Strong Voice, Needs Better Songs

I was first exposed to Leona Lewis by watching many of her "X-Factor" performances on youtube and was absolutely blown away. I couldn't wait to hear her perform some original songs. Upon listening to "Spirit," it is clear that she possesses one of the best voices in the world, however I do not believe she was given the best songs to really captivate the audience. Obviously, there are some standout singles (Bleeding Love, Better in Time), which truly showcase Leona as an artist as well as her personality. These singles are definitely worth listening to and I believe are some of the best songs of the year. There are just as many singles, however, which are very generic and fail to impress on any level (Forgive Me, Take a Bow). These singles could easily be sung by any other strong vocalist in the world and be just as moving. In addition to this, many of the songs get repetitive towards the end of the album, merely dragging on through slow, boring ballads. There are few upbeat songs to break the monotony that emerges. Overall, I feel that Leona is an amazing artist but just needs a bit of time to find her style and get the right songs to make a blockbuster album. For now, I would preview the songs on Itunes and just buy the singles you like.