Eva Avila

Eva Avila, after her victory performance on Canadian Idol in mid-September 2006, was poised to be a superstar. She's a drop-dead gorgeous girl, whose captivating soulful voice could make her the next Celine Dion. Instead, rushed production and overexposure led to the release of Somewhere Else, a disappointing debut for Canada's answer to Kelly Clarkson. Most expected a spicy album from Avila, one with impressive, catchy, Latin-infused hooks, much like what was heard from her live performances during Canadian Idol. However, it wasn't meant to be. Avila opens with "I Owe It All to You," the album's first single, which actually impresses. It serves up the flare of the budding star, but unfortunately it goes downhill from there. The opening mix is followed by mediocre club songs and schmaltzy vanilla ballads. Even "This Kind of Love," the Cyndi Lauper penned ballad, is a snore to listen to. The album only begins to pick up at the very end. The penultimate song, "Meant to Fly," written by super duo Chantal Kreviazuk and husband Raine Maida, was Avila's winning live performance, and sounds even better in the studio than it did on-stage. The last song on the album (and its second single) "Fallin' for You" is one of a few moments on the album that actually proves Avila's worthiness. It provides a glimmer of the success to come. Still, by the time you've gotten to the end of the album you've already long since given up. That's not to say Avila's singing isn't great. She makes the songs passably enjoyable, mostly due to her voice, not her charisma. This isn't a necessarily bad album, it's just primarily fluffy. There is too much air in between the substance. One might wonder why the album wasn't a stellar debut for Avila. Perhaps the problem lies in the timing. Somewhere Else dropped a mere eight weeks after the curtain fell on the show, and Avila admitted to having recorded the whole thing in less than two weeks, which didn't help her any. This rapid production time might lead to a second concern, which is a lack of artistic creativity: Avila has no co-writing credits on the album. While for most pop artists this trait is not uncommon, for an already rising star who doesn't want to simply become another has-been, song writing is crucial. Therefore, there is no admission into the real talent of Eva Avila, and she is publicized merely as a well-oiled albeit mediocre product. No doubt her fans were looking for a simmering raspberry mocha with some homemade almond biscotti, not a glass of warm milk. Better luck next time. ~ Matthew Chisling, All Music Guide