Rendering 16 (Music)

The article under study is taken from “The Guardian,” where it’s published under the title “Leona Lewis, Royal Albert Hall, London, review.” It was contributed by Neil McCormick on 9 May 2013 and takes a critical view of the pop singer Leona Lewis’s concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

In the author’s words, it is one of the worst designed pop productions he has ever seen. At the same beginning Neil McCormick points out ironically that Lewis can sing, and that’s what she does all night, so that the glass shattering note at the end of ‘Moment Like This’ has the Royal Albert Hall on its feet, applauding wildly. In this connection it’s necessary to note that, while other pop divas have fireworks, hi-tech video screens and troupes of dancers, get shot out of canons and soar over crowds, Leona, for the most part, sings. It’s not bad at all, in McCormick’s opinion, but the singer’s choreography really leaves much to be desired: whenever Lewis does any attempt even just to dance with her two backing vocalists, it looks as if they were all school girls down the local disco. In addition, there is a strange lack of urgency. This can be proved by the following: instead of disappearing in a blast of light in order to reappear moments later in completely different costume, Leona ambles off stage, leaving her band playing new age filler music, and strolls back only several minutes later. 

As one can see from above, there is a general feeling to believe that Lewis is one of those modern pop singers who insist on contributing to the efforts of her songwriters, but the results suggest she might be better letting the professionals do the work. At the concert, the author notes, wherever she thought she was taking us, the route was littered with forgettable songs. Her vocal glided over the surface of a succession of pleasant melodies with clichéd lyrics; the strongest material, including the fantastic final song, was written by others.

The author concludes by saying that, while Lewis’s voice by no means strong, deep and gliding, it’s evident that in the greatest pop music, it’s the song, not the singer that counts. I may partly agree with this statement, especially in connection with the latest Eurovision where the first places were given to the singers that, from my point of view at least, can’t boast of any impressive vocal gifts.