:: Gabriella Cilmi - Ten

Gabriella Cilmi

We proudly remember the brilliant start to Gabriella Cilmi's music career in 2008 with her catchy single “Sweet About Me”. a song that stuck in everyone's mind all year. The album didn't produce any other massive hits but was well received because of the massive single, so it was now time to get down to work for a follow up, which we now have. The young overseas-based Australian (still just a teenager) has a gorgeously mature voice that is very versatile, to reach a pop, jazz and soul market. I'm unsure how fans and music lovers in general are going to react to this latest offering. With her single “On A Mission”, Gabriella leaves no doubt that she is “on a mission” to swiftly become a woman, if the Barbarella-inspired music-video is anything to go by. It's one of the highlights because the song contains an infectious chorus. Most impressive about the track is how assertive the teenager’s vocals are in simultaneously handling the switch from her monstrous earlier hit and selling the track’s theme. Elsewhere, there is an inspired and updated disco sound in the shape of “Hearts Don’t Lie” plus the ballads “Glue” and “Superman”. On occasions, though, Gabriella's vocals simply do not combine well with the relatively generic electronic backing. In summary, this could be seen as a brave and risky reinvention for someone so early in their career. Not a completely overwhelming record, but the shades of vocal class entertain sufficiently to add weight to the fact that this is still a stepping stone for Gabriella to take her time and talent and become a big star in the years ahead. She has a lot of time to play with.