Spirit

Leona Lewis | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 8, 2008)
• Original Release Date: April 8, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: J-Records
• ASIN: B0012TBGYC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (276 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,038 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #56 in Music > R&B > Contemporary R&B

Track Listings

1. Bleeding Love

2. Better In Time

3. I Will Be

4. I'm You

5. Forgive Me

6. Misses Glass

7. Angel

8. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

9. Yesterday

10. Whatever It Takes

11. Take A Bow

12. Footprints In The Sand (UK bonus cut)

13. Here I Am (UK bonus cut)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Winner of Britain’s "The X-Factor," Leona Lewis debuts with a mix of pop and R&B. She is blessed with a vocal range that’s so versatile, in songs like "Better In Time," that one may immediately compare her to Mariah Carey or Beyoncé Knowles, especially in "The First Time I Ever Saw You." It’s not Lewis’s fault that her voice doesn’t distinguish her from these stars, but her producer, Simon Cowell (American Idol), plays it safe, and doesn’t add anything new to what Tommy Mottola achieved with Mariah decades ago. That’s not to say that the album is bad, but let’s just hope Leona Lewis’s sophomore effort shakes things up a bit more. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español )

Ganadora del concurso de talento británico "The X-Factor," Leona Lewis debuta con una mezcla de pop y R&B aderezada de una tesitura de voz que en sus momentos más agudos ("Better In Time") no deja de recordar a Mariah Carey, o que en sus notas graves ("The First Time I Ever Saw You"), pareciera ser Beyoncé Knowles. No es su culpa que su voz no tenga distinción, pero su productor, Simon Cowell (American Idol), juega a lo seguro y no propone nada que Tommy Mottola no haya logrado décadas atrás con Mariah y que decenas de seguidores han intentado hacer sin cambiar el mundo de la música. Eso no quiere decir que el disco de Leona Lewis sea malo, pero por favor, esperemos que en su próximo disco proponga. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español )

Product Description

US exclusive version features two tracks not issued on the UK and EU pressings, 'Forgive Me' and 'Misses Glass' but drops two tracks as well, 'The Best You Ever Had' and 'Homeless'. Leona was the winner of the 2006 season of the UK's talent show X-Factor and Spirit is the first release under a partnership between the show's creator Simon Cowell and music mogul Clive Davis. Working alongside the world's biggest producers and songwriters, Leona has put together an unrivaled collection of songs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but "over-balladed" May 8, 2008

By Amanda Richards HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

This is a strong debut album from X-Factor winner Leona Lewis, the only potential problems being a surfeit of ballads, and a large dose of overexposure. The British born singer/songwriter is of Guyanese/Welsh parentage, and was no stranger to performing before catching the eye of Simon Cowell, who moved heaven, earth and Clive Davis to ensure that this album had all the backing it needed.

Even before the album was released, she already had a hit single with her version of the Kelly Clarkson song "A Moment Like This", which can be found as a bonus on the UK version of the album. Please note that the track listing for the UK Version is different to the US and Canadian releases. The songs "Forgive Me" (produced by Akon) and "Misses Glass" on this version take the place of "Homeless" (a slow R&B ballad) and "The Best You Never Had" (a slightly faster ballad).

Songs of interest are "Bleeding Love", the first single from the album; "Better in Time", the second single (pop/R&B) which reminds me of Alicia Keys "No One"; "I Will Be", a cover of the Avril Lavigne song; "Yesterday", a pop/R&B track where she sounds like Mariah Carey; "Take A Bow", a radio-friendly R&B track; and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", a cover of the Roberta Flack hit written by Ewan MacColl. Lewis also co-wrote the songs "Whatever It Takes", a mid-tempo R&B track, and "Here I Am", a pop ballad.

Special mention should be made of the powerful and emotional ballad "Footprints in the Sand" inspired by the famous poem by Mary Stevenson, which ends:

The Lord replied
"The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
Is when I carried you."

Undoubtedly talented, strikingly photogenic, and with a lovely voice, it seems a bit early for all the comparisons to Mariah Carey and early Whitney Houston, but I do believe that we'll be hearing a lot more from Leona Lewis.

