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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