Let it never be said that Lea Michele doesn’t have pipes. Girl can sing and her single “Cannonball” is a pretty good delivery system for her range.
Daniel Fienberg, Hitfix X-Factor Finale recap
The vocals are aggressive for a recording, but they SO work in a live environment. Great job from @msleamichele! #XFactorUSA #Cannonball
@marisa211@msleamichele Just have to hope Lea gets more live TV gigs. I can’t see someone hearing THOSE vocals & not taking her seriously.
Brian Cantor @cantorpedia HeadlinePlanet Founder
After that, Lea Michele from Glee sang “Cannonball.” Lea is a truly remarkable singer, one of Glee’s best, and I really liked this great performance. The audience clapped as she sang.
http://guardianlv.co…-review-videos/
The Glee star performs “Cannonball,” the first single from her debut album coming in March. It’s not to be confused with Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball,” though a mash-up of those two would be cool. Her voice really is insanely good.
http://www.buddytv.c…le-r-52174.aspx
Best Vocal by a Celebrity Guest
Lea Michele, absolutely KILLING IT on “Cannonball,” her earworm of a new single.
http://tvline.com/20…a-jeff-carlito/
[T]he Glee star’s track is…outsized…theatrical, a bigger-sounding production — think Celine Dion by way of “Fireworks”-era Katy Perry (which makes sense given the singer’s background as a Broadway star)….[It] favors a more constant sonic through-line. The singer’s voice hovers high in the mix, gently rising to a crescendo as it approaches the free-me-from-the-shackles hook….Michele’s voice is one of passion, fighting off any insecurity, fear or sadness with her mammoth pipes, bounding towards the chorus with power and poise….
Michele’s [heart] — which we can reasonably infer still hurts immensely following the tragic passing of her boyfriend and co-star, Cory Monteith — is a conflicted one. Sure, she burns with pain. But girl has mad inner-strength! “I won’t hide inside/I gotta get out!” she declares with that monster of a voice. Michele’s [message]: it hurts but I must be emancipated. She sees that road to redemption; it’s paved with smiley faces. “I think I found the light at the end of the tunnel… I will start living today!” she sings….
[The mission of] Lea Michele’s “Cannonball”? Well, of course only time will tell how successful it turns out to be. Its motives however, while still a bit murky, appear to be two-fold: establish her crossover, mainstream-radio potential, while simultaneously eschewing that beaten-down-by-the-world narrative all too often linked with celebrities who’ve endured any form of loss.
” — From "Cannonball" Vs. "Wrecking Ball": Lea and Miley Square Off, Elle
“The song’s lively pop chorus features an assertive Michele, whose Broadway-developed voice is as on-point as anyone would expect. It is an upbeat, vocally stirring pop tune from the young singer. It’s pleasurably unique in a crowded arena of auto-tuned Top 40 music.”
— International Business Times
As we all know, 2013 has been an absolutely tough year for Lea Michele. The singer and actress lost the love of her life, but managed to keep going and appeared in the latest episodes of Glee. Michele broke through with playing the role of Rachel in this series a few years ago. Now it is time to broaden her horizon and start a solo career in music. Today, she released her first single ‘Cannonball’. The debut album Louder will follow in March next year and judging by this first single, 2014 could definitely be the year of Lea Michele.
Lea Michele has been playing one of the main roles in Glee for a few years now and she could be considered as one of the biggest voices of the cast as well. After numerous solos on cover songs during the show, she now decided to release her own music. For her first single, the power ballad ‘Cannonball’, the singer got some help from Sia, who penned the track. Michele did not co-write on her first single, but she does have some writing credits on the album, along with artists like Christina Perri, new Swedish star Tove Lo and more appearances from Sia.
Lea Michele is not the first artist that recently put out a Sia written ballad. Rihanna’s ‘Diamonds’, Céline Dion’s ‘Loved Me Back To Life’, Britney’s ‘Perfume’ and many other album tracks were written by the Australian singer-songwriter. Sia’s writing style is recognizable in the power ballad ‘Cannonball’. Both the verses and chorus are incredibly catchy and powerful. Lea’s strong vocals match very well with this type of pop ballad. The song is not miles away from the above mentioned Sia tracks, but it also reminds slightly of songs like ‘Battlefield’ by Jordin Sparks. The repetition of certain words in the chorus as well as the verses add to the catchiness of the track and the melody is basically very strong throughout every part. Lea gets the chance to showcase the strength of her vocals and although the last chorus could have done with a bit more of a climax, I think it is a good thing that they kept her vocal style poppy and not too theatrical. Overall, ‘Cannonball’ is an exciting first single from a promising new pop star!
A Bit Of Pop Music
Out with the “Wrecking Ball,” in with the “Cannonball.” That’s the title of the first single from Lea Michele’s solo album, Louder, and darn it if it’s not just the sort of power ballad that’s going to have us hitting the high notes in the shower. What else would you expect from a song penned by hit-maker Sia?
It’s undoubtedly been an emotionally harrowing year for the actress — boyfriend and Glee costar Cory Monteith passed away in July — and “Cannonball” feels like a triumphant return to form for Michele. What’s more, the Katy Perry-meets-Wilson Phillips vibe and PG lyrics are bound to be popular with all generations. Guess what, kids? It’s finally safe to turn on the radio again!
