As far as this cd "Sweet 7" with new member Jade Ewen inserted into the fold.
I feel it is more of an uptempo, energy filled affair on the aforementioned tracks "About a Girl". Along with the quirky and kinetic "Wear My Kiss" the Babes current single release. It's part of what was missing on their last effort (Catfighs & Spotlights). There are more energizing and dance ready jams on the cd including "Get Sexy". They encompass a greater part of the their sound this time around as they worked with a variety of US producers and writers.
...i hate that Keisha isn't in the group anymore. But the Sugababes continue to press on and I wish them all much continued success.
Back to the review...they also have a few nice slower jams as well. It helps round out an excellent album. They are all on lead vocals again on the cd which is nothing like most girl groups (at least not here in the states that seem to focus on one or two singers). They all get their time to shine on "Sweet 7". This 12 song journey by the Babes takes you on a rather enjoyable and fun ride. To me no song feels out of place or as if it doesn't belong on the CD. Yes, i've been a Sugababes fan since "Overload". But if the cd wasn't good. I would still say that and not sugarcoat it at all.
"Sweet 7" owns.
Sugababes Version 4 are back with "Sweet 7". Having Finally gotten rid of the three original members, the new babes re-recorded the songs replacing newly kicked out Keisha Buchanan's already recorded vocals with new babe Jade Ewen's.
The result is somewhat mixed, the buzzing "Get sexy" (sampling Right Said Fred's "I'm too sexy" and reminding me of Dizzee Rascal's "Bonkers"), the mildly pleasant Europop pair of "Wear my kiss" and "Thank you for the heartbreak", the poppier "Wait for you", "Miss everything" featuring Sean Kingston (and lyrics telling potential blokes that "Your pockets better be deep, if with me you wanna be"), and the RedOne-produced club anthem "About a girl" stand out among the upbeat numbers.
For ballads, the Ne-Yo-penned "No more you" (sounding like something from Rihanna's repertoire), and closing piano ballad "Little miss perfect" (with soaring vocals and strings) are beautiful. The other two are forgettable.
A few songs not withstanding, the girls have managed to largely lose their quirky British sound and without the original members, their harmonies don't quite sound the same making them sound like any anonymous girl group, which is a shame.
I love the Sugababes, i can't get enough of "Get Sