Any avid pop culture follower could make the argument that Annie Lennox has one of the most powerful voices in music. Lennox’s latest album, Songs of Mass Destruction, is proof of that.

The album is a tribute not only to her commanding voice, but also to a career that has spanned several decades – from being the iconic frontwoman of the Eurythmics to a solo career that has lasted all the way through the new millenium.

Almost every song is on par with the music Lennox produced in the early ’90s on Diva, her first solo album. If you’re thinking this album will be in the same vein as Diva’s well-known single, “Walking on Broken Glass,” you’re expecting a different Lennox. This time around, the songs aren’t nearly as chipper or upbeat – this Lennox is fixated on making listeners open their eyes to the world’s problems.

Expect a lot of darkness as she sings about what is wrong with the world today – but don’t think Lennox has gone emo. On the contrary, the former pop-electronica singer strays from gloominess and instead charges her songs with a unique and energizing force. Lennox’s melancholy words carry a heavy load and express a beautiful sadness.

One of Lennox’s great talents is her extreme range, but the singer branches out to focus on a variety of world issues on Destruction, such as the AIDS epidemic, global warming and poverty. “Dark Road,” “Lost,” “Through The Glass Darkly” and “Big Sky” keenly target these various problems and concurrently reflect the emotions of a woman in a world gone adrift. For a good sample of her tone, check out “Smithereens,” a particularly poignant track.

Although it is a dark album about a dark world, Lennox strikes a balance between preaching and poetry. On “Sing,” Lennox’s choir is made up of 23 of the most well-known female artists in pop and rock, including Bonnie Raitt, Shakira, Joss Stone, Pink, Dido, Celine Dion and Madonna, in a fully-voiced song about HIV transfers between mother and child in Africa.

Lennox has created a great album not just by today’s standards, but more importantly by her own standards. It has everything a listener would want from an album that is bound to be an instant classic, including an impressive vocal range, beautiful and catchy melodies and lyrics with important messages.

diversions@dbk.umd.edu