After several successful singles including Raining Diamonds, Do It Like that and Crazy, Ricki Lee has finally released her highly anticipated album Fear And Freedom.
The expectations where high for this album after such solid singles and with great chart performance if Ricki Lee delivered anything less than stellar it was going to lead to disastrous results. The great news is that this album is not only more than stellar, it recreates and redefines Aussie pop music for a new generation.
Fear & Freedom feels like a new era for the Aussie songbird as she explores new sounds that we would come to expect from Beyonce or Lady GaGa, Ricki Lee twists and bends these contemporary pop/dance/dub step sounds and makes them her own, in a way that I have not seen for a while.
The first track Human is the kind of raw and emotional track that Ricki' previous albums have been missing. You can tell that this was written by Ricki, and just like every other track on the album it is!
Raining Diamonds is the dance track that introduced us to the new Ricki Lee and made us fall in love with her all over again, this is still a song I can never skip on the album. The next three songs Burn It Down, Do It Like That and Crazy are all a warm up to some of the best Aussie pop/dance songs ever produced.
One the Floor is hands down the stand out track on this album. I am going to make a big call and say that it is actually better than Jennifer Lopez/Pitbull's track of the same name. Let me tell you why, the lyrics create the perfect party track, incredible production from Pizzinga fuse Lady GaGa and Ricki-Lee's own sound together to create the perfect party track.
Keeping with the party sound I Feel Love starts off with a sweet, melodic sound and builds to a thumping party crescendo with production by Rob Rox, this is another highlight.
Never Let Go and World Disappears are also hard thumping party anthems that compliment Ricki-Lee's incredible vocal ability, which is shown on her growth in this album.
The final track Bombshell is the icing on the cake, this sweet and vulnerable dance track reads as a cleverly crafted love letter. An obvious expression of her current relationship and feelings about love and progression, this is the perfect way to end a flawless album.
Ricki Lee has come a long way since Australian Idol, and in this album Fear And Freedom she has not only crafted the perfect pop gem, but cemented herself as one of the heavyweights of the Australian music industry. No hater can argue with the outstanding quality of this album and this artists incredible progression.
Fear And Freedom is available on I-Tunes and in stores now
Review by Alaisdair Dewar
