Album: Alexandra Burke 'Overcome'

Natalie Woodcock

22/10/09

Is winning the X Factor the best outcome for a 'star in the making'?

OMG - Alexandra Burke has managed to beat Robbie Williams to the number one! This is the dream of most of the 'talent' that queues up year on year to win X Factor. But is selling your soul to the devil/Simon Cowel worth it?

No expense has been spared to make Overcome - all the top pop producers, writers and rappers have been enlisted to tick all the boxes and ensuring this album will be a hit. With big names Red One, Stargate and Louis Biancaniello on the credits, how could Alexandra go wrong?

Oh yes and she has a nice voice. Plus she is a knock-out. Simon Cowel is even smugger than usual at the moment. However the end result is actually try-hard and bland. A lot of effort has been put into getting it right, but unsurprisingly it is missing sincerity and personality.

It's a largely up-beat collection with a couple of power-ballads thrown in for good measure (leaving those for Leona Lewis eh?), so we have lots of uptempo tunes along the lines of current single Bad Boys (featuring Flo Rida) followed up by Good Night Good Morning (featuring Ne-Yo) are both R&B-tastic and naff as hell.

Bury Me has Motown undertones but plays it safe. A plus point is that Alexandra doesn't go overboard with the warbles - she holds it back throughout the album but lets herself go for the title track Overcome. The album ends with Hallelujah, a nice reminder of how odd it was for that to be her first single.

I don't mean to be so erm, mean about Overcome but it is dissapointing. I think Alexandra could be a great soul singer. And I am sure it will be a big seller and provide a few hit singles along the way. Great. I can't wait for the next X Factor winner.