1 of the most underrated 2001 albums - 4
By Yahoo! Shopping User Feb 2, 2002
When I first heard "Overload" I instantly knew that these girls were not a typical girl group. The bass, tribal feeling and all round uniqueness of the song instantly set them apart from groups like Destiny's Child and the Spice Girls (though I stil...l like them too). I have to admit before getting this album I didn't think the rest of the songs would reach the standards of "Overload", and though nothing on "One Touch" can top the classic first single, they come extremely close. These girls are refreshing; they actually incorporate live instrumentation in their songs! Hard to believe they would consider taking that risk given that the majority of girl groups these days follow the computer generated path. Though the Sugababes have a couple of tracks using computer effects, they wisely add variety with instruments. And to great effect. The title track is impressive, the excellent guitar intro sets up an amazing song and the vocals by Siobhan, Keisha and Mutya are stunning. "Lush Life" uses drums to great effect, while the afforementioned "Overload" is helped enormously by the booming bass. It is obligatory for girl groups to have their ballads, but my God the Sugababes have struck gold with theirs. Without incorporating any cheese into their slowies, the girls shine on the acousticly festive "New Year" with their oh-so-sweet vocals. These girls can SING and don't need to go overboard in the way of Christina Aguilera, and to a lesser extent Beyonce from Destiny's Child. "Look At Me" is directed to their parents, and explains that these girls are growing up (being only 16 and all), while "Just Let It Go" gives broken hearted girls hope. You want dance tracks too? They've got them as well! Dance numbers "Real Thing" and "Promises" are the type of dance tracks girl groups the world over should be making. R&B? You've got it, the brilliant album closer "Run For Cover" is dramatic yet sweet, those vocals again shining. But these girls are British and want the world to know it. They don't want to follow the R&B direction that other girl groups are following, so they're doing what they know and love - garage. The hectic "Same Old Story" is unmistakably British, with its 2-step beats again moving them further away from the pack. "One Foot In" is their only real pop moment, and although it is very much similar to Samantha Mumba's "Body II Body", it holds up very well being placed after the unforgettable "Overload". And although I've heaped a lot of praise on "Overload", the girls almost overtake it with "Soul Sound". This is the album's sweetest moment; a fine, simple acoustic/pop tune about the joys of music. The vocals are as usual very impressive, and how they maintain that effort in each track is puzzling yet incredible. I wish you could give 1/2 ratings on Yahoo, then I could give the correct rating of 4.5. But I'll give them an extra half just because I think this album is amazing. "One Touch" didn't light up the charts because, I think, they were seen by people as just another girl group, and because of this it became one of the most underrated albums of 2001. Pity, because those people don't know what they're missing out on. "One Touch" rocks. Read more Less
