Alexandra Burke - Overcome Review

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 11.03.2009

Upon winning the X Factor in 2008, Alexandra Burke was labeled a Leona Lewis clone. With her debut album, Burke looks to step out of Leona's shadow and conquer the US, but how does she fair?


Alexandra Burke - Overcome
Review by Daniel Wilcox

Track listing:
1. Bad Boys [feat. Flo Rida]
2. Good Night Good Morning [feat. Ne-Yo]
3. The Silence
4. All Night Long
5. Bury Me (6 Feet Under)
6. Broken Heels
7. Dumb
8. Overcome
9. Gotta Go
10. You Broke My Heart
11. Nothing But the Girl
12. They Don’t Know
13. Hallelujah

Steve Brookstein, Shayne Ward, Leona Lewis and Leon Jackson. One of these things is not like the others. Leona Lewis is the only former X Factor winner (the UK’s equivalent to American Idol) that you could really call a success, and to date she’s been the only one to have achieved any sort of success in the United States. Alexandra Burke, winner of X Factor series five, has released an album clearly designed to follow the Leona mould and conquer both home shores and the North American market. The most obvious evidence of this is some of the producers who worked with Burke on her debut album Overcome. RedOne, the dude responsible for “Poker Face” and “Just Dance” as well as countless other hits, produced the most tracks on the album. The Stargate team also produced a couple of tracks, and for those not in the know, they’ve worked on big hits for the likes of Rihanna, Beyonce, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks. The album’s lead single “Bad Boys” features a verse by Flo Rida, who means a lot more in the US than he does in the UK. Ne-Yo’s in there as well, and the same can probably be said for him. The X Factor hype machine will ensure that this record sales a ton in the UK, but this album is clearly geared to make waves in the United States as well.

Upon first listen of that first single, it struck me as very odd that Burke had opted to record a R&B/pop record. Much like Leona Lewis, she won the X Factor because her voice was that much better than any of the competition; she was known for her powerful, soulful performances, as can be seen on the bonus track “Hallelujah,” a cover of the Leonard Cohen classic that went straight to the UK number one spot upon its release last December. Well the track is ridiculously over-produced, and dances of the grave of the untouchable Jeff Buckley version, there’s no denying the strong vocal performance. “Bad Boys” basically informs the listener that Burke has already sold out, favouring the quick way to the top rather than getting by one her actual talent. That’s not to say it’s not a hell of a song though, even if it does totally rip off Britney’s “Womanizer.” Obviously it uses the same rave synthesizers that are the default pop setting in 2009, but huge choruses and a catchy rhythm make for one of the better pop singles around at the moment. Flo Rida does his bit, and that should ensure that eventually, this track will get some airplay stateside. It’s worth noting, this track slaughtered Robbie Williams comeback single “Bodies” in sales this week to debut atop the UK Singles Chart, and if you have any idea how big Williams is (was?) in this country then you’ll know that that’s quite a big deal.

You have to think though, that the higher percentage of up-tempo numbers is done purely to distance herself somewhat from Leona, because vocally, although Burke is talented she is never going to be able to compete with Leona, whose sophomore album Echoes is released next month. Frankly, if it weren’t for the X Factor Burke would never have even come close to “making it.” I’d imagine the furthest she’d have got is as a backing singer for some immeasurably more talented performers. But alas, they’ve sexed her up a bit (you get a shot of her ass cheeks on the back cover to go with the legs-spread shot on the front), and now she’s being marketed to fans of the likes of Lady Gaga, Rihanna et al. There are some big tracks here though that’ll earn themselves a fair amount of radio airplay, the Aguilera-esque “All Night Long” and “Broken Heels” most notably. But the more interesting numbers are the ones that focus more on Burke’s vocal, such as the Motown swing number “Bury Me,” which sounds like it could have appeared on an Amy Winehouse record.

Unfortunately, in attempting to lose the moniker of a Leona clone, Alexandra Burke is now just a carbon copy of the dozens of existing pop starlets already dominating the market, and she’s not nearly as sexy or interesting as the ones dominating the charts, which means she’ll have something of an uphill battle on her hands when it comes to breaking America. Of course that’s a problem with TV talent shows themselves, in that anyone with a bit of individuality (Rhydian Roberts, Diana Vickers) isolate a section of the audience and never end up winning; instead we get generic pop divas that appeal to the masses but don’t stick out enough to be relevant by the time they get around to releasing their second or third record. If Simon Cowell keeps on chucking big-name producers at this girl, she has a chance of making it. But as is shown by the way she (and her audience) completely misinterpreted “Hallelujah,” Alexandra Burke and the music she makes lacks anything resembling substance and is totally indistinguishable when compared to all the other R&B that relentlessly occupies the highest chart positions in both the United Kingdom and United States.

Essential downloads: “Bad Boys,” “All Night Long” and “Bury Me (6 Feet Under).”



“Bad Boys” – Alexandra Burke [feat. Flo Rida] [Live]

The 411: While Overcome is a well-polished and efficient debut album with numerous tasty pop nuggets, Burke simply does not fit the mould of established R&B queens a la Rihanna and Burke's idol Beyonce. The numerous up-tempo tracks don't do Burke any favor because they don't allow her to use her vocal talent to its fullest potential. And then slower numbers come off as out of place. Burke has been condition to be something that's she's not and although this album will have some degree of success, I would be surprised if it led to a long and prominent career the likes of which Simon Cowell has obviously envisioned for her.

Final Score:  6.5   [ Average ]