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Meanwhile Rick Pearson of the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'' put ''Sweet 7''{{'}}s shortcoming down to the removal of [[Keisha Buchanan]]. He said "the departure of their leader sees the girl-group — Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen, if you're struggling to keep up — grasping for an identity on ''Sweet 7''. "Miss Everything" aims for Rihanna territory with its R&B backing and autotuned vocals, while 'Give It to Me Now' pitches for the powerpop of [[Girls Aloud]]. Neither is convincing. The girls carry off the silly electropop of 'Get Sexy' capably enough but Buchanan is sorely missed during more melodic moments — particularly on the piano-led closer, 'Little Miss Perfect'."<ref name=lesrev/> Dan Cairnes from ''[[The Times]]'' gave the album its most scathing review citing all of the issues above for its failures, "Heidi Range may have notched up an impressive nine years as a Sugababe, but she has never been a match, vocally, for either [[Mutya Buena]] or Buchanan, and she now has to share singing duties with the equally bland Berrabah and Ewen. If only whoever decided to persevere with the Babes brand had shown as much cussedness when it came to choosing the songs here. A trio who once swaggered to No 1 with a Gary Numan mash-up ("[[Freak Like Me]]") are now reduced to vamping joylessly through [[Right Said Fred]]'s '[[I'm Too Sexy]]', on 'Get Sexy', and cosying up to [[Sean Kingston]] on the dire 'Miss Everything'. Sugababes in 2010 are a pale, karaoke imitation of the glory days. Regrettably, if miraculously, the latest line-up remained the same as we went to press." <ref name=timesrev/> Simon Price of the Independant gave a particularly scathing review, stating that the current lineup "can call themselves what they like, but they'll never fill the heels of Keisha, Mutya and [[Siobhan Donaghy|Siobhan]]. It's over." <ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-sugababes-sweet-7-island-1921302.html]</ref>
Meanwhile Rick Pearson of the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'' put ''Sweet 7''{{'}}s shortcoming down to the removal of [[Keisha Buchanan]]. He said "the departure of their leader sees the girl-group — Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen, if you're struggling to keep up — grasping for an identity on ''Sweet 7''. "Miss Everything" aims for Rihanna territory with its R&B backing and autotuned vocals, while 'Give It to Me Now' pitches for the powerpop of [[Girls Aloud]]. Neither is convincing. The girls carry off the silly electropop of 'Get Sexy' capably enough but Buchanan is sorely missed during more melodic moments — particularly on the piano-led closer, 'Little Miss Perfect'."<ref name=lesrev/> Dan Cairnes from ''[[The Times]]'' gave the album its most scathing review citing all of the issues above for its failures, "Heidi Range may have notched up an impressive nine years as a Sugababe, but she has never been a match, vocally, for either [[Mutya Buena]] or Buchanan, and she now has to share singing duties with the equally bland Berrabah and Ewen. If only whoever decided to persevere with the Babes brand had shown as much cussedness when it came to choosing the songs here. A trio who once swaggered to No 1 with a Gary Numan mash-up ("[[Freak Like Me]]") are now reduced to vamping joylessly through [[Right Said Fred]]'s '[[I'm Too Sexy]]', on 'Get Sexy', and cosying up to [[Sean Kingston]] on the dire 'Miss Everything'. Sugababes in 2010 are a pale, karaoke imitation of the glory days. Regrettably, if miraculously, the latest line-up remained the same as we went to press." <ref name=timesrev/> Simon Price of the Independant gave a particularly scathing review, stating that the current lineup "can call themselves what they like, but they'll never fill the heels of Keisha, Mutya and [[Siobhan Donaghy|Siobhan]]. It's over." <ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-sugababes-sweet-7-island-1921302.html]</ref>
Although not critically acclaimed, the album has been a massive hit with existing Sugababes fans and attracted a whole new audience. Sweet 7 looks like it will be the groups biggest hit so far!


==Track listing==
==Track listing==

Revision as of 00:10, 16 March 2010

Untitled

Sweet 7 is the seventh studio album by British pop band Sugababes scheduled for release on 15 March in the UK through Island Records. It is the first album from the group since signing up to Jay Z's US record label Roc Nation, as well as the first since the highly controversial departure of longest serving member Keisha Buchanan.

