Melanie Amaro wisely chose to take her time putting together a debut album instead of rushing out new music immediately after winning Season 1 of 'X Factor' — and its $5 million Epic Records contract — last December. Unfortunately, her first offering, 'Don't Fail Me Now,' offers a rather bland dance-pop arrangement that doesn't flaunt her winning voice effectively.

Amaro sings optimistic words about overcoming a long road to achieve success, but just when it seems like the song might start to have some inspirational value, Amaro starts singing about a guy instead, awkwardly weaving in verses about wanting to touch his skin and see his smile.

Worse, Amaro's voice is digitally-altered in places, so her biggest strength is blunted and she ends up sounding more like Jennifer Lopez than Whitney Houston or Kelly Clarkson, the divas with whom she is often compared.

'Don't Fail Me Now' is produced by proven hitmaker Rodney Jerkins, but the song itself isn't strong enough for him to save. It seems that her team tried to force her into a trendy dance sound rather than playing to her strengths. We like Amaro and still expect big things from her, but this one just doesn't impress.

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Listen to Melanie Amaro's 'Don't Fail Me Now'

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