All in all, we’d say it’s a promising debut and makes very good use of Michele’s powerful pipes. We’re not sure what we’re more excited for: the upcoming video or a chance to belt this out at the next karaoke night. DJ, if you’ll do us the honor.
http://www.refinery2…&utm_medium=rss
Lea Michele is looking beyond her hit show “Glee” with her first album “Louder.” She released her first song “Cannonball” today (Dec. 10) from Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.
Michele, 27, will sing the song for the first time live on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Thursday (Dec. 12).
The song is a generally upbeat pop ballad that she co-wrote with Sia. He’s previously worked with Katy Perry, Rihanna and Britney Spears. now you know why all pop music sounds alike.
Michele is jumping into a field crowded with big-hit pop singer, but the first single off her album shows she’s got the chops to compete. Her power vocals ring out with clarity and emotion as she sings about adversity and finding the strength to carry on.
http://www.theimprop…nonball-listen/
The upbeat and vocally impressive song with will fit right in with current Top 40 radio, and was written by the amazing Sia. http://www.celebuzz….nonball-listen/
I don’t know about you guys, but I totally live for Lea Michele!I’m still obsessed with Glee (any show that features singing and dancing on a weekly basis can do no wrong) and I absolutely adore Lea and her incredible set of pipes. She’s gearing up to release her debut album, LOUDER (pre-order on iTunes), next spring on Columbia Records and here’s the album’s lead single, “Cannonball,” penned by none other than the insanely talented Sia. The song is completely epic, an uplifting mid-tempo pop ballad that soars on the wings of Lea’s gorgeous voice, listen to it below for yourself!
http://popbytes.com/…ele-cannonball/
Lea Michele’s new single “Cannonball” is not Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” — even though the titles and the singers have a few things in common. The Glee star and Grammy award-winner tweeted the cover art and debuted the first single off of her upcoming debut solo album Louder (due out Mar. 4, 2014) yesterday, following the release of “Cannonball”s cover art two weeks ago. The single, Michele revealed in an interview in Elle’s Dec. 2013 issue that also features the star on its cover, is about her personal struggle to stop hiding and begin living her life again in the wake of her boyfriend Cory Monteith’s tragic and unexpected passing in July. Sigh. Such deep and personal stuff is packaged in an uplifting and powerful way by Michele’s powerful vocals and Sia Furler (“Titanium, “Wild Ones”), the song’s writer who also collaborated with Michele on several other songs for Louder. Michele is set to perform the single for the first time in full on Ellen, Thurs., Dec. 12.
http://www.bustle.co…s-wrecking-ball
Lea Michele Sets Date for Debut Album, Rolls Out ‘Cannonball’
"Glee" star Lea Michele will release her debut album "Louder" on March 4, Columbia Records announced on Tuesday. To mark the occasion, TV’s Rachel Berry unleashed the album’s uplifting lead single, "Cannonball," written by recent Billboard cover star Sia Fuller.
The song’s booming pop chorus features a confident Michele, whose Broadway-bred voice is as on-point as you’d expect:"And now I will start living today, today, today. I closed the door / I got this new beginning, and I will fly, I’ll fly like a cannonball."
The album’s 11 tracks were recorded over the past year, with contributions from Christina Perri, Colin Munroe and Stargate. Sia also wrote a ballad on the set, called “Battlefield.”
Michele, who has kept a relatively low profile since the death of her boyfriend and “Glee” co-star Cory Monteith in July, says the album “encompasses my experiences over the past year” and shows her journey as an artist.
"There’s a lot of emotion but it’s also very encouraging and hopeful — it’s about pushing forward and living your life in a way that’s louder, stronger and bolder," she says in a statement. "I’m so excited to share this new side of me with my fans."
Fans who pre-order “Louder” beginning today (Dec. 10) on iTunes will receive an instant download for “Cannonball.” Michele will perform the single on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Thursday, Dec. 12.
http://www.billboard…l-single-listen
Written by super hitmaker Sia, “Cannonball” finds Michele blasting through with hope. Though the lyrics say she will “fly like a cannonball,” the result is actually more explosive. “Cannonball” builds and builds throughout the verses until Michele blasts through in the hopeful chorus. “And I will start living today / Today, today, I close the door / I got this new beginning and I will fly / Like a cannonball,” she sings, simultaneously sounding powerful and positive.
Of course, it’s no secret that the 27-year-old has a powerhouse voice. Before hitting FOX on Glee, she was already a notable success on Broadway.
The music itself is also fitting for Michele and for modern pop radio. The track looms in mid-tempo while retaining a catchy hook in the chorus and having a sing-song melody. It’s easy to see this song finding a spot comfortably on a variety of radio formats, including pop and adult contemporary.
Overall, “Cannonball” is a smashing win for a debut single.
http://www.musictime…-cannonball.htm
“The track is instantly memorable, not surprising considering the number of top hit-makers behind it, including cowriters Sia (Britney Spears, Katy Perry) and Benny Blanco (Perry, Maroon 5). Production comes courtesy of the Norwegian duo Stargate (Rihanna, Beyoncé). Still, it’s Michele’s powerhouse vocals that take center stage on “Cannonball” as she deftly switches between her Broadway-trained belting and Glee-honed pop chops.”
— Rolling Stone