A year is a long time in reality TV land, and especially long when you've been a contestant on The X Factor. But Diana Vickers has a trick up her sleeve - the help of stellar songwriting collaborators. But is it enough?
These days, it seems like it's the runners-up that get the best deals - just look at JLS and Jedward, and then compare them to Shayne Ward and Leon Jackson. Diana Vickers must be thanking her lucky stars that she was booted off 2008's X Factor contest early, then - the gestation period of her debut album may have been lengthy, but it meant that she had time to work with the several respected songwriters; Lightspeed Champion and Cathy Dennis are surprisingly counted amongst the contributors here.
Anyone who saw Vickers on The X Factor will be aware of how irritating her quirks can be, but 'Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree' only serves to validate the fact that her weird, curved vocal affectation merely masks the fact that the 18-year-old's voice is rather nondescript. Moreover, most of the tracks she splays her wispy squawk over are either generic pop tunes with fashionable electronic undercurrents ('Remake Me & You', 'My Hip'), or ballads as maudlin as a wet Bank Holiday weekend ('N.U.M.B.', 'Chasing You').
Sure, there are several exceptions: the organic acoustic arrangement of 'Me & You' is charming, and subtle zooms and peeps of the likeable 'You'll Never Get to Heaven' makes for a catchy listen. Overall, though, this is a disappointing debut, sorely lacking in the vibrancy that all good pop records should naturally possess.