Amanda Richards, May 8, 2008

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Leona has arrived April 8, 2008

By Roberta Hotard

Format:Audio CD

Leona Lewis has arrived, her cd Spirit has made it to the US for all to hear. She has a voice ,between Mariah and Toni Braxton all in one. What a gem to own. Tracks: Bleeding Love, Better In time, I Will Be, I'm You, Forgive Me, Misses Glass, Angel, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, Yesterday, Whatever It Takes, Take A Bow, UK bonus : Footprints In The Sand and Here I am .
Im dedicating the songs Bleeding Love, I Will Be to my husband, To my special friend for life the songs Better In Time, Yesterday. To my lord and savior above Footprints In the Sand for guiding me through the good and bad times, thank you for always being there for me. Thanks Leona for the magic and sincere faith in your music. You are a star already for the world.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars She's off to a great start April 18, 2008

By Olukayode Balogun

Format:Audio CD

I'm really happy to see that this CD has finally been released in the US. This is an exciting time for Leona Lewis. She hit the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 recently - the first UK female artiste to do it in over 20 years and only the fourth to do it ever. She relinquished the spot to Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body" last week but to my surprise, I just heard on the news - BBC News 24, no less - that she's taken it back and that this album is #1 on the Billboard Top 200 as well, making her the first UK artiste to debut at the top US album spot ever! I expected her to do well in the US with this product but I honestly never dreamed she'd do THIS well!

I originally reviewed the album back in December last year, when it was released on Amazon on (no longer available) UK import. I definitely feel the review merits a repost here. This is the original (slightly edited) review as it appeared in December 2007:

"The 2006 "X Factor" winner's debut album is barely out of the blocks and it's already a record breaker. ("X Factor" is the UK version of "American Idol"). It sold over 375,000 copies in its first week, beating the record previously set by the Arctic Monkeys by about 12,000. That might not sound much in an American context but in this country, that's huge potatoes. You go, honey.

Her follow-up single "Bleeding Heart" has also now stood at the top of the UK singles charts for an impressive five weeks. The lead single, a cover of Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This" was released last year when she won "X Factor" and that was at the top of the charts for what seemed like ages as well. Simon Cowell and Clive Davis definitely seem to know what they're doing.

Judging by the number of absolute belters on offer here, she's clearly got her eyes on Mariah's fan base (I would've said Mariah and Whitney but I guess we all know why I didn't) and I say good luck to her. I don't usually go for albums put out by talent show winners ("American Idol" 'loser' Chris Daughtry's was the first I ever bought and this is only my second) but I've always thought Leona was a special talent right from the first moment I saw her on the show. Every performance she gave was diamond, in my opinion. Vocally, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston are in a class of their own but it's not totally ridiculous to compare Leona to them, as she demonstrated when she performed some of their hits on the show.

Thankfully, the album isn't the usual collection of dreadful covers. The Clarkson song is (of course) on this UK version of the album but isn't likely to appear on the US version when it finally gets released. Only one other sneaks in and while I would've loved it to be "Summertime" - the version she delivered on "X Factor" still gives me shivers anytime I watch it on YouTube - she's gone for the Roberta Flack classic "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and to give her the credit she's due, she owns the song. Treading the line carefully between r&b and pop, the album is a bit samey in places but if breathless diva is your thing, this one is definitely for you.

There are only four real stand out numbers here (with "Take A Bow" likely to be the track labelled 'best on album') but with people like Walter Afanasieff Dallas Austin, Jam & Lewis, Soulshock & Carlin, Salaam Remi and Ne-Yo involved, Spirit is going to be huge, especially in that lucrative yet elusive American market the album is so obviously aimed at. The sooner it gets a proper (and reasonably priced) release there, the better. Leona is young, she's pretty and she oozes a natural sweetness and charm. As Simon Cowell might say, "I think people will like her."

But most importantly, she has a voice to kill for. As long as she doesn't end up becoming another self-important diva and as long as she eventually ditches the über producers and gets to be herself, this is one lady who is going to go far. She's definitely one to look out for; definitely one worth checking out."