, rather than relationship driven, and has a sound that is more attention grabbing. The songs lyrics depicts this relationship in which Shontelle suffers from a kind of loss identity and doesn’t feel great about it, although the love is strong and by the bridge she has accepted. The electronic based production is good and gives a nice chilled but not too subdued feel. However the track suffers terribly in terms of the repetition of the hook and the vocal performance, in which Auto Tune is used horribly to completely distort Shontelle’s voice throughout the track and completely leave no sense of believability or personality on the track, that is if there was one to begin with, as it kind of feels like many people could have sung it.

2/5

Track 9- Kiss You Up

Another mid tempo ballad (ish) kind of and RnB pop number, but unlike the latter kinds of these tracks, this is actually a happy tone in which lyrically Shontelle reassures her man that she will always be there to care for him and love him, because she feels so strongly. Unfortunately this happy tone is marred by lyrics that are just boring, with the chorus being so slow and stereotypical. Vocally Shontelle is strong and this is definitely the kind of track that suits her, but production wise the simple acoustic kind of sound with the small moments of electronic production is just too simple and familiar in today’s pop world, and so it can never leave its mark on you as a listener. The only good thing is the lack of vocal distortion that ruined the previous song. Listen to the Miranda Cosgove version, as that’s a little bit better.

2.5/5

Track 10- T-Shirt (Radio Killa Remix) (featuring The-Dream)

The final number on the record is a reworking of the lead single and biggest single from Shontelles previous studio album Shontelligience. The track is highly similar in composition to the original version and lyrically finds Shontelle singing about her man being gone and her sadness over this, just sitting in his T-shirt. The vocals are strong and the arrangement is chilled, and the only difference between this song and the original is the The-Dream feature, which provides a male perspective within the track as he sings of thinking of his girl waiting for him. It doesn’t necessarily add a lot to the original but it is a nice twist on the original and so although it is lazy to add it too this record, it feels okay, although it perhaps should have been classed as a bonus track.

3.5/5

Final Review

Shontelle isn’t a terrible artist, but the problem with much of her music is that she feels like she is trying to fit into different moulds to ensure commercial success and in the process creates a record that lacks personality, and so as a listener you can’t really connect with her. She is a powerful and great vocalist and there are some good tracks on the record, but as a whole her work is marred by stereotypical production and bad lyrical content, and so she will have to put in some serious work for the next album.

Best Track- Impossible

Worst Track- Helpless

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