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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The 'Babes on a good day, 25 Oct 2008
I would actually give the album a 4.5 review if I could. I'll explain later why I picked 5 stars over 4.
It seems to be an exquisite quality the 'Babes have: being a grower. It always takes me more than just a listening to actually start liking most of the tracks on the album, but after this few, careful listenings, I always fall in love with tracks I didn't like at first. I think I'm not the only one, because if you take a time to read the professional reviews you'll notice that the early ones tend to be more lukewarm as the ones, whose writes took more time to listen to it. Moreover, the albums that are most praised by critics today (i.e., One Touch and Taller in More Ways) also didn't get the best reviews at the time they were being released.
From the overview, the album takes a more funkier direction than the previous ones, actually starting a bit further where "One Touch" stopped. It fits to the retro-wave that has been taken over british music the last few years, without falling in the common-vault (i.e., they aren' trying to copy Amy Winehouse). The style is much more mature than previous works, but it's the lyrics that took the biggest step, being the 'Babes best. Having this said, I'll start a not-so-short track-by-track review.
1. Girls: The lead single. It's the first example of a track that need a few listenings before being appreciated. It's a rework from Ernie K. Doe's "Here Come the Girls", from the (in)famous boot ad. The 'Babes, however, manage to make this song their own, adding the usual girl-power element they use in their singles. It's the most danceable song on the album.
2. You On A Good Day: Another song that follows the funkier direction the 'Babes are taking. The chorus is a bit repetitive and that make the song a little bit tiring, at least on the first listening. The most curious about this track is the lyrics. We'd normally expect the 'Babes to be getting rid of abusive relationships, but this time, "they're sticking wit him anyway", even though he's "messed up from the chromosomes to the enzymes".
3. No Can Do: The confirmed second single is also another grower. It goes in the vein of Jackson Five, being a very pleasant song. It's not the best choice for a single, not because it's bad, but because there's better and -- most important when it comes to topping the charts -- catchier songs on Catfights and Spotlights
4. Hanging On A Star: The worst song on the album is maybe their worst song to date. It's not horrible, it's average, what is actually a big decline, when it comes to the Sugababes. The hooks remind me a little bit on Avril Lavinge's "The Best Damn Thing". The song is very Supremes-esque and sounds like taken from the sondtrack for "Dreamgirls". The more you listening, the better it becomes, though
5. Side Chick: That song is very catchy and is the best up-beat on the album. The lyrics are very girl-power-esque. It escapes a bit from the retro feeling this album is in, but not that much to bring it out of context.
6. Unbreakable Heart: It starts the part of the album that I like the most: the ballads. For me, the best thing the 'Babes do is ballads, not that their up-beats are bad, but their ballads are supreme, without being cheesy or corny. This song need a few listenings, but the chorus is one of their best to date. The beats are amazing and there is an amazing piano/glockenspiel playing the most of the time, that gives it a final touch.
The next half of the album is already good enough to justify the purchase of it.
7. Sunday Rain: My favourite Sugababes-song (at least until now). Very melodramatic, it mixtures pop, horns, glockenspiel and an orchestra in a unique blend they've never done before. Of course they've had some of those elements on other songs (e.g., "2 Hearts"), but not so many of them in such a perfect way. The lyrics are also very dark and intense, sounding like a natural step after "Run For Cover" and "Ace Reject".
8. Every Heart Broken: The catchiest song and everybody's favourite. Stylistic, it reminds me of "2 Hearts". It just feels like a second act of it. Most people would say the lyrics are best the 'Babes had ever done. Personally, I don't think they're the best, but definitely the funniest, filed with black humour and sarcasm (Britain's best), being the type of lyrics you will laugh at even out of the musical context.
9. Beware: Another instantaneous catch, this song is the final proof, that Amelle deserves being the third Sugababe. She co-wrote this song with the producer Klas Åhlund. The lyrics are, again, one of their best and this song is perfectly placed after "Every Heat Broken". Very powerful, it would fit perfectly into a Kill Bill or James Bond soundtrack. The church bell at the end is the perfect final touch for a perfect song.
10. Nothing's As Good As You: This song is just sweet. Heidi's opening vocals are also just sweet. This is the perfect love song and the way the girls' voices work so harmoniously makes the backing-vocals become one of the songs most attractions.
11. Sound Of Goodbye: I can't remember any Sugababes-song with similar lyrics. It's about a girl having a break-up and trying not to hurt the other. The music is filled with glockenspiels and dark beats, that sound more like distant, powerful echoes. This combined with a melodic, sometimes feebly violin and great vocals gives the feeling the girls are trying to transmit. There's need to say it's another great ballad.
12. Can We Call A Truce: A longing for peace, as the title indicates. Another lyrical innovation for the 'Babes. The beats are a little bit too Timbaland-ish for my taste, but they are perfectly hidden behind gentle violins. Another great achievement for their musical curriculum.
The album would deserve even more than 5 stars if it stopped here. The following bonus tracks, however, are totally unnecessary and spoil the hole atmosphere the album has. I would decrease a half star for that, but since I can't do it, I chose to maintain the 5 stars-rate, because the album is just too good for 4 stars.
13. About You Now (acoustic version): Okay, girls, we know you like that song, we like it too, but that's already too much. It's a life, acoustic version by the 'Babes, that is very similar to the version YouTube user Giftofmelody (Martina) did and became a hit. Nothing we never heard before.
14. She's Like A Star (feat. Taio Cruz): Most people like it, but for me it's hip hop's worst: cheesy lyrics, a guy trying to sing like Mariah Carey, overused Timabald-ish beats and a horrible synth voice, that sounds like a 4 years old girl shouting "like a star" every 2 seconds, making me want to pierce my tympanum with a biro. You also almost don't get to hear the girls.
If you insert your copy into a PC or Mac, you'll get access to download an extra track, namely a rework of "Girls" by Klas Åhlund. As the name says, it's more than just a remix. The lyrics and instrumentals are a little different and the vocals are more raw, making it feel mostly like a new song. The reason why the girls didn't the peak that song as a bonus track instead will always remain a mystery.
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