Pixie Lott: 'Turn It Up'

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Mercury Records have shown a hell of a lot of faith in Pixie Lott. The Essex teenager has been working on this debut album for four years with a team of collaborators most pop wannabes would have to stalk to meet: Toby Gad (Beyoncé, Fergie), Ina Wroldsen (Saturdays, Pussycat Dolls), Jonas Jeberg and Cutfather (Kylie, Jordin Sparks), RedOne (Lady GaGa, well everyone). Then again, Pixie was no punt. She's blessed with shedloads of self-confidence, her soulful vocals place her closer to Whitney than Britney, and if she looked any more like a popstar, Louis Walsh would have kidnapped her by now.

What's more, she's already repaid her label's faith to the tune of two No.1 hits. Lott may claim that her pair of chart-toppers, 'Mama Do' and 'Boys And Girls', are the only retro tracks on her album, but that isn't strictly true. Turn It Up features several Motowny moments, most notably the lovely, string-swathed 'Way The World Works', and her next single 'Cry Me Out' is the sort of classic-sounding ballad Mariah would have loved before she discovered hip-hop and her cleavage.

Elsewhere, Turn It Up keeps things more contemporary without really straying from midtempo. Highlights include the modishly synthy 'Gravity', the radio-friendly pop-R&B of the title track, and 'Here We Go Again', which begins with a "Red One... Pixie" shout-out that already sounds like a parody. Everything here is glossy and expensive-sounding, while the consistency of the songwriting is a testament to Lott, who nabs credits on ten of these 12 songs. Her opening salvo on 'Cry Me Out' - "I got your emails, you just don't get females, now do you?" - could be the best first line on any pop song this year.

Sadly, there are a couple of buts. Turn It Up is never dull – Lott has too much natural exuberance for that – but it's a little safe and lacking in surprises. It can slip into a sort of Mid-Atlantic blandness too. When Lott begins a grandstanding ballad called 'Nothing Compares' by singing "Walking down Brick Lane, feeling blue...", it's a rare reminder that she comes from Essex, not LA. Still, this slight lack of individuality is the price that's paid for a debut as solid, classy and listenable as this one. And at 18, Pixie Lott has plenty of time to refine her own style.


> Click here to read our recent interview with Pixie Lott