Once every year critics pick out several obscure artists, usually located on the fringe of the music scene, and praise them to the point of exhaustion. Some manage to navigate the instant gratification and produce music that justifies the hype. The rest, while deserving, usually fall by the wayside and are quickly shuffled out of the way for the next batch of hopefuls.
Ellie Goulding, according to the Brit Awards, and BBC's Sound of 2010 poll, is the cream of the crop. The girl that will electrify the music scene and crush pop boundaries. While it may be flattering, the expectation and pressure it places on Goulding's debut album, Lights, is pretty big. The reason for the hype is Goulding's sound, dragging folk out of the barnyard and onto the dancefloor.
Lights, is more an answer to fellow Brit, Little Boots, electro-pop than Joanna Newsom's experimental folk. Auto-tuned and not a rough edge is sight, it boasts commercial appeal without a doubt, singles like "Starry Eyed," and "Under The Sheets." It's sparkly, slick and overall enjoyable, but not necessarily memorable. Lights is never less than impressive melodically from beginning to end, and marks the beginnings of a genuine, intelligent and talented pop star.
It's the album's closing two tracks, "I'll Hold My Breath," bubbling synth, with a chorus singing "a sky of diamonds just for us," that glows. The latter "Salt Skin," an inventive epic, which stand out as indicators there may be more than meets the eye. It's Goulding's lyrical might - bruised and honest - the warble in her vocals, that call to mind Joanna Newsom, and her folk heart.
The fresh-faced, 23-year-old, Goulding could lead an innovative new movement, if she abandons the glossy pop asthetic and singles poised for commercial appeal and finds comfort in her own skin. It's the intrigue of watching which path will be her's to take : just another pop star or an innovator.
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