A+ for effort, Miss Burke. Look at the bitch go, giving us more “street smart popstar” realness in a video that successfully transports some very important emancipatory themes with a world class-standard dance breakdown.
I’m making a conscious effort to be “more involved” with this new Alexandra Burke single after leaving ‘Elephant’ waiting by the post. For one, I immediately enjoyed ‘Let It Go’ from the moment I heard it so there was no awkward waiting period where I decide to whether ignore it and head to the bar, or politely nod along until Cheryl Cole comes on.
‘Let It Go’ is produced by Cutfather (who has carved workable singles like Kylie‘s ‘Get Outta My Way’ and Eric Saade‘s ‘Backseat’) so really – as far as the children are concerned – this is probably as close as Alexandra can get to “sounding relevant” in the dance/pop circuit without the aid of current MVPs like Calvin Harris and David Guetta.
But you know what? Fuck that shit. For me, the track’s real selling point is the emancipatory hook and that 90s house/pop kinda mentality where the melody and diva vocals take the lead, as opposed to the beat – which is very much the driving force behind a lot of hits on the radio these days.
‘Let It Go’ is enjoyable in a way that uplifting dance pop should be. It taps into that natural, intrinsic good feeling you get when you hear proper melodies taken to a new level by a right combination of supportive beats and the right vocal delivery. It is a song-driven single not a producer-driven single, if you catch my drift.
This is an express service, running directly to Hitsville.
The video for ‘Let It Go’ picks up where the ‘Elephant’ video left us, with this nocturnal, urban city chic theme. However, just like it was with the song – I’m pleased to find that ‘Let It Go’ (the video) is a clearer hit to the system than Alex‘s last effort.
It’s such a straight-forward, no-brainer of a concept, y’all. Alexandra gets dropped off at the station looking all pensive and shit, then she gets on the train and comes alive as she is transported to another destination, leaving behind the burden of her past as she strips off her jacket and dances wildly in her gold bra.
The liberating energy she carries with her as she purposefully catwalks through the carriage obviously inspires commuters to “let it go” and dance along with her. Conclusion: they all leave together, rising from the Underground to take up proper dancing under the bridge somewhere after.
I could dance all nite.
While Alexandra now joins the ranks of the fiercest to have served head-turning performances on a train, including Pussycat Dolls circa ‘Wait A Minute’ and Lady Gaga in ‘LoveGame’, I think the real popstarly excellence in ‘Let It Go’ was in the way she worked the dance breakdown.
This is definitely my kind of pop music video. We’re talking proper scene stealers where all the energy and spark peaks at the dance breakdown, showing the artist in complete control of the shot while she masters choreography like a boss with her pack of dancers. Lord knows this is something Alexandra has committed to ever since she broke out with ‘Bad Boys’, so y’all need to give props where props are due.
Watch the music video for Alexandra Burke‘s ‘Let It Go’:
Footnotes:
Alexandra Burke‘s ‘Let It Go’ comes out on 27 May in the UK with her eagerly anticipated second album Heartbreak on Hold following it on 4 June. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch the girl at a gig somewhere in LDN when I’m there during the month.
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