Buried Underneath

Buried Underneath is the third studio album by British singer-songwriter Alesha. It was released on July 4, 2005 via Visionary.Music, and was her first album released internationally. Alesha wrote and produced many of the album's tracks, while including compositions by Aloud, Amy Marshall, Andrea Twain and Delta Nu. Alesha began working on the album after a series of commercial failures, but did not make much progress until travelling to Los Angeles. The album featured duets with Ben Parker, Neyssa and Claire Kitten – Parker, Alesha's husband at the time, inspired a number of songs from the album.

In contrast to Alesha's first two albums, Buried Underneath explores a more guitar-based, rock-oriented sound, while maintaining a pop sensibility. The album explores themes of fame, grief, infidelity, relationship struggles, and in the case of "Infernal Superstar", signing a deal with the devil. After its release, Buried Underneath received generally positive reviews from critics. They complimented the album, praising its emotional vulnerability, and described it as the archetype of mid-2000s female pop-rock albums. They also praised the fact that Alesha's voice sounded stronger than it did on her previous efforts, while commending Alesha's growth as an artist.

Buried Underneath was an initial success. In the United Kingdom, it entered the charts at number three as did its lead single "Little Green High Heels". Following the success of "Infernal Superstar", which became Alesha's first number one single, Buried Underneath spent three weeks at number one in October 2005. "Close the Door"/"He's Done It Again" – a collaboration with Neyssa – became Alesha and the album's second number one single. Buried Underneath was re-issued in December 2005 to accompany the single "Built This Way", a cover version which failed to live up to the success of the album's earlier singles amidst a crowded Christmas market.

Following the release of the album, Alesha divorced her husband and became romantically involved with Neyssa. She also left Visionary.Music for Ensemble, a label Alesha would release with for five years. Buried Underneath is credited as being the album which transformed Alesha to a pop culture icon, although she would achieve even greater success with subsequent albums such as Alesha Is the Queen (2007).

Background and development
Alesha released her debut album Look Out Below (2003), stalling in the charts at number 12 despite the top ten success of single "Predictable". Alesha was awarded Best Newcomer at the 7th Urapopstar Awards, but failed to achieve continued commercial success. In 2004, Alesha scored a number two single and album with "Let Me Take You There" and Hungry for More respectively. However, when the second single entered the charts at number 18 and peaked at number nine, Alesha halted promotion of the album. Meanwhile, Alesha's personal life had become a tabloid fixture. In June 2004, Alesha married Ben Parker and also gave birth to their daughter Ana-Marie Roxanne Parker. Stories of marital problems plagued the tabloids in the months preceding the release of Buried Underneath.

Disappointed with her career, and facing pressure from record label bosses, Alesha escaped to Los Angeles to work on her third studio album. Alesha began experimenting with a more singer-songwriter style of writing, opting for a guitar-based, rock-oriented sound. She became inspired by musicians like Alanis Morissette and Natalie Imbruglia, citing the seminal album Jagged Little Pill (1995) as an influence. Later in her career, it was noted that "It Sucks to Be Me", which also employs a more pop-rock sound, was the worst performing single of her career, yet Alesha admirably and perhaps stubbornly made a pop-rock album anyway.

Music and lyrics
Buried Underneath is primarily a pop and rock album, although certain songs exhibit a stronger R&B influence reminiscent of Alesha's previous albums Look Out Below (2003) and Hungry for More (2004). The album borrows from subgenres like alternative rock, post-grunge, Britpop and UK garage.

"Little Green High Heels", the album's lead single and opening track, was penned by country-pop crossover Delta Nu. In the song, the narrator is addressing a jealous woman who portrays herself as holier than thou. Alesha sings, "I'd rather be down there with your little green high heels." "Infernal Superstar" is a pop rock song with heavy use of electric guitar and drums. Written by Alesha, the song is about a woman who sold her soul to the devil in exchange for six years of fame. A sequel was later released on the rarities album The Good That Won't Come Out (2008). "Screw You" deals with Alesha's experience of sexual assault by a fellow musician in 2003. "Football Match and Penis Size" is a Britpop-inspired song which drew inspiration from the audience's "Penis Size and Cars". The fifth track on Buried Underneath, "Two Steps Back" varies from the rest of the album in that it showcases a UK garage sound. Lyrically, the song deals with Alesha's career struggles.

"Fall Flat", written by pop duo Aloud, is an R&B-pop song more indicative of Alesha's previous material. "Burning in Our Own Flame" is a candid ballad sung with husband Ben Parker, highlighting the tensions in their relationship. "Wonderland" is a pop rock ballad that expresses reservation about entering a relationship too soon even when it feels right. "If I Could" is a "saccharine" pop ballad penned by Andrea Twain about reaching out and offering support to someone in a time of need. Fellow recording artist Amy Marshall wrote "Too Much", which is track ten on the album. It is an uptempo pop rock song about being sick and tired of love and infidelity. "Plead" is an emotionally charged ballad about begging for forgiveness.

"Close the Door", a duet with Neyssa, also exhibits a more rhythmic pop sound like Alesha's first albums. Neyssa, a divorcee, had been cheated on by her ex-husband, which led the duo to come together for a "girl power" anthem about showing a cheating lover the door. "Fancy Footwork", a duet with pop icon Claire Kitten, is also more pop and R&B inspired than it is rock inspired. The song is about seeing an unfortunate lover for what they are worth and escaping their grasp. "Lower the Curtain" is about fading fame, while "Ashes Spread" is a minimal piano ballad that grieves a lost loved one. The song's chorus states, "I'll lay a rose where your ashes spread  / And the wind will blow it to join them".

Alesha removed "If I Could" from the album's deluxe edition because she had abruptly quit Twain's record label Visionary.Music following a management dispute in favor of a contract with Ensemble. The deluxe edition includes cover versions of Samantha Ronson's "Built This Way" (written by Ronson and Dallas Austin) and Diana Ross' "Do You Know Where You're Going To?" (written by Masser and Goffin). It also includes "He's Done It Again" with Neyssa, released as a single alongside "Close the Door". The song originally appeared on Neyssa's album as a duet with Claire Kitten.