Gabriella Cilmi Album: “Lessons to Be Learned”

Hearing something great from my old town is a bonus for a start, but with this CD there is a whole lot more going on than sentimentality.

Gabriella launches with an energetic and essentially fun album with lots of variety. At her relatively young age her voice shows extraordinary promise. She delivers a wonderful bluesy tone now and I can't wait to hear how this voice and song writing ability matures over time. It is a fantastic first album with the promise of a lot more to come. After a few listens it does sound a little thin and 'young' and you notice the immaturity, but that's actually okay! She is young!

However, here is a confidence in delivery that is very compelling. I also appreciate the different direction that Gabriella has taken than the '1,000 plus sound roughly alike zero content generic stamped 'wannabees'.

She has the ability to rise above the MTV music video writhing femmes with their now obligatory rap artist counterparts and carve out a long lasting career.

I sincerely hope her management helps protect her from the bland ordinariness of pop-culture.

I probably wouldn't have heard of Gabriella Cilmi or her album if not for my Amazon buddy Olukayode Balogun. I must confess, I was a bit wary as I wasn't too sure of his Pop antecedents (:-)) and also seeing as the album was produced by Xenomania whose work includes Girls Aloud, a group whose music I'm not crazy about. Anyways, as he's usually got impeccable musical taste, I decided to give it a try.

Vocally, she falls somewhere in between Duffy and Amy Winehouse, though I find her voice tends to get a bit whiny at times. Still, she does sound soulful.

Opening is the upbeat pop/rock song "Save the lies" which is just ok (it wouldn't sound out of place on a Girls Aloud album) and I thought, uh oh! However, next comes the single "Sweet about me" which wouldn't sound too out of place on Duffy's album. It is a sixties sounding Motown-esque swinging pop song and it is rather nice. Continuing in that mould are "Sanctuary", the retro ballad "Einstein" (nice guitars), and the sixties stomp "Messy". On the upbeat side of things are "Got no place to go" and "Don't want to go to bed now" (which reminds me somewhat of Blondie's "Call me" but without the synthesizers.

Next come a spectacular pair of songs; the Blues-tinged string swept "Awkward game" (this song is brilliant, my favourite), and the tender piano ballad "Safer". Both are reason enough to get this album.

"Cigarettes and lies" is another swinging retro sounding number, "Terrifying" is upbeat Blues, while the ballad "Sit in the blues" is simply lovely. Closing is the bonus cut, "Echo beach", a remake of the Martha & the Muffins song, a bouncy romp with jangly Smiths-style guitars with Cilmi again channelling Blondie. Super!

A pleasant addition to any music collection. Thanks once again Kayode.

If you bought this edition in the U.S. great but the special edition 2 disc set is better.

a few more studio tracks don't want to go to bed now , original version of got no place to go not on the U.S. edition , messy and sorry. only difference is round and round is not on the special edition.

2nd disc is live & acoustic ep. Gabriella Cilmi and her band sounds excellent live.

Only let down is echo beach and warm this winter is not on it. kind of a bummer but close enough.

the album lessons to be learned still worth getting.

I work in one of those Big Box stores where pop music is constantly playing in the background. I get a lot of new music that way by using my cell phone to ID the song and artist... when I have the time.

One day I heard the words "There's nothing sweet about me" in a nice melody but I was too busy to use the phone. I thought, "that sounds good, I'll google those lyrics later." Needless to say, at my advanced age I forgot about it and never got it done.

About a week later I heard "And I, I've got no place to go...etc" and this time I whipped out my phone and got it. Gabriella who? lol. I downloaded the song, read the other reviews and then got "Sweet About Me" and was pleasantly surprised to see it was the other song I had heard.

Another reviewer here said "Cilmi's spine-chilling voice reminds me of someone else's but up until now, I've not been able to put my finger on who that might be." It had the same effect on me but when I finally realized who her voice reminds me of it's definitely different from his conclusion. This girl has an amazingly quirky and soulful voice that is at it's best when she's not trying to climb mountains on the music scale and when she's not competing with the musical arrangement for attention. The best songs on this album that show this to be true, by far, are "Sweet About Me" and the soaring "Got No Place To Go." After listening to these two songs (and all the others) repeatedly for two days it finally dawned on me who she reminds me of... none other than Anastacia.

Yeah, I realize that's saying a lot but there it is. She obviously lacks the maturity of Anastacia but she is on the same track to get there. I challenge you to listen to "Save the Lies" and not see Anastacia in your mind's eye.

Of all the other tracks "Awkward Game" is the only other one that's interesting. It also showcases her voice and has an acceptable arrangement. All the rest of the available songs is only Growing Pains.

This is a major new talent and I'm glad I got to hear her sing. Here's hoping she continues to entertain us for years to come. Nicely done.

This young woman is a talent to be watched. The comparisons to the music of Amy Winehouse are deserved. Very similar indeed but without the maturity or the addictions. I can't wait to see what she will achieve with the maturity, I hope she avoids the addictions.

Great album!