Video Premiere: Cheryl - Under The Sun

Sneak Peek: Cheryl Cole - Under The Sun

Flares: Cheryl - A Million Lights

Bouncing back from a thwarted attempt to crossover to the U.S. via the American edition of The X-Factor -- she may have been a two-time winning judge in the U.K., but never made it to the air in the U.S. -- Cheryl Cole decides to shoehorn every pop trend of 2012 into her third album, A Million Lights. Unconcerned with introspection -- prior to the summer release of A Million Lights, she told all journalists to not ask her about the album's lyrics as she didn't write a word -- Cheryl (as she's billed on the art work; she's so famous in the U.K. she can abandon her last name) is very concerned indeed about maintaining her celebrity, so she tries on every fashionable sound, dabbling in dubstep, drafting will.i.am to give her some Black Eyed Peas magic, riding Rihanna's steely, defiant rhythms, bringing Calvin Harris aboard to construct lead single "Call My Name," adopting a bit of a Natasha Bedingfield hangover on the opener "Under the Sun," copping Lana Del Rey's tragic romantic balladry on the title track, then hiring the former Lizzy Grant herself to write "Ghetto Baby." Cheryl doesn't stamp these sounds with her own personality; she merely tries the personas on for size, not so much to see if they fit, but rather to see which ones will allow her entry into the charts. As not one cut crackles with personality -- they all rely on anonymous studio craft; any competent singer could sing lead and perhaps score a hit -- success is entirely dependent on which way the wave breaks, whether her timing clicks or not. Even if A Million Lights winds up not generating a big single, there is no denying that it captures much of the style and sound of 2012; it's a pop scrapbook, perhaps one that will be more interesting in the future than it is in the present.

Based On Critics - 30/50

Based On Public - 35/50

Based On Hype - 41/50

Based On Pop Flares - 32/50

Overall:

Album: Cheryl - A Million Lights (Deluxe iTunes Plus)

A Million Lights is the third studio album by British recording artist Cheryl Cole. It is due to be released in two formats, standard and deluxe edition on 18 June 2012 through Fascination Records. One single preceded the album's release, titled "Call My Name". The song premiered on Capital FM's breakfast show on 20 April 2012. After only three days of release, Call My Name sold a total of 97,000 in the United Kingdom alone.

Song: Cheryl Cole (feat. Wretch 32) - Screw You

Sampler: Cheryl Cole - A Million Lights

Cover + Track Listing: Cheryl Cole - A Million Lights

Track Listing:

1. Under The Sun 2. Call My Name 3. Craziest Things 4. Girl In The Mirror 5. A Million Lights 6. Screw You 7. Love Killer 8. Ghetto Baby 9. Sexy Den A Mutha 10. Mechanics of the Heart 11. All Is Fair

Deluxe:

12. Boys Lie 13. One Thousand 14. Telescope 15. Last One Standing

Release Date: June 18

Video Premiere: Cheryl Cole - Call My Name

Song: Cheryl Cole - Call My Name

Video Premiere: Cheryl Cole - The Flood

[I Don't Mind Being Thanks]