As rumors begin to swirl around a possible follow up to October's stunning Halcyon (Re-Release? New album?), Ellie has already sent her latest single, Burn, to mainstream radio. The song makes its digital realtor impact on August 18th.
This Ryan Tedder penned track made its way to Ellie's hands after Leona Lewis chose not to use it for her recent release Glass Heart. This explains the massive lyrical change from Goulding, as Burn is not a metaphor for a relationship of any kind, except for the one between her and the club.
It starts off with a standard production crescendo, before her wispy vocals enter the track. It's a very strategic move from her label, as its cookie cutter dance pop music (stuttered hook, lyrics about shutting down the floor, and industry standard producer etc), but the Electro-Princess that is Ellie Goulding pulls it off fairly well. The production is the star of the show, being Beyonce-fierce, while ellie (sadly) sounds a lot more drained than her usual works (IE not as passionate as say, Figure 8). Will it smash? Hopefully. I Need Your Love has revived Ellie's image after Anything Could Happen missed the Top 40 in the States, so there's more attention on Ellie right now. However, it still seems unlikely.
Vocals: C-
Production: A-
Lyrics: C
Overall: B