Photo: Courtesy of Listal
Recall the summer of 2008, when Duffy was leading the charge to become the next Winehouse. One unsuccessful sophomore album later, we bade our goodbyes and made room for Pixie Lott, the next go-getter in line. When you have a platinum album, huge festival exposure, numerous MTV Music Awards, a headlining tour, and a song with Pusha T all before the ripe age of 21, you’re going to have a hefty title to defend. While we’re too lazy to walk to University Career Services, others like Lott have been wildly successful in ways we can only envy. Still, can we really say she is anything more than a well-connected, blonde Jessie J?
Her sophomore album, Young Foolish Happy, dropped Tuesday overseas, featuring collaborations with John Legend and Stevie Wonder. Although Pixie Lott’s vocals—ranging from a mainstream pop sound to a soulful vibe—are something to watch out for, critics quickly have labeled her as a B-list artist when compared to Lady G and Adele. And you can’t really blame them, considering her lackluster number one single and High School Musical dance moves. Regardless, her platinum debut album and Guinness World Record for largest jump in the music charts have to count for something, right?
Dubstep producer Rusko produced her latest single, “What Do You Take Me For?“—a blend of funk samples and car-shaking basslines that makes the most of Pixie’s dark, croaky rasp. “Kiss The Stars,” functions as an imitation of KP’s “Teenage Dream,” and by the time you get to the Liz Phair-y “Birthday,” the album completely loses momentum. Her looks and songwriting ability don’t overshadow the ‘been there, done that’ facet of her sound. Not everyone can slide right by the sophomore slump quite like Florence Welch, but props to Pixie for scoring a Stevie Wonder harmonica solo.
