Lewis can’t echo her cohorts

Though former “The X Factor” winner Leona Lewis is probably more talented than any of her stateside “American Idol” counterparts, her debut album “Spirit” felt oversatured with sappy ballads — just like most other winners’ first forays into pop.

On her latest “Echo,” a parade of big-name producers (OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder as well as Kevin Rudolf and Max Martin) help make the music slightly more compelling, but even they cannot make up for Lewis’ lack of personality.

Lewis proves on efforts like the soaring “Happy,” sultry “Can’t Breathe” and synth-heavy “I Got You” that she has all-world talent, but the emotional impact is completely lacking. It’s not that Lewis can’t sing; she can obviously match range and pitch with the best of them. She just does not have any personality to make the songs effective past the mere mechanics.

“Echo” is technically impressive in every way, and while Leona Lewis can match vocal wits with Mariah Carey and 1980s Whitney Houston, her inability to echo their personalities makes the album ultimately inaccessible.