The album has heavy electropop and dance pop influence, due to the involvement of U.S. writers and producers such as RedOne, Fernando Garibay and Norwegian production team StarGate. It also features one vocal collaboration from Sean Kingston.

Despite the high profile input, the album has negatively received by critics who questioned the orginality of the image, mainly due to the loss of Buchanan, as well as a lack of an identifiable sound and soul from the project.

It was proceeded by three singles including "Get Sexy" which was the last single to feature Buchanan's vocals and peaked at number two. Then in November thee second single "About a Girl" was released and peaked at number eight becoming the first single to feature vocals from the newest member Jade Ewen. In February 2010 "Wear My Kiss" was released as the third single and peaked at number seven giving the album it's third top ten hit in the UK.

Background and production

Prior to the album's creation, Sugababes signed a U.S. record deal with Jay-Z's label Roc Nation.[1] The album was recorded by Sugababes mostly in Los Angeles and New York but as a producer like them so much they did a couple of sessions in London.[2] The group primarily worked with RedOne,[3] Ryan Tedder,[3] Stargate,[2] Fernando Garibay,[4], Jack Lucien[5] (on the songs About A Girl and Wait For You [6]), up-and-coming production team the Smeezingtons (Phillip Lawrence and Bruno Mars).[7] One of the album's tracks, "No More You", was written by Ne-Yo.[2] Keisha Buchanan compared the song to Rihanna's "Hate That I Love You" and "Take a Bow".[8] The group also collaborated with Sean Kingston.[8] Sugababes also joked that "Rihanna's been like our fourth member, listening to all our songs and saying what she liked and what she didn't like."[7] Buchanan told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, the album has "definitely got the British feel throughout the album - we've not gone away and gone 'All American' on our fans."[2] Buchanan continued, "I think it's given us a fresh energy again. I think the one thing we wanted to do was come back with something different."[2] She also admitted the girls had become "complacent" around the time of Catfights and Spotlights but they also said that they are very proud of that album.[3]

Controversy and line-up change

After the release of the album's first single "Get Sexy" and just two months before its projected November release, it was reported by the media that Amelle Berrabah had quit the group.[9][10][11] Buchanan, however, denied any drama within the group and insisted that Berrabah would remain a member "for the moment". On 21 September 2009, it was officially announced that Buchanan had left the band,[12] although she stated it was not her decision to leave.[13] Buchanan, will now pursue a solo career with Island Records, whilst former Eurovision Song Contest entrant Ewen becomes the new Sugababe. Ewen immediately began recording her vocals over Buchanan's in preparation for the album's release in November.[14]

Release

The album was scheduled for release on 9 November 2009, but since the line-up change has occurred, the album has been pushed back numerous times and will now be in stores on the 15 March 2010. Its Mainland European release was reported to come much earlier with the album already scheduled for release in the Netherlands on 20 November and in Germany on 4 December 2009.[15] Although it has now been confirmed that mainland Europe will receive the album on 12 March 2010 with Ireland whilst the UK receives the album on 15 March, delaying the album another week. The album has been released in Poland on 5 March 2010. On 23 February, it was confirmed by Amelle Berrabah that the album would now be released on 15 March.

Singles

  • "Get Sexy", produced by The Smeezingtons[16], Released on 31 August 2009, peaked at number two in the UK and is the last single from the group to feature longest serving member Keisha Buchanan.
  • "About a Girl", produced by RedOne, is the second single was released on 9 November - the date that the album was originally to be released on - with newly recorded vocals from new member Jade Ewen and peaked number eight.
  • "Wear My Kiss", produced by Fernando Garibay was released as the third single on 22 February 2010, three weeks before the album is released. The single debuted at number seven in the UK on February 28th.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Daily Mirror[17]
Metro UK[18]
Drowned in Sound[19]
The Guardian[20]
The Independent[21]
London Evening Standard[22]
NME[23]
State[24]
The Times[25]
Virgin Media[26]

