Emeli Sandé

‘Our Version of Events’

Feb. 13

Music Label: Virgin Records

2 out of 5 decibels

Top track: ‘Daddy’

Sounds like: a poor man’s Leona Lewis

Scotland isn’t exactly the birthplace of soul, but it has managed to turn out a budding star in the rhythm and blues world.

Emeli Sandé is the new artist on the block. Her debut album, ‘Our Version of Events,’ offers a mix of hits and a few misses.

Her popularity has yet to spread to the United States, but Britain loves the girl, granting her numerous nominations such asBritish Breakthrough Act and a Critic’s Choice Award at the 2012 Brit Awards.

Sandé has been in the game since 2008. She was featured on two top 10 hits and writing songs for artists ranging from Susan Boyle to Tinie Tempah. An endorsement from Simon Cowell also doesn’t hurt her reputation. He said that Sandé was his favorite songwriter at the time, according to STV.

Sandé is definitely a powerhouse performer. Her soulful voice and ability to belt put her in a class with artists such as Leona Lewis and Alicia Keys. With her excellent writing chops, this would seem like the perfect combination. But straddling the line that separates R&B, pop and alternative, the album gets a bit misguided at times. This mixed with its little mainstream appeal holds ‘Our Version of Events’ back from becoming a hit.

The album’s first single, ‘Heaven,’ is a beautiful midtempo tune that shows off Sandé’s vocal range, complemented by a gospel choir in the background. However, its quick and heavy drums are not only out of place, but they also turn a soulful, contemporary R&B song into an unnecessarily danceable track. The song is about wanting to be a good person, but making bad decisions anyway — clearly nothing to dance about.

This R&B mix is also missing a very important element: power ballads. Everyone knows a real R&B record needs a midtempo ballad for fans to strain their voices, trying to reach that one last high note. However, it seems the album tries to cater to its many other genre influences so much that it forgets about its R&B roots. ‘My Kind of Love’ is the album’s only hope. My throat hurts a little from belting it out with Sandé, but the song still doesn’t reach its full potential.

There are several wonderfully written and performed songs on the album. Tunes like ‘Mountains’ and ‘Maybe’ are beautiful midtempo songs that show off Sandé’s voice and are true R&B tracks. However, they’re not enough to catapult the album into stardom. The album lacks that one good hit that will make Emeli Sandé a household name.

One bright spot Sandé must be commended for is ‘Daddy,’ featuring Naughty Boy. One of the best songs on the album, the song has an organ and orchestral sound mixed with a heavy drumbeat that actually works this time. This combines with a great vocal from Sandé that shows off her low and high range.

‘Our Version of Events’ may not be the hottest thing around. Though it’s a little unfocused and doesn’t really tap into the mainstream market, Sandé is worth checking out. Her voice and writing skills will definitely make her an artist to watch in the future.

ieinyang@syr.edu

Published on February 20, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Ibet: ieinyang@syr.edu