Echo (Deluxe Version)

This London-born singer earns comparisons with past R&B/pop icons on her sophomore album Echo, keeping diva bombast to a minimum in favor of more smoldering, emotionally believable performances. To be sure, there are plenty of stellar producers (including Xenomania and Timbaland) on board to frame Lewis in stylish, high-gloss settings. The steamy “Can’t Breathe,” the throbbing “Fly Here Now” and the epochal “Lost Then Found” (featuring One Republic in seven-plus minutes of uplifting gospel/pop glory) load on the melodrama effectively. But even when she reaches for the Big Note, Lewis radiates honesty and class, as in the aching survivor’s anthem “Happy.” The sleek “Love Letter” and the techno-fueled “Outta My Head” lend some pop sparkle to the proceedings, and for extra celeb content, Justin Timberlake shares vocals on the slow-simmering “Don’t Let Me Down.” Throughout, Lewis shows taste and poise, knowing when to turn up her vocal power and when to hold back.