Over the last decade it's been more than proven that winning a TV talent show does not guarantee instant stardom. There are more Rueben Studdard's out there than there are Kelly Clarkson's. Leona Lewis It is thankful then that Leona Lewis who won the third series of X-Factor (what the UK has instead of Idol) falls into the latter category. Like Clarkson she has been one of the few genuinely amazing vocal talents to be discovered this way. She released the customary winners single (a cover of Clarkson's victory song funnily enough) and then was spirited away to spend the next year working on her debut album. She then released insta-hit Bleeding Love, topped the American and British charts, scored three Grammy nominations and sold 6 million copies of her debut album. She is now back with her second offering, Echo, aiming to prove that she can last the distance. First single and album opener Happy might have you believe that she would simply be cashing in on the Bleeding Love success by releasing an album of duplicates. It's another typical Ryan Tedder produced affair (ie. ballad with big drum beat) and you do get a sense of déjà vu on hearing it. To her credit though, 2/3 into the song Leona delivers possibly the best five seconds of vocal you will hear all year. Thankfully the album does diverge a bit following this and Tedder is only given one other song, Lost Then Found a duet between Lewis and One Republic. Elsewhere the album is a little less R Andrew Grear - 23rd November 2009