Overcome

Beyonce, Mariah Carey and 50 Cent have admired Alexandra Burke

What an undertaking for the talented singers it would be to find the way into the show business if it were not for the extremely popular talent contests that have now turned into reality shows on which the audience directly participates in voting. The British reality-show The X Factor is in this respect one of the main institutes for such talents – for instance, the beautiful Leona Lewis is one of the graduates. Last year it was Alexandra Burke to beat the strong contenders. Today this 21 year old singer can be practically thought the pride of Great Britain – such American celebrities as Beyonce, Mariah Carey and 50 Cent have praised her vocal skills during the show, and more than 100 thousand copies of her single Hallelujah have been sold in one day. After the show finale Alexandra got to work on the new album, or rather to the choice of suitable songs and to the collaboration with authors and producers and finally this autumn she releases her debut creation Overcome, which is undoubtedly one of this year’s best pop works.

Overcome, a young and talented singer’s debut album

Of course one simply could not do without Pharell Williams as well as Akon and the project The Phantom Boyz. The young singer Pixie Lott has been noted among the authors – on the whole the album has resulted to be just as a young and talented singer’s debut album should be. Overcome is in many ways oriented at the listener of the same age group as Alexandra Burke herself so it offers the same themes as the other collections of the kind: love, simple values and entertainment. The album opens with the first single Bad Boys featuring the rapper Flo Rida – a great danceable track on which it already becomes clear that Burke’s vocals really impress. Not an unknown singer and songwriter Ne-Yo joins Burke on a melodious composition Good Night Good Morning with an unbelievable bass line and drum’n’bass beat whereas the ballad The Silence is the best example of R&B, a soulful and sincere love confession. The song with the 1970s’ spirit Bury Me (6 Feet Under) is refined with contagious backing vocals and unusual tune whereas the tracks Broken Heels and Dumb prove to be the best danceable numbers on the record. The title composition Overcome is one of the most emotional and sincere ballads you have heard lately, it is a true anthem for all who once was in a difficult situation and found a way out. The song You Broke My Heart built on a contagious accompaniment and uniting pop music and disco elements in it can be considered the album’s most stylish moment, whereas the album’s closers are another amazing ballad They Don't Know and the single Hallelujah (Bonus Track), which you can listen to as many times as you want and never feel bored.

The singer’s voice gets in the foreground each time

Despite Alexandra Burke’s singing since early childhood, she never trained her vocal skills professionally before taking part at The X Factor. She did sing on stage with her mother who had once been a pop band’s member, and participated in several projects. The X Factor 2005 was among them, but Alexandra was considered too young then. Fortunately she never gave up her efforts to get to the show and today we are witnessing the result of her stubbornness. The production on each track of Overcome is truly faultless. Orchestra and synthesizer arrangements never make one doubt that Burke has worked with the professionals but no matter how perfect an arrangement may be the singer’s voice gets in the foreground each time. Alexandra can easily compete with all the renowned pop-divas in this respect for she is young and has got the entire life ahead of her. Thus, Beyonce is bound to record a duet with her and has invited her as a support act in her leg of I Am…Sasha Fierce tour, and we can say for sure that it is only the beginning and Ms Burke will definitely make a brilliant career.