Music Review: Love Is Dead - Kerli (2008)

Kerli made her initial impact early in 2007 in her native Estonia. Since being signed to Island Records, she's been proclaimed Goth child extraordinaire and the next Björk by the critics. What's the lowdown on her debut "Love is Dead," though?

Perhaps characteristically, the album is decent, but mostly constructed to show Kerli's potential to put out good singles. It's surprisingly pop-tailored with the catchy title song and "Walking On Air" being the first singles, both deliciously creepy and fun and radio-friendly. Perhaps the greatest weakness of Kerli's album is that it is too radio-friendly and the potential for Björk-like experimentation and avant-garde electro/pop is neutralized. This isn't really Kerli's niche though. She seems to do quite well in her chosen formula with other album tracks like "The Creationist" and "Butterfly Boy." However, the majority of the non-singles are trying too hard to tread a very odd line between gothy and poppy that just doesn't exactly work. Kerli's too kid-friendly to be adult and far too adult to be kid-friendly. It's an awkward, yet fascinating combination. On the plus side, she's got a very unique and and great voice that carries her style well and most of the songs are at least catchy.

MY RATING: If anything, "Love Is Dead" shows that Kerli has excellent potential for growth. Wait until the next album to see if she matures any or falls flat.