Alyona Lanskaya: Glamour meets rhythm in new single Speak

While all y’all were busy unwrapping Christmas presents, Alyona Lanskaya, Belarus’s favorite pop kitten, was unveiling the official video to her new single, ‘Speak’.

‘Speak’ starts off operatic before going full throttle into MOR pop. It’s got a good beat, and Alyona delivers flawless vocals. Perhaps the most expensively produced track on her album, it was recorded at the world famous Abbey Road studios in London.

It’s the fourth single from her debut album ‘Solayoh’, which is already a best seller in her home country. Although the verses are weak in parts, there’s strength in the simplicity of the chorus. What  the song lacks in gusto, the video makes up for in atmosphere. It was shot in a deserted castle.

Lanskaya fills the screen with Parisian glamour. In the opening sequence she click-clacks to the sound of her heels. Louboutin or not, Victor Oskirko, the video director, follows up with vignettes of similar quality. Autumn leaves, and then a dark winter feature prominently in the clip. It’s a seasonal video for a seasonal release.

The most displaced visual metaphor is a man logging trees. It makes no sense to me. However, Lanskaya’s compelling facial expressions keep us enthralled. This music video serves as a good audition tape should she wish to branch into acting, presenting or modelling. She exudes vintage glamour, yet gives it a contemporary flourish. Although there is vast room for improvement in her English language elocution, I’m certain that the Russian version of this song nails it perfectly.

Rating: 3.5/5

Deban Aderemi contributed this report from the U.K. Follow him on Twitter @debanaderemi. Then follow Team Wiwi on Twitter @wiwibloggs and by liking our Facebook page.