It's quite scary how many singers are becoming known worldwide these days through shows like Idol, X Factor, and (insert country here)'s Got Talent.  The latest to join this group is Leona Lewis, the last winner of UK's X Factor.  Her amazing voice has brought comparisons to Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and other divas with powerhouse vocals.

With her first single, Bleeding Love, receiving huge amounts of airplay on radios throughout Australia (and the rest of the world), Leona's music is becoming a household sound.  Surprisingly, the single was co-written by Jesse McCartney and Ryan "Alias" Tedder, the frontman for OneRepublic.

Leona's first album, Spirit, drifts between r'n'b, pop and ballads.  Tracks like Homeless, I Will Be, and Footprints In The Sand show off the strength and range in her voice, as well as showing the emotion behind the lyrics ... something not enough artists do these days!  Footprints In The Sand is definitely one of the stand-out tracks in my opinion, and, after hearing this song, it's easy to see why she has been compared to Mariah Carey.  Other tracks such as Better In Time, Angel, and  I'm You show off Leona's r'n'b/pop mode, but still showing off her incredible range.

The album certainly contains a majority of ballads, which is possibly another reason she has drawn comparisons to Mariah and Celine.  A lot of the time, an artist comes along and says they're inspired by someone with a voice and presence like these ladies, but rarely does it show throughout the album like it does with Leona.

Also interesting to note is the fact that the UK edition of this album contains Leona's take on Kelly Clarkson's first single, A Moment Like This.  The first time I heard this track, it was from a video of Leona performing it on X Factor, but I wasn't in the room at the time, and I honestly thought it was Kelly singing it at a concert.  That, in itself, shows how awesome Leona's voice truly is when she performs live.

All in all, this is certainly an album fans of Kelly, Mariah, Celine, Whitney and similar artists will love.

Spirit is out now through Sony BMG.  Also, stay tuned for the next double A-side single, Better In Time/Footprints In The Sand, released March 10.  This single is the Official Sport Relief 2008 single, so make sure you support this worthy cause.

Tags: Leona Lewis