Foxes' "Glorious" - Album Review

   ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ out of 5

   No other album was more anticipated in 2014, at least for this pop-loving blogger, than the debut effort from English singer-songwriter Foxes. Following the release of her attention-grabbing tracks including "Youth" and "Warrior", and a shared Grammy Award win with producer Zedd for their breakout hit "Clarity", all eyes were on the talented 25-year-old beauty and her new Glorious.

   Thankfully, Foxes did not stop with her Billboard top ten dance collaboration. She quickly followed it up with the Fall Out Boy album highlight "Just One Yesterday" and two equally brilliant singles of her own, "Let Go for Tonight" and "Holding Onto Heaven". The tracks preceded her much buzzed about debut album, which hit a minor release date setback in February. Now out for listening pleasure in May, Foxes shows her audience a darker side to her usually bright exterior.

   The haunting atmosphere that the album surrounds the listener in immediately begins to roll in with "Talking To Ghosts", a track of pure heartache Foxes seems to be singing to her past lover. The opening track falls into the same category as other modern pop females, but stands out thanks to gorgeous vocals and crashing background production. It is the perfect album setup, the song to get fans ready for the ride about to come.

   Officially released in 2011, "Youth", the lead single from the debut album, became a Billboard dance chart hit. The electro-pop track of mourning and remembrance is supported by engaging, thumping beats and a sorrow-filled chorus. Foxes has a way with conveying certain emotions with her voice, which allows the meaning to truly sink in. The song did not get it's official release until 2013, but it still sounded new and intriguing.

   "Holding Onto Heaven" has had a rather strange life. Initially released as a free single, then accompanied by a lyric video, the uplifting, choir-like dance track was eventually chosen as the effort's official third single. "All these years, I've been chasing down the answers, I was here always tracing out your shadows," Foxes sings just before the soaring chorus comes through once again. One of the highlights of the album, this song will be stuck on repeat.

   One of Foxes' earlier efforts makes the final track list without being retouched. "White Coats" is an experimental pop track, one that fully embodies the artist's adorable, quirky personality, and one that caught my attention as a listener. The song paints a darker, slightly unstable picture of love as the artist sings to her new suitor. It's a message on whether or not love is really the cure or the reason for sickness.

   Originally heard as a stripped back ballad, Foxes gave "Let Go for Tonight" a brilliant 2014 makeover by incorporating more upbeat production. The artist is singing for listeners to let go of everything holding them down, to just live in the moment, the accompanying food fight music video brightly painted the message. Released as the album's second single, the song was a joyous pop song that only kept soaring even when it came to an end.

   She's perfection with a fun beat, but Foxes definitely soars when simply supported by a piano as on "Night Glo", a quiet mid-tempo ballad where the artist's vocals do most of the hard work. "And does it hurt you? Do you feel when I try to touch? Are you scared now? If I open up, maybe you will," she sings on the track's somber hook. The song is the moody, personal pop experiment expected from the songwriter.

   While initially coming off as reserved and tamed, "Night Owls Early Birds" surprises all listeners when the grand, throwback of a chorus comes through the speakers. The track describes an early morning walk of shame and making mistakes in your youth, a message not to be taken too seriously. For the first time on the album, Foxes seems to really be letting loose and it makes for a catchy weekend jam that deserves to be heard.

   The title track made its way onto the web at the beginning of the year and continued the artist's sure path to success. "Glorious" is a thumping, dance/pop ballad built around another solid chorus that should make any pop music lover proud. While her vocals sound delicate and vulnerable, they do evolve into a voice of power and perseverance supported by minimal EDM influences. Foxes is falling back on an old flame, she can't help it.

   "Echo" takes a slightly different approach to the traditional indie British pop track, sounding eerily similar to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Heads Will Roll" at times, in a very good way. The dark look into violence and love becomes something fresh and intriguing for the album, it has a harder edge to it. "Don't hide in the dark, playing shadow games, turn out the lights," Foxes sings on a bright moment for her anticipated debut.

   The momentum stays strong with "Shaking Heads", another mid-tempo pop moment that sounds too crazy and cluttered to actually work. But it does. Supported with interesting drums and even more chaotic 80s-inspired noise, the track is an anthem for those young and foolish individuals. There is a sense of joy and optimism buried underneath the production and it allows the song to become one of the strongest cuts off the album.

   The effort closes out with "Count the Saints", a true piano-driven ballad that showcases, once again, Foxes' beautiful, soothing vocals and the wonders they do. "Love isn't always fair, but that's reason to be so cruel to me, hold on to what is there," she sings on the epic, slightly melodramatic, number that proves to be a soft yet powerful ending for the album. The song keeps rising to new heights until it finally comes to a bittersweet end.

   Glorious is just that, glorious. It is a near-perfect, effortlessly pop sounding debut from the talented Foxes. Besides her top notch vocal performances, which should be commended across the reviewer board, the artist does have a unique way of hitting every chord of the listener with her solid songwriting. The album dives in and out of dark, personal material and the light and airy pop/dance affairs that show range yet remain consistent and will just make listeners smile. Since her Grammy Award-winning Zedd collaboration, Foxes has been under the radar of many, she certainly does not disappoint with her crisp, clean and modern brand of musicality.

   Tracks to Hear: "Youth", "Holding Onto Heaven", "Night Owls Early Birds", "Echo" and "Shaking Heads"