Ruth Lorenzo: Power Ballad Messiah

We may have, on one or two occasions (OK, specifically one) have demonstrated our enthusiasm for X Factor alumnus Ruth Lorenzo who is finally getting on with the process of releasing some new material. In the continuing run-up to the release of her album The Raspberry Pattern (the website could do with a bit of an update, if we're being picky), a new track entitled Burn has made its way onto youtube. In the absence of a proper video, we've posted it below, or if that doesn't work, there's a direct link here:

In case you are in any doubt whatsoever, this is a proper power ballad. Gear changes, guitar-driven bridges, and proper belting-it-out choruses. Amazing.

To this end, Burn is the perfect continuation of the foundation laid down by the first sneak peak from the album Eternity (which you can still download for free at The Raspberry Pattern website - see link above). Showcasing the rockier edge which is likely to be an integral part of the Lorenzo product, Burn falls well within Ruth's comfort zone. It's true to say that the song isn't necessarily groundbreaking, or re-inventing the power ballad/soft rock wheel. But in a music market which, frankly, hasn't seen a properly amazing rock tinged power ballad in an age, Burn's unashamed genre-hugging approach is actually a welcome reminder that the classic rock love song didn't die out with Aerosmith's I Don't Want To Miss A Thing. And we can all be grateful for that.

Burn therefore completely does its job of getting us even more excited for the general release of an album which we have been waiting over two years for. If the two tracks we've heard so far are any indication of the style and the quality that The Raspberry Pattern is going to offer, then it's safe to say that the space between the greatest hits of Heart and Meat Loaf is about to get a big "reserved" sticker put on it.

And that's not something we say lightly.

... And they keep on coming

Ruth Lorenzo broke our hearts the other day by announcing that she had split from her record label EMI. The good news, however, is that this appears to have accelerated the possibility of finally getting our hands on some of her material. To that end, you can download the exclusive and new track Eternity from Lorenzo's official website The Raspberry Pattern.

Eternity is exactly how Ruth describes it, haunting and melancholy with none of the more divisive power-balled posturing which we loved but which we accept might not have been everybody's cup of tea. It's a well-crafted yet simple song, which certainly bodes well for future material. Certainly this is a very brave move splitting from a lucrative recording contract and going it alone. It's not a path we advocate for everyone wishing to put out an album. Yet for Lorenzo this may be the best way to go, inviting fans into the album production process and hopefully meaning that we can all get our hands on it sooner.

Why are so excited by the prospect of  a Ruth Lorenzo album? It's simple, by far, Ruth is our favourite X-Factor alumnus not to have won the competition. In a very tough year (with Alexandra, JLS and Diana Vickers as competition no less) Ruth carved out a niche and an identity by simply "belting them out" with passion and a voice which could shatter glass at a hundred paces (in a good way, obv.) And again, whilst we accept (but wholeheartedly disagree) that not everyone appreciates a diva who can belt out a power ballad at terminal velocity, we simply couldn't help feeling that Lorenzo had a voice and a aptitude for performing which was truly special. As a result we can't wait to see how Lorenzo has transferred and applied that to original material. Naturally, we'd quite like to get a full studio recording of her performance of Purple Rain (which we controversially feel is the best X Factor performance in the show's history), but we'll settle for some interesting songs and the one-woman revival of the power ballad thank you very much.

After all, this is a woman who absolutely perfected a move we like to call "the power ballad stance" (think Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" but with bigger hair and softer lighting).