Gabriella Cilmi
Lessons to be Learned
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Review - Gabriella Cilmi
Reviewer: Kim Langcake
Rating:
Gabriella Cilmi's debut album "Lessons to be Learned" is produced by English producer Xenomania, whose coterie includes British girl-pop bands the Sugarbabes and Girls Aloud. Apart from being young and female, however, the sixteen-year-old Australian Cilmi has little in common with her production house stablemates, and although while closer to the mark in vocal and lyrical maturity, the Amy Winehouse comparisons also seem more a case of media stereotyping than any real musical similarities.
The albums opener "Save the Lies" immediately dispels either of the above likenesses with a stomping disco (and I say that with great respect) feel and full-blown irresistible chorus. Cilmi has a powerful and expressive voice which is capable of mixing up the moods, even during the loud upbeat refrains of "Don't Wanna Go To Bed Now" and the rockier "Messy". Gifted as they are, Mariah and Beyonce were standing behind the door when these sorts of nuances were given out.
First single "(There's Nothing) Sweet About Me" has topped the charts at in Cilmi's home country and has climbed into the top ten in the UK as the feel-good song of summer. Maddeningly catchy, it has a sly beat, and enough going on vocally and lyrically to survive many listens before high-rotation will inevitably start driving people nuts. Radio programmers have clearly never been introduced to the concept of there being a finite amount of times one can hear the same song in one day.
Cilmi's cover of 80s classic "Echo Beach" is joyfully camp, no Joss Stone/White Stripes faux coolness here, but it's when her voice is let loose on the more sultry numbers such as "Sanctuary" or the lovely "Safer" that the promise of what's still to come can be felt.
Xenomania sensibly has exercised some restraint in production and has managed to add polish and beat without overpowering Cilmi's voice with that manufactured, production house feel (so prevalent with young female singers today). The outcome is a bright and gutsy pop album which can sit comfortably next to all of those acts Cilmi will no doubt be compared to. Equal, but undoubtedly different.
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