Leona Lewis: Superstar? If Clive, Oprah, Perez & Simon say so.

The time of Leona Lewis is upon us.

With her debut, "Spirit," being released today (April 8) on the heels of her No. 1 single, "Bleeding Love," expect a high debut for the U.K. newcomer. And when it does so, it will  be a triumph of old-school marketing tactics mixed with some reality-show magic.

And while Lewis' winning turn on "American Idol" -like "The X-Factor" won't mean much to citizens of the United States, her appearance on "Oprah" last month certainly does. To wit: With just seven total weeks on Billboard's Hot 100, the slow-building, Whitney Houston-influenced "Bleeding Love" has already topped the chart, and remains in the top five, having been relieved of its post last week by another Lewis influence, Mariah Carey. To date, the single has sold 724,000 digital downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

And the last artist Oprah championed? Crooner Josh Groban, who only walked away with one of 2007's biggest albums.

The music biz, with album sales in 2008 once again facing a double-digit decline in CD sales, needs a new pop star. And Lewis looks to fill the bill. She's already been showcased at Clive Davis' star-launching pre-Grammy party in February, and "Bleeding Love," if not "Spirit," will be all over the 2009 Grammy Awards. But is Lewis A) worth the hype or B) even healthy for the music business?

The hype: When "Spirit" was released in the U.K. late last year, it topped the U.K. chart, and made headlines for becoming the fastest-selling in the the territory's history. On these shores, gossip blogger Perez Hilton deserves credit for spreading the gospel of Lewis, and has been championing the singer since last fall, declaring that the singer will "give you chills."  Lewis, a winner of Simon Cowell- produced "The X-Factor," has been compared to Houston by Cowell in the press, and the man releasing Lewis' album in the U.S., Clive Davis, is credited with making Houston a star.

Davis brought Lewis to the U.S. this winter, and the singer was the showcase of his annual pre-Grammy party. The show, and Leona's performance, is reviewed here, and the party has a rep for introducing future major label stars, be it Alicia Keys or Maroon 5. Aside from setting the industry abuzz for his new artist, the party presents new talent to a Grammy-centered audience, and is an early campaign for some future nominations.

Yay/nay? Lewis follows a formula, and it's one designed for non-offensive mass appeal. "Bleeding Love" is a diva anthem, and while it may not be on the level of Keys' "No One," it's glistening keyboard and heavily synthesized hip-hop groove do indeed make for a scorching slow-dance number. Lewis' vocals stop just short of Carey-like theatrics, but come with enough wails to please the "American Idol" audience. The lyrics, touching on the tortured excitement of a new love, are vague enough to inspire an easy crowd singalong.

So what's the problem? Most of the songs follow the same or similar formula. Even a more upbeat number, "Forgive Me," never really takes off, settling for glossy R&B production and light hip-hop flourishes. And the formula sounds forced on "Take A Bow," its shuffling beats distracting from what should have been a more organically constructed R&B song.

Lewis is a nice singer, but a pleasantly unremarkable one, which becomes all too apparent when she tackles "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face," a song popularized by Roberta Flack. She certainly doesn't embarrass herself, and it may have made for a nice moment on "Idol." But Lewis doesn't yet have the nuance to create a lasting impression, or prove yet that she's truly more than a singles artist.

And what it means: For all the talk of Web-driven artist development and much-ballyhooed "360-deal," the major label music business in 2008 is starting to look a lot like the TV business. Take a look at the top of Billboard charts. Reality show vets Day26 and Danity Kane are in the Top 5, and Miley Cyrus owns two albums inside the Top 30. Later this month we'll see the first single from Pussycat Dolls off-shot group Girlicious, and albums from the "Idol"-made Daughtry and Jordin Sparks are hovering around the Top 30.

Lewis continues the trend.

Her overseas success, and her early achievements in the U.S., are another victory for multi-platform artists. At a time when major labels have trimmed their rosters and their staff, Lewis represents a carefully handled safe bet. Lewis, and the string of "Idol" artists who have come before her, are representative of an extremely risk-averse major label climate, one where artist development means winning a contract on a television show.

Photo courtesy AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[tim]

'Nice Singer'. OMG stop embarrassing yourself and get a new job, and by the way it should be "...winning turn on The X Factor - like American Idol" not "...winning turn on American Idol -like The X-Factor" .. Again, get a new job.

[Rod]

Leona is a star and she only went on the X Factor because she couldnt win a major contract - not for lack of talent but just due to the complexities of the morden music industry! Basically dont hate on reality show winners - most of them are better musicians than the marjority out there!

[Di]

Not all reality show singers are bad and certainlly some do not get all this "pimping" by Clive Davis, Simon Cowell and Oprah, nor the support from their record label. But when you throw Perez Hilton into the mix, it just goes to show how very sleazy the music business is. I will not buy anything Leona Lewis puts out. She was "manufactured" by the money thirsty evil bigwigs in the music industry. Lewis apparently "jumped" when they said jump and is someone they can control and thus is receiving all this sickening support.