You may know her from the hit show “Glee,” where she puts her Broadway-trained vocal range on display every week. Lea Michele’s debut album “Louder” landed at no. one, and I can understand why. This album is extremely emotional and gives us a glimpse into Michele’s life and her journey through this new chapter of her life.
After the death of longtime boyfriend and fellow “Glee” actor Cory Monteith last July, the album was put on hold. With the help of the multi-talented singer/songwriter Sia, Michele knew she found her first single with “Cannonball,” which was written last summer as a source of strength for her.
Songs like “On My Way,” “Louder” and “Don’t Let Go” serve as the uppity pop tunes of the album. All have different messages and the power to make you “car dance” [you know what I’m talking about]. The one consistent ingredient in these songs is that Michele wanted to make sure they weren’t just standard fluffy pop songs; she wanted every track to have meaning, which is something she definitely accomplished.
This album is bursting at the seams with flawless ballads filled with impeccable emotion. On the song “You’re Mine,” Lea belts in the chorus, “You’re mine/ for life/ hold me until we die,” which leads into a catchy beat that echoes throughout the song.
“Thousand Needles” shows the extreme emotion Michele has behind her voice in what she admits as “the hardest song to sing on the record.” The song builds and builds alongside her heart wrenching vocals.
Another successful single off the album is “Louder,” which also serves as the album’s title. This song has an addicting guitar rhythm accompanied by piano and pop synths backing Michele’s accomplished voice. Her vibrato on every verse echoes in your mind for hours while the chorus provides a powerful drum/dance beat that leaves goosebumps on both arms.
A tough task while making a pop album is to make it sound different from every other song on the radio, because pop is such a popular genre, it’s important to find that one element that puts you in a different light. With Lea Michele, is her voice. Most pop stars can barely hold a note, but Michele is from a Broadway background and has been singing since she was a little girl. She proves that her vocal impact on every track can provoke emotions in even the coldest of hearts.
The final song on the album, called “If You Say So,” is a haunting rendition of Michele’s life after losing someone who was such an immense presence for so long. She sings, “it’s been seven whole days/ without your embrace/ I wanna see your face.” The heartbreakingly graceful lyrics could bring anyone to tears. Soft piano and dainty synths back up Michele’s voice in the most refined way.
“Louder,” start to finish, is a decorative array of songs with touching messages about life and love. From the standard pop to the shiny ballads, Michele’s voice proves it can literally do everything. This album could not have been more deserving of its no. one title. I hope everyone gets the chance to see the immense talent that is Lea Michele.
5 out of 5 dolphins