The album has received overwhelmingly negative reviews amongst critics with the recurring theme of stating that the music doesn't quite fit the group and that they have been oveshadowed by their fourth line-up change. Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian called the album "disappointing" and criticised the band's inexplicable shift in sound, stating that "most [of the tracks] are in either in thrall to Lady Gaga's robotronic sound or, as with the oozing lust of "Get Sexy", just wrong for this particular band".[20] Alex Denney of NME also agreed that the album was too generic "Sweet 7 leaves us hankering after the good old days. This being the group’s first record since signing with Jay-Z imprint Roc Nation in the States, it shares the Europop/Auto-Tune fixations of the US mainstream du jour: 'Get Sexy' sounds like a lazy, latter-day Timbaland joint, and 'About a Girl' is a slice of future-house from Lady Gaga’s chum RedOne. But time was we could expect more than bland consistency from the Sugababes – shame.[23]

Gavin Martin of Daily Mirror went a step further referring the album as a commercial mess which lacked soul, "Britain's longest-standing girl group franchise are revealed as an all-panting, thrusting enterprise. The songs allow them to play loudmouths at the bar, dancefloor hustlers and video shape throwers, but the lack of soul drags the whole enterprise down."[17] The Independent's Andy Gill agreed stating that the "Sugababes finally slipped from being a band to a brand." He went on to criticise their lack of character, "The problem is that this policy of replenishment has eroded both the trio's character and its appeal ... for all the involvement of new writers and producers such as Red One, Stargate and The Smeezingtons, there's nothing here with anything like the adhesive, infectious quality of 'Push the Button'. Mostly, it's just generic disco stompers..."[21]

Meanwhile Rick Pearson of the London Evening Standard put Sweet 7's shortcoming down to the removal of Keisha Buchanan. He said "the departure of their leader sees the girl-group — Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen, if you're struggling to keep up — grasping for an identity on Sweet 7. "Miss Everything" aims for Rihanna territory with its R&B backing and autotuned vocals, while 'Give It to Me Now' pitches for the powerpop of Girls Aloud. Neither is convincing. The girls carry off the silly electropop of 'Get Sexy' capably enough but Buchanan is sorely missed during more melodic moments — particularly on the piano-led closer, 'Little Miss Perfect'."[22] Dan Cairnes from The Times gave the album its most scathing review citing all of the issues above for its failures, "Heidi Range may have notched up an impressive nine years as a Sugababe, but she has never been a match, vocally, for either Mutya Buena or Buchanan, and she now has to share singing duties with the equally bland Berrabah and Ewen. If only whoever decided to persevere with the Babes brand had shown as much cussedness when it came to choosing the songs here. A trio who once swaggered to No 1 with a Gary Numan mash-up ("Freak Like Me") are now reduced to vamping joylessly through Right Said Fred's 'I'm Too Sexy', on 'Get Sexy', and cosying up to Sean Kingston on the dire 'Miss Everything'. Sugababes in 2010 are a pale, karaoke imitation of the glory days. Regrettably, if miraculously, the latest line-up remained the same as we went to press." [25] Simon Price of the Independant gave a particularly scathing review, stating that the current lineup "can call themselves what they like, but they'll never fill the heels of Keisha, Mutya and Siobhan. It's over." [27] Although not critically acclaimed, the album has been a massive hit with existing Sugababes fans and attracted a whole new audience. Sweet 7 looks like it will be the groups biggest hit so far!

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Get Sexy"Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Richard Fairbrass, Fred Fairbrass, Rob ManzoliThe Smeezingtons3:14
2."Wear My Kiss"Fernando Garibay, Mars, Lawrence, Carlos Battey, Steven BatteyFernando Garibay3:44
3."About a Girl"Makeba Riddick, Nadir KhyatRedOne3:28
4."Wait for You"Garibay, Mars,LawrenceFernando Garibay3:50
5."Thank You for the Heartbreak"Ryan Tedder, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, Claude KellyStarGate3:41
6."Miss Everything" (featuring Sean Kingston)Mars, Lawrence, Levine, Brody BrownThe Smeezingtons3:39
7."She's a Mess"Mars, Lawrence, LevineThe Smeezingtons3:25
8."Give It to Me Now"Crystal Johnson, Reggie PerrySyience3:00
9."Crash & Burn"Jonas Jeberg, Marcus Bryant, Nakisha SmithJonas Jeberg3:37
10."No More You"Shaffer Smith, Eriksen, HermansenStarGate4:12
11."Sweet & Amazing (Make It the Best)"Rob Allen, Eriksen, Hermansen, Martin Kleveland, Bernt StrayStarGate, Martin Kleveland3:50
12."Little Miss Perfect"Hermansen, Eriksen, KellyStarGate3:46

