First thing's first: Sugababes are an excellent uk pop band, without which the uk pop scene would be a wobbly wobbler. Their 'blend' of intelligent, sexy, urban-pop-music-that-sounds-a-bit-like-dance-music, mixed with their too-cool-for-school attitude and NO SMILES policy secured our interest from the early stages of their career. But as time goes on and the girls grow taller in more ways, we ask: are the albums as good as they used to be? We investigate.
Their amazing first album One Touch was recorded when the girls were only four years old! And it's bloody brilliant. With songs written about their mums, growing up and various sugary fancies of early So Solid estate boys, highlights include first single Overload, title-track One Touch and Look At Me. A definite winner that gets a full 5 Ticks from SPUNK MAGAZINE (one extra Ginger Tick for the Siobhan factor).
Back with a new line-up (boo), Sugababes storm the charts with first single Freak Like Me, which sampled a bunch of other songs in the then very trendy bootleg fashion. Fantastic! Freak was a
true pop gem, accompanied by a 'gritty' Sophie Muller video, where the girls play urban vampiresses who seduce So Solid estate boys and kill them, after Keisha and Mutya beat up new band-member Heidi. Besides Freak Like Me, highlights from Angels With Dirty Faces include excellent pop ballad Stronger, Destiny's Child-esque Switch and second single Round Round. Four well deserved Green Ticks.
Third album Three proved just as successful as its predecessor. (Just like its predecessor, however, Three lacked a certain Siobhan quality that we shan't dwell on). First single Hole In The Head was possibly their catchiest to date, subtly sampling previous uk number 1 hit Wamdue Project's King Of My Castle. With sightings of the video for Hole In The Head on America's TRL, the girls and their cash-thirsty team of promoters began what could possibly mark the beginning of a US-focussed strategy that proved detrimental to the Babes' s pop ingenuity. Catastrophe! Highlights from Three include the truly outstanding Situation's Heavy, the slow grower Caught In A Moment and the very dramatic Too Lost In You (who could possibly forget Keisha's bursting "Baby, baby, BAAAAAAAAABY" towards the end of the song). However great an album, some argued that Three contained several fillers. A diagnosis previously avoided on the first two albums... Four Green Ticks.
2005's Taller In More Ways followed on the girls' aforementioned American interest generated by Hole In The Head. Largely produced by Dallas Austin (responsible for many TLC and Blu Cantrell bores), the album lacks the uk grit of their previous 'records'. Highlights are stomper It Ain't Easy, sweet Christina-sings-Beautiful-esque Ugly and brilliant first single Push The Button... but what of the rest of the CD? Well unfortunately not much can be said, besides perhaps that its obvious appeal is geared at Friends-watching, GAP-wearing, pop-hating, hiphop/rnb-compensate-loving Americans with no clue of the true genius contained in those 3.5 British girls. Three Green Ticks resting largely on previous glories.
We at SPUNK can only hope that Sugababes will abandon their quest to conquer the US market, and come back to their genius uk roots. Where they belong. Slightly misunderstood, and always delicious.
What we've been 'buying' online and listening to this week at SPUNK:
