BBC Music:
I'm almost scared to mention the word "Sugababes" in case we all end up getting bogged down with the endless debate over which was better out of Sugababes 1.0, 2.0. 3.0 and now 4.0, and whether (yawn) they still have the right to call themselves Sugababes given the absence of all the original members.
(For the record, I think the Sugababes brand has been more important than any of the individual members since Mutya left, so quite why it took Keisha's departure to get everyone all het up I don't know, but, again, I don't want to go any further down this road because it's going to upset all kinds of applecarts.)
Anyway, the crucial thing is that this is their first official single with the new line-up, arriving after all the tales of scandal and backstabbing, and a brilliant rumour that the three original 'Babes were forming a new band, and poor Amelle having to take time off with nervous exhaustion (and really, regardless of where you stand on the line-up change, you still know that's got to be unpleasant), so a lot of eyes are going to be on the girls to see if they're still up for the job.
And actually, it's quite a pleasant suprise. Where traditionally the second single from any Sugababes album tends to be more sedate than its predecessor, this one is strident and unapologetic and rivals Get Sexy for attitude if not for overall levels of noise.
It's a dancefloor-friendly tone with an insistent chord that echoes around your head, and probably feels most like Sugababes classics (of the Freak Like Me and Hole In The Head eras) that they've sounded since before the abomination that was Girls, while at the same time sounding current enough to suggest that they've finally got the stabilisers on and figured out which way they need to go.
Since this song was written and recorded long before the line-up change (though has been re-recorded to add Jade's vocals onto it now, natch), it doesn't necessarily follow that this gives us a good indication of what's to follow from Sugababes 4.0, but on the off change that it does, I'm happy. 4/5
Digital Spy:
Sugababes circa Nov '09... what a bloody mess. One member's being treated for "nervous exhaustion", their much-vaunted Roc Nation album's been pushed back to next year, and the new line-up's getting overshadowed by rumours surrounding Mademoiselles Buchanan, Buena and Donaghy. Fortunately, this conglomeration of clouds does have a silver lining.
It's called About A Girl. Produced by GaGa knob-twiddler RedOne and re-recorded to feature vocals from new babe Jade, it's a Europoppy club pumper with an ear-snagging chorus, sexy references to Louboutins and applepie, and a terrific, 90s dance-inspired middle 8. The result certainly trumps Get Sexy and might just be their most infectious single since About You Now. Of course, it doesn't necessarily sound very Sugababes, but at this stage in the game, who's to say what "Sugababes sounding" actually means? 4/5 |
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