Review: Ellie Goulding "Halcyon"

British pop artist Ellie Goulding has been on my radar since her song "Lights" came out back in 2010. The song was good, I liked it. However, I left it at that and did not investigate further into Ms. Goulding's music.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Her sophomore album "Halcyon" came out in early October. The first single off the album, "Anything Can Happen", was recently featured in a really popular commercial for Beats by Dr. Dre, those cool but really pricey earphones. When I first saw the commercial, the song totally grabbed my attention. Since then, I've been listening to it online non-stop for weeks.

I just got my hands on it last week (finally!), and I am floored. This album is phenomenal. No joke, this girl is the real deal.

The album contains 18 tracks. Goulding co-wrote all the songs on the album (except for "Hanging On", a cover of Active Child) and she also co-produced most of the tracks. In addition to the amazing cover, the album contains a collaboration with the very popular Calvin Harris as well as a single version of her hit "Lights", which has only recently seen success in the U.S.

"Halcyon" contains all of the ingredients for a great pop album: heavy, contagious beats, great pop lyrics and raw, beautiful vocals. The album is cohesive and all the tracks are quite good. I cannot emphasize enough how amazing Goulding's vocals are. Also, she's super adorable, has an awesome accent and a wicked haircut. That doesn't hurt. Also, from what I can tell from her Twitter account, she seems like a pretty cool gal

So just like I suspected: I have fallen in love with Ellie Goulding. How predictable! In all honesty, I enjoy all the songs on this album. That's a very rare thing! I am beyond impressed... Great work, Ms. Goulding! I expect some great things from this girl. Keep your eyes (and ears) open! Also, I'm pretty sure I'll be traveling to Montreal in January to see Ms. Goulding live.

Check out the video for the latest single "Figure 8", which happens to be my favourite track on the album. Enjoy!

Also, you need to listen to this cover. It's too good to pass up! Here's "Hanging On".