Chart Performance

This is the group's first album since 2005's Taller In More Ways to contain three 'UK top ten singles, and the first ever Sugababes album to contain three top-ten singles with Amelle Berrabah's vocals, with 2 out of 3 of the singles having Jade Ewen's.

Release history

Region Date Label(s)
Poland 5 March 2010[28] Universal Music (Int.)
Australia[29] 12 March 2010
Ireland Island Records
Netherlands[30] Universal Music (Int.)
United Kingdom 15 March 2010 Island Records
Germany[31] 16 March 2010 Universal Music (Int.)
Canada[32] 23 March 2010

References

  1. ^ 3am (2009-05-02). "Sugababes get ready to roc". Mirror.co.uk. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 2009-07-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e Sinead Garvan (2009-07-09). "Sugababes reveal all their gossip". BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat. BBC News. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  3. ^ a b c Caroline Sullivan (2009-07-24). "Sugababes: 'We took our eye off the ball'". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  4. ^ Fernando Garibay (2009-07-17). "FERNANDOGARIBAY status". Twitter. Retrieved 2009-07-23.
  5. ^ Last.fm (2010-02-07). "JACKLUCIEN status". Last.fm. Retrieved 2010-02-07.
  6. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQY66h9nW0M
  7. ^ a b Kim Dawson (2009-07-31). "Sugababes exclusive: we're too sexy". Daily Star. Northern & Shell. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  8. ^ a b David Balls (2009-08-14). "Sugababes". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  9. ^ http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/sugababes/news/154096-amelle-quits-sugababes
  10. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a177232/sugababe-keisha-amelle-wants-to-go.html
  11. ^ http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/music/music-news/2009/09/19/amelle-berrabah-quits-sugababes-after-big-bust-up-86908-21685020/
  12. ^ David Balls (2009-09-21). "Keisha Buchanan leaves Sugababes". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  13. ^ Keisha Buchanan (2009-09-21). ""Although it was not my..."". Twitter. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  14. ^ Rachael Wheeler (2009-09-24). "Sugababe Heidi Range reveals why Keisha Buchanan was kicked out". Mirror.co.uk. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  15. ^ Sugababes album given early German release
  16. ^ Nick Levine, David Balls (2009-07-08). "Sugababes get sexy RIGHT NOW!". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi Médias. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  17. ^ a b http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/the-ticket/2010/03/album-reviews-sugababes-owl-ci.html
  18. ^ http://www.metro.co.uk/metrolife/music/817365-sugababes-sweet-7-is-complete-car-crash-of-an-album
  19. ^ http://drownedinsound.com/releases/15172/reviews/4139335
  20. ^ a b http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/mar/04/sugababes-sweet-7-cd-review
  21. ^ a b http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-sugababes-sweet-7-island-1916268.html
  22. ^ a b http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/article-23812711-cds-of-the-week-gorillaz-sugababes-and-jimi-hendrix.do
  23. ^ a b http://www.nme.com/reviews/sugababes/11108
  24. ^ http://www.state.ie/2010/03/album-reviews/sugababes-sweet-7/
  25. ^ a b http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article7048736.ece
  26. ^ http://www.virginmedia.com/music/reviews/sugababes-sweet7.php
  27. ^ [1]
  28. ^ http://www.empik.com/sweet-7-pl-muzyka,prod52110428,p
  29. ^ "Sugababes - Sweet 7". Apple Inc. iTunes Store. March 12, 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-12.
  30. ^ http://www.bol.com/nl/p/muziek/sweet-7/1000004007503827/index.html
  31. ^ http://www.universal-music.de/sugababes/detail/product/162581/0/sweet-7/
  32. ^ http://www.archambault.ca/sweet-7-ACH002587298-en-pr
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