16 year old Gabriella Cilmi's debut album

It seems like this year the music world is already refined enough with the appearance of young and talented chanteuses, for instance, such names as Adele and Duffy are the first to come to one's mind, but most probably it is yet too early to put a full stop in this question. A 16 year old Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi whose parents originate from Italy has decided to keep up with her colleagues and releases her debut album Lessons To Be Learned. An undoubtedly talented artist has been fond of music since the earliest childhood practically never limiting herself in style admiring equally Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, The Sweet and Led Zeppelin, and on the whole the influence of all the performers is felt on her album. Thus Lessons To Be Learned combines simultaneously the elements of pop, rock and jazz each of the tracks being refined with Gabriella's amazing slightly husky vocals often compared to those of Macy Gray. Although this record will not make a sensation it will surely color the daily routine with music pleasant in all respects.

Lessons To Be Learned surprises with thoughts far from childishly mature

Lessons To Be Learned is 13 great songs naturally devoted to relationship and with some philosophic moments surprising with thoughts far from childishly mature. The album opens with a composition quite hard for pop music, Save The Lies, making the listeners doubt at once the singer's age for her vocals sound really powerful here. Single Sweet About Me is quite the opposite. This graceful and very stylish song seems familiar from the very first sounds for its melody is that good and you will afterwards notice more than once that you are singing this light and contagious motif. A mid-tempo track Sanctuary is made in the same key whereas psychedelic Einstein with the guitars reminding of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun, surprises once again with Gabriella's shrouding voice. Song Got No Place To Go similar to Duffy's works pleases with interesting metaphoric lyrics devoted to theme of solitude while rock composition Messy is determined for the most vivacious drums on the album. A piano ballad Safer – certainly one of the most beautiful songs on the record – is a great example of introspection and a jazzy Cigarettes & Lies is remarkable for a most complicated tune. Definitely Sit In The Blues is among the album's highlights for blues performed by miss Cilmi does not disappoint and the album closer is a cover version of Martha & the Muffins' song Echo Beach, which made the viewers delighted when Gabriella first sang it at one of her concerts.

Work made by real professionals

No doubt this year has revealed itself as one of the most interesting and varied in the respect of the beginning female artists. It goes without saying that each of them deserves respect and it is actually difficult to pick out a leading one among them. Yet Gabriella Cilmi proves to be the youngest but by no means the least talented among them. Her music is mostly similar to everything we have heard before and its merits are rather in its simplicity than in any pretentiousness. Besides, Lessons To Be Learned is a very high quality work for it has been made by real professionals. Gabriella Cilmi was discovered in time and today she collaborates with one of the best producer teams in the modern pop industry Xenomania, which has practically created such projects as Girls Aloud and Sugababes. So one can be sure that there is a brilliant future expecting this performer who is still very young and hopefully will not have star fever too early and give us some more stylish and diverse albums as her debut Lessons To Be Learned proves to be.

Alexandra Zachernovskaya

01.09.2008

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