Lewis' 'X Factor' falls short

"Bleeding Love" was a story with a happy ending, a chart-topping phenomenon that really did live up to the hype. But can the same be said for "Spirit," Lewis' much-hyped, record-breaking debut album that's already topping the U.S. charts? Sadly, the answer is no: Aside from a handful of tracks, "Spirit" is everything "Bleeding Love" is not. Where the debut single subtly sniggered at the rules of conventional pop (especially with its grimy beats, which sound more like Dizzee than Britney), its parent album conforms to conventions in almost every possible way: repetitive choruses, check; cavity-inducing production work, check; blander-than-bland lyrics, check. The problem with the album is simply that Lewis' personality doesn't come through at all. She just sounds like a rather insipid mix of Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Carey and all those other powerhouse singers who've plagued airwaves by mistakenly thinking loud singing equals good singing. What makes it all so sad is that Lewis clearly does have an image to sell: Leaf quickly through the album's sleeve notes, and you get an impression that this six-foot, bronzed Amazon is a force to be reckoned with.

And, yes, there are some strong songs here. Second single "Better in Time" is, aside from "Bleeding Love," the highlight of "Spirit" - an utterly infectious mid-tempo love song, with a warm, piano-based sample and catchy vocal hooks coming one after another at machine-gun pace. Almost as good is the rip-roaring "Forgive Me," which surges forward on a strong, military beat before breaking loose on its rousing chorus. Sure, it sounds like it could have been lifted from Nelly Furtado's "Loose," but that's not a bad thing in my book. On the more ballad-y side, "Yesterday" is also pretty good, a down-tempo, horrendously catchy ballad with one of Lewis' strongest vocal performances, even if it is cringe-worthily sentimental. "I thought our days would last forever ... oh, one more night, one more day, one more smile on your face" is hardly Wordsworth.

This leads me onto the rather more unsavoury aspects of "Spirit." The album is far from perfect, and it has a simple problem: so many bland power ballads, one after another. Seriously, the number of songs here that fall under "power ballad" - weepy verse leading to wildly overblown chorus, repeated ad infinitum - is truly dispiriting. And they just come, again and again and again. "Angel," "Footprints in the Sand" and "Whatever It Takes" are never-ending, and they all sound exactly the same, and "I Will Be" is the real disaster, coming early in the record and completely killing its momentum. Exactly the kind of song you'd expect from your bog-standard "reality-TV show winner trying to start a career," "I Will Be" is an outrageously generic, synthetically produced power ballad in which Lewis balls out the chorus of "I will be, all that you want" what feels like a million times. Every time you think the song's over, the repeated chorus comes surging back from the silence, like a monster from the deep. Power-balladitis infects the whole record: Even "Take a Bow," which starts off strongly with weird synth sounds and a messy, cluttering beat, morphs on the first chorus into just another bland power ballad, with its main hook repetitively bludgeoned into your ears with as much subtlety as a sledgehammer.

In short, "Spirit" really isn't worth getting your hopes up for, though all the facts and figures - like Lewis being the first British female artist to top the U.S. charts in more than 20 years - might tell you otherwise. Grab "Bleeding Love" off iTunes - it's probably still number one - and make sure you check out "Better in Time," but beyond those two, there isn't all that much here to get excited about. Still, Lewis clearly has the charisma and the vocal chops to last, as well as the capability to try out more genres than just sugar-sweet, Mariah Carey-like power ballads. We'll just have to wait and see if she ever becomes more than a one-hit wonder.

2 out of 5

Pros: "Bleeding Love" fully deserves its place as "song of the year," and there are a couple other songs that can stand beside it.

Cons: A lack of personality and an endless flood of bland power ballads.