Pixie Lott: the latest sensation in world of instant stars and ever shortening attention spans. But is she the kind to blossom into a bright new pop starlet, or the kind to wither into obscurity after her fifteen minutes of fame, taking all but of one of her hit singles with her?
On first impression, 'Turn It Up' is shockingly familiar, but not to anything specific. It's more like some sort of ode to the female pop genre as a whole, with comparisons ranging from Gwen Stefani to Kelly Clarkson, from Amy Winehouse to Katy Perry, from Christina Aguilera to Girls Aloud, well, you get the idea. But, since this is far from musical social commentary, it just comes off as a cheap rip off, trying to capitalise on the success of others.
Sure, there are some catchy moments, and there's a reason singles 'Mama Do' and 'Boys and Girls' both bagged the UK number one spot. The striking backing strings, and reggae infused ending of 'Band Aid' conbine to create possibly the most honest track here, while 'Here we Go' has something of a Lady GaGa vibe, making it catchy, despite its derivative lyrics that protest 'Never wanna say I wish that I was there'.
But as derivation goes, that's nothing. An entire verse of 'Jack Be Nimble' makes up the basis of the woefully cringe-worthy 'Jack', while 'Nothing Compares' may be a sweetly plucked love song with ethereal backing vocals, but someone should tell Pixie that it's been done, as has its main chorus line 'If it doesn't kill us it'll make us stronger'...many, many times.
And while Lott's lyrics leave plenty to be desired, musically 'Turn It Up' is only slightly better. Predictable, formulaic and overdone, the young Kent lass comes across as just another forgettable American wannabe clone with a frightfully unoriginal debut album.
