Post by ukswings on Dec 22, 2009 2:15:23 GMT 1
Cheryl Cole - 3 Words
...and speaking of X Factor : the singles charts have been dominated by the show since the early fall, with various guest appearances and cover versions propelling songs to the top of the charts on a weekly basis. What better time, then, for X Factor judge Cheryl Cole to separate herself from the "limiting" aspects of being in the group Girls Aloud and releasing a bang-up solo effort. It's not like she's trading on her fame on X Factor with it, is it?
Is it?
And to sweeten the pot, she gets herself a partner. The partner is American. The partner has been responsible for some of the biggest songs in both countries in the past year.
It's will.i.am, of the Black Eyed Peas. And he applies that famous BEP production to a good portion of the record.
Could it be that Cheryl's going for the American market?! When this is released in the USA, what will happen?
Well, what's happening now is that we've got a middling singer who's made a middling album. Much of the record sounds programmed, as if it was focus-grouped before release.
will.i.am's tracks actually come off pretty well. Opener "3 Words" features an acoustic guitar looped throughout, and is probably the edgiest and most musically innovative track on the record. It sounds a bit like BEP, a bit like Robyn.
"Heaven" is a bit heavy on the FX, and sounds even more like Robyn. Cheryl's voice goes all breathy here, providing a contrast to will's Snoop Dogg imitation.
Less successful is "A Boy Like You", which has a great whistling synth line, but then destroys itself with one of the creepiest call and response sections in recent memory.
Also included is the hit "Heartbreaker", which reached the top in the UK this year. Top billing in the song goes to will.i.am, though, and not Cheryl. The song is catchy and cool, but sounds oddly lackluster sitting next to all the rest of the material on the record.
As for the Cheryl-only tracks, the best include "Parachute", an R&B banger that perhaps reminds me a little too much of Rihanna's "Umbrella". Again, Cheryl is not a great vocalist, but neither is Beyonce. Or Madonna, for that matter. She's using what she's got fairly well.
"Happy Hour" is maybe the most natural vocal on the record. It's one of those analogy songs - it's all about connecting drinking to excess to the inevitable l-o-v-e. There is the problem of a short section of spoken word, which sounds a bit stupid.
"Stand Up" features Taio Cruz, for which we should count our blessings that she didn't pick Tinchy Stryder instead. It's as generic of a club song as you can get - you or I could have written the words to this one : "I can feel the music turnin' me on/I came here to dance/I'm gonna put up my hands and stand up". Bleah.
"Make Me Cry" has something you won't see on X Factor - Cheryl curses. Where's the rationale in that? Thousands of children watch her each week on the show, and will buy this album - and she goes out of her way to be obscene? Who advised her on that?
Other than that, the track is generic and not terribly interesting.
Then there's "Fight For This Love". The single broke "fastest-seller ever" records when it was released, and - as I've noted in my weekly reviews of the British top 5 (you've never seen those? www.myspace.com/ukswings, then) it's a catchy pop tune that's impossible to sing along with. The vocals are so programmed that they can't be imitated. This is a machine singing, not Cheryl.
My gold standard of female pop albums has to be Robyn's latest album. Cheryl can't come anywhere near that, but she makes a valiant try. "3 Words" is generic, programmed, and unimaginative, but it's listenable and (for the most part) pleasant. It breaks no new ground, but it does manage to tap into the current status of pop music. There are a couple of standout tracks, including the title track. My 3 words : Cheryl's a 6.5. That's on the England Swings scale of 1-10.
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
...and speaking of X Factor : the singles charts have been dominated by the show since the early fall, with various guest appearances and cover versions propelling songs to the top of the charts on a weekly basis. What better time, then, for X Factor judge Cheryl Cole to separate herself from the "limiting" aspects of being in the group Girls Aloud and releasing a bang-up solo effort. It's not like she's trading on her fame on X Factor with it, is it?
Is it?
And to sweeten the pot, she gets herself a partner. The partner is American. The partner has been responsible for some of the biggest songs in both countries in the past year.
It's will.i.am, of the Black Eyed Peas. And he applies that famous BEP production to a good portion of the record.
Could it be that Cheryl's going for the American market?! When this is released in the USA, what will happen?
Well, what's happening now is that we've got a middling singer who's made a middling album. Much of the record sounds programmed, as if it was focus-grouped before release.
will.i.am's tracks actually come off pretty well. Opener "3 Words" features an acoustic guitar looped throughout, and is probably the edgiest and most musically innovative track on the record. It sounds a bit like BEP, a bit like Robyn.
"Heaven" is a bit heavy on the FX, and sounds even more like Robyn. Cheryl's voice goes all breathy here, providing a contrast to will's Snoop Dogg imitation.
Less successful is "A Boy Like You", which has a great whistling synth line, but then destroys itself with one of the creepiest call and response sections in recent memory.
Also included is the hit "Heartbreaker", which reached the top in the UK this year. Top billing in the song goes to will.i.am, though, and not Cheryl. The song is catchy and cool, but sounds oddly lackluster sitting next to all the rest of the material on the record.
As for the Cheryl-only tracks, the best include "Parachute", an R&B banger that perhaps reminds me a little too much of Rihanna's "Umbrella". Again, Cheryl is not a great vocalist, but neither is Beyonce. Or Madonna, for that matter. She's using what she's got fairly well.
"Happy Hour" is maybe the most natural vocal on the record. It's one of those analogy songs - it's all about connecting drinking to excess to the inevitable l-o-v-e. There is the problem of a short section of spoken word, which sounds a bit stupid.
"Stand Up" features Taio Cruz, for which we should count our blessings that she didn't pick Tinchy Stryder instead. It's as generic of a club song as you can get - you or I could have written the words to this one : "I can feel the music turnin' me on/I came here to dance/I'm gonna put up my hands and stand up". Bleah.
"Make Me Cry" has something you won't see on X Factor - Cheryl curses. Where's the rationale in that? Thousands of children watch her each week on the show, and will buy this album - and she goes out of her way to be obscene? Who advised her on that?
Other than that, the track is generic and not terribly interesting.
Then there's "Fight For This Love". The single broke "fastest-seller ever" records when it was released, and - as I've noted in my weekly reviews of the British top 5 (you've never seen those? www.myspace.com/ukswings, then) it's a catchy pop tune that's impossible to sing along with. The vocals are so programmed that they can't be imitated. This is a machine singing, not Cheryl.
My gold standard of female pop albums has to be Robyn's latest album. Cheryl can't come anywhere near that, but she makes a valiant try. "3 Words" is generic, programmed, and unimaginative, but it's listenable and (for the most part) pleasant. It breaks no new ground, but it does manage to tap into the current status of pop music. There are a couple of standout tracks, including the title track. My 3 words : Cheryl's a 6.5. That's on the England Swings scale of 1-10.
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
