Album review: Candice Glover - Music Speaks

Candice Glover, the winner of last year's American Idol competition, has released her debut - it may be good enough to help her avoid fading into obscurity, like so many previous winners.

Music Speaks by Candice Glover
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Candice Glover Music Speaks (Interscope) ⋆⋆⋆

“I’ll let you navigate, just let me ride with you,” warbles Candice Glover – last year’s American Idol winner – on Passenger, a song that suggests reticence about going it alone. Recent graduates of the increasingly beleaguered American talent show have struggled to retain much interest after the initial flurry, although Glover appears better positioned than most. This debut album suffered several release delays but the result is strong enough to hold its own. A cannily produced canvas for a consistently impressive voice, Music Speaks shifts assuredly between soulful eras, from 60s Franklin to 90s Braxton. True, the likeable singer’s occasional attempts at youthful sass sound awkward (In the Middle), there are some jarringly old-fashioned views on relationships (Passenger, Die Without You), and a cover version that will horrify fans of The Cure (Love Song) But when it does work – as in the Motown-style stomper Same Kinda Man – this confident debut rubbishes Simon Cowell’s notorious barb that Glover is just a glorified lounge singer.