Album Review: Tori Kelly's 'Unbreakable Smile,' Catchy and Emotional

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After her single, "Nobody Love" Tori Kelly has launched to the forefront of pop music that continues with her debut album "Unbreakable Smile."

The singer released an EP, "Handmade Songs" before being signed to capitol records and releasing another EP "Forward." The debut album for Tori Kelly, "Unbreakable Smile" highlights Kelly's magnificent voice and writing prowess.

Kelly starts the album off with an introductory song, "Where I Belong." The song is just a run down of what most people have already seen from her at the Billboard's and recently the Canadian music video awards, Much. Kelly is a girl with her guitar singing about what she relates to. With a giggle, Kelly brings one song to an end and begins "Unbreakable Smile." It's pretty much like any other, I've-decided-to-get-into-pop-even-if-they-keep-rejecting-me song.

She's going to do it her way with a smile on her face that won't break with bad reviews.

Besides being something we've heard from almost every new pop star, the song is very catchy and sets Kelly with a lot of ground rules for herself in the business.

Only the future will tell if Kelly will stick to the resolve she makes in this song.

"Nobody Love," the single that launched her into the mainstream view. With a back beat that's reminisce of Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words," this song will be the one you remember the most.

Kelly deals with the hesitation of falling deeply in love with someone.

She's played this song with just her guitar at award shows, and while that sounds nice, the addition of drums, brass, and back up vocals makes for an even more memorable song, especially the last minute of the song.

"Expensive" and "Should've Been Us," were made available before the albums release. "Expensive," features Daye Jack and explores the notion that money doesn't buy love and that just being loved makes Kelly feel like she's worth a million bucks.

"Should've Been Us" is the song about regretting a break-up, everything is clearly stated in the song's title.

"First Heartbreak" is the first slow song of the album. It's also the first song that fully brings out what Kelly promised in her introduction, the song is mainly just her and her guitar. Her voice sounded wonderful in the songs before but it really shines in this song. The song is full of emotion as well, not about having her heart already broken but that worry that comes from the fear that it might get broken.

"I Was Made For Loving You" features songwriter of the year, Ed Sheeran. Of course this collaboration is very guitar heavy with the occasional presence of strings and percussions, giving it a folk sound.

Kelly and Sheeran's voices mess well together and the lyrics stay true to both songwriters styles. An automatic favorite.

"City Dove" keeps the mellow sound but takes the album out of the theme of love. This song gives power to uncertainty. Kelly doesn't have it all figured out but as long as she's on a path that keeps her free and flying is good enough for her. The imagery of a dove in the city paired with the gentle music makes for a beautiful tune.

"Talk" steadily ramps up with a steady and powering drum beat. Which works greatly with Kelly's irritation with people who are all talk and no action.

"Funny (Live)" is an acoustic song that's purely Kelly and her guitar. The title of the song is more out of irony, as the lyrics contemplate the things that go wrong.

"Art Of Letting You Go" brings the love back, well more like trying to end love. It is also an art the Kelly obviously hasn't mastered. The song details all the reasons why she should let them go but that she just can't. "California Lovers" features LL Cool J.

An R&B sound about being in love in Cali. Cool J keeps with the theme of the song in his verse so it adds to hiphop and R&B sound and together it's the musical equivalent of summer.

"Falling Slow" adds a gospel quality that has been faint in some of Kelly's earlier songs. "Anyway" closes the album out with a song about being true to yourself when in a relationship, if they like it or not.

"Unbreakable Smile" is definitely Kelly's break into the industry. Every song is catchy in a memorable way.

Even songs that aren't quite that catchy have a soul and emotion to them that will surly give her a hand in success.

Kelly has a presence in her songwriting and voice that make her a treat to listen to, especially in the songs where it's just her and her guitar.