The Entertainer

Alesha Dixon returns to the urban sounding and rapping

The girl trio Mis-Teeq was formed in Great Britain about ten years ago and became one of the most popular R&B and UK garage representatives in no time. The band was formed by two friends, Alesha Dixon and Sabrina Washington who went to a dance class together. Mis-Teeq ceased to exist in 2005, and Alesha Dixon started her uneasy way to fame of a solo artist. Her debut singles did not meet expectations and the label (Polydor Records) dropped the singer. No long before that Alesha had suffered from her husband’s cheating and eventual divorce only a year after the wedding. It took her winning in a dance reality show Strictly Come Dancing to get herself back together, and soon the music career was going up. The songs written by Alesha Dixon definitely deserve praise but it is the hit The Boy Does Nothing from the 2008’s album The Alesha Show that really stands out. This year Alesha Dixon releases her third album The Entertainer, which finds her returning to the urban sounding and rapping – it is just the work her fans have been expecting since five years ago, and The Entertainer is by no means a disappointment.

All the success components on The Entertainer

No doubt the record The Entertainer will easily become one of the most successful in Alesha Dixon’s discography as it has all the necessary components for it: a faultless production, successful vocal parts and the singer’s trademark rapping. Dixon has done her part of work to deserve the highest mark, and the renowned producers among which there are Rodney Jerkins (Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Lady Gaga) and Jim Beanz (Shakira, Jamie Foxx) have done all their best to make the songs vivid and memorable. The strong singles Drummer Boy and Radio have made it clear at once that the singer has made up her mind to conquer the USA and Europe with ultra contemporary beats, a bit aggressive sexy hooks and beautiful tunes. Nevertheless, these are not the only highlights on the album – listen to the sparkling opener Baddest Chick on which Alesha is singing and rapping. Besides the album pleases with collaborations. The danceable number Every Little Part Of Me performed with Jay Sean is a beat weak compared to the potential club hit Take Control by the hip-hop collective Roll Deep on which Alesha is singing the catchy chorus. The title track conquers with one of the most powerful bass lines and interesting samples underlying Dixon’s expressive vocals, and the harmonious combinations of the artist’s strong vocals and the most fashionable beats never cease to please the listener’s ear until the end of the album. The only song considered as a ballad here is probably the emotional second single Radio but its remix closing the album seems to hint that Alesha prefers the unstoppable fun of hot partying to sadness, and hardly anyone can judge her for that.

A hot danceable album

Alesha was once called the British Beyonce, but she answered, that there was only one Beyonce in the world though appraising the compliment. The two artists do resemble each other, in fact: both started their careers as trio’s lead vocalists, both dance greatly, one can even find close notes in their vocals. Nonetheless, their individuality is unarguable. In this respect the album The Entertainer can easily become Alesha’s calling card. It seems to have been created on purpose so that the listeners know how wide Alesha’s spectrum of stylistic interests is, enjoy her beautiful singing and hear the trademark rapping. They often ask the singer to rap when she guests on talk-shows in her native Great Britain, and the audience always remains delighted with her doing it. Alesha Dixon has also earned the reputation of a dancer; she became one of the judges on Strictly Come Dancing. It goes without saying that dancing features most of her videos including the one for the new single Drummer Boy based on very effective drums. On the whole, the hot danceable album The Entertainer is out just in time on the threshold a cold winter and will be irreplaceable at any party.