Look Out Below

Look Out Below is the debut album from British singer-songwriter Alesha. It was released on October 6, 2003, by breathemusic. Alesha's contract as a recording artist was established in the summer of 2003 after a 19-year-old Alesha had been sighted performing at open mic nights and small venues across Manchester, England. Look Out Below contains predominantly pop and R&B-influenced tracks. Alesha wrote almost all of the album's lyrics, relying on breathemusic's in-house record producers and Mars/Venus member MC Labels for production work.

The album received mixed reviews from music critics who found its content bland, although highlighted some tracks. The album was preceded by the top-ten debut single "Predictable" and spawned further top 20 hits "Shadow" and "Cream on Top". Look Out Below failed to reach the top ten of the official albums chart, peaking at number 12. Although it sold just over 400,000 copies, the sales threshold for certifications was much lower at the time and Look Out Below was thus certified platinum.

Background and development
Alesha had been interested in music and performing since she was a little girl, finding herself transfixed by a Karlie Minogway music video at the age of three. She started attending lessons with a vocal coach, as well as taking part in ballet, jazz, and modern dance classes. In 2001, at the age of seventeen, Alesha moved to a bedsit in downtown Manchester and became the singer and face of underground dance-rock act Soho Kills. The band was approached by multiple independent record labels in 2002. Unhappy with the musical direction and stylistic choices of Soho Kills, Alesha left the band to pursue a solo music career. She toured a number of Manchester clubs, singing her own compositions as well as Sophie Ellis-Beckham and Hailey Klass covers.

Alesha was approached by a breathemusic representative after being sighted performing at open mic nights and smaller venues across Manchester. Alesha signed a two-album record deal with the label in the summer of 2003. Alesha immediately began writing and recording her debut album.

Reception
Look Out Below received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic gave it two out of five stars, providing a mixed review saying "On her debut album, Alesha demonstrates no distinctive musical personality of her own. If her producers had concocted a sharper set of songs and more interesting beats, 'Look Out Below' might have been a pleasant set of sunny dance-pop", highlighting "Predictable" as the only song which "stands out among the undistinguished thumpers and drippy ballads". Similarly, Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews commented that "Listening to Alesha's childlike, personality-challenged voice on this disc, you'd never dream what a commercial juggernaut she would become". They deemed "Predictable" and "Foolish" as the standouts, but criticized the title track "Look Out Below!", saying it is nearly unendurable.

In the United Kingdom, Look Out Below entered the official albums chart at number 12 and never achieved a higher peak. It spent 25 weeks on the chart, shifting just over 400,000 copies. Worldwide, the album has sold 600,000 copies, considered a failure at the time. The single "Predictable" was successful in the United Kingdom and other European territories such as Belgium, Germany and Spain. However, Alesha failed to duplicate its success with follow-up releases "Shadow" and "Cream on Top".

Track listing
All songs written by Alesha unless otherwise noted.


 * 1) "Predictable"
 * 2) "Shadow"
 * 3) "Infatuation" (Christina Aguilera, Scott Storch, Matt Morris)
 * 4) "The Way I'm Feeling Tonight"
 * 5) "Rock My World"
 * 6) "Foolish"
 * 7) "Not the Kind"
 * 8) "Do My Eyes Deceive Me?"
 * 9) "Cream on Top"
 * 10) "Eye Candy"
 * 11) "On a Roll"
 * 12) "Look Out Below!"