'Louder'

If this is the future of pop music, I fear the genre is doomed.

Notorious for her role on Fox’s long-suffering series “Glee,” Lea Michele is dumping the corny covers to try and make a name for herself with her own music on her debut solo album “Louder.”

The album is a sequence of eerily similar pop anthems, with a ballad dropped in there every now and then.

The album is busting at the seams with themes of love and self-empowerment and redundant lyrics that lose their effect by the sixth song.

Lead single “Cannonball” was released in December and reached No. 75 on the U.S. Billboard chart. “Cannonball” is a mid-tempo pop song with lyrics centered on a metaphor that makes no sense. But it highlights the strength in Michele’s voice with powerful crescendos and alternating note sequences.

The title track “Louder” is intended to be a poppy dance tune of self-empowerment. In truth, it’s a train wreck of pop clichés that will have you rolling your eyes from the opening lyrics: “Come out of the shadow/ Step into the light/ This could be the moment/ Are you ready to fight?”

Your gag-me-now alarm should be going haywire.

The rest of the song’s lyrics aim for the same inspirational tone, complete with a fire metaphor and Michele asking and commanding you to “scream a little louder” in the chorus.

The message is clear: don’t be afraid to be yourself, speak up, shine bright like a diamond ‘cause baby you’re a firework.

Sounds familiar.

It’s the ballads of this album that keep it bearable and provide a breath of fresh air from the highly-produced tunes.

“Battlefield” is a simple piano piece carried purely by Michele’s vocals. As she sings the story of a couple who maybe doesn’t belong together, we hear a glimpse of the grit in her voice. Her Broadway tone is evident, but not overpowering.

The album ends on a sad note with “If You Say So,” a haunting piano narrative that is sure to hit “Glee” fans right in the feels. “If You Say So” tells Michele’s reaction after her boyfriend and fellow “Glee” star, Cory Monteith died.  

The opening lyrics waste no time revealing the subject of the song: “It’s been seven whole days, seven whole days since you paralyzed me/ Seven whole days, seven whole days since you lost your fight.”

As the song continues, the music and emotion builds to the point that even non-“Glee” fans like myself are touched.

The songs are catchy, but most of them are forgettable.

Aside from a few, there is little evidence to imply any real effort or challenge went into this album.

The good news for Michele is that she has been building a fan base since 2009.

The 12-year-olds that started out with her and the new 12-year-olds that are just discovering her will keep her career afloat for awhile.

Hopefully, she’ll use that time to develop as a real artist.