Leona Lewis - Happy

This is the first single off of her second album entitled Echo. Co-written by Evan Bogart, Ryan Tedder, and Leona Lewis herself, it is also produced by Ryan Tedder. "Happy" is a midtempo, pseudo-epic track. It definitely goes beyond some of what Ryan Tedder has come up with in the last few months. Leona's vocals are really stunning on this. Lyrically, this is pretty good too. This would work well remixed. This seems like something Jason Nevins, Moto Blanco or Tony Moran could do really well.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Beyonce - Halo

This is the 'second' single off of the Beyonce side of her I Am...Sasha Fierce album (fourth overall). As can be expected, this is a ballad. Co-written by Ryan Tedder and Evan Bogart, this one is a perfect fit for Beyonce. Vocally, this is one of her best performances to date. She shows some restraint and it really pays off. This could prove to be one of the biggest hits of her career.

Grade: A+