Amazon.co.uk Review
Popstars, the debut album from the five luckiest pop starlets in the UK, Hear'Say, was the end product of THE watercooler TV event of early 2001. The TV series took a winning formula, already tried and tested in America (
O-Town) and Australia (
Bardot) and turned it into a ratings winner, which proved to be compulsive viewing. The series spawned a record-breaking single and this album. As the show proved, not all manufactured pop bands are just pretty faces first and foremost and talented singers second. There is no doubting the youngsters' ability to belt out a good song, and there are plenty on offer here for them to flex their vocal chords over. This is pop at its purest--listen closely and you'll hear shades of All Saints ("Pure & Simple" and "Sweet Alibi"), Steps ("Make It Happen"), Destiny's Child ("One"), S Club 7 ("Not That Kind"), Five ("Breathe") and even Janet Jackson ("Another Lover"), with the overall effect of pleasing familiarity, but not to the stage where it begins to breed contempt. As debut albums go, it's remarkably confident and self-assured, especially when you consider that Myleene, Kym, Noel, Danny and Suzanne were all unknowns less than 3 months before the album appeared. Whether they will be able to maintain the momentum remains to be seen, but for the time being, just sit back and enjoy the fun.--
Les McQueen
Description
'Popstars' includes the no. 1 single 'Pure And Simple' alongside tracks co-written by the band. 'Monday Monday' and 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' - which many will remember from the audition sequences of the ITV series - are also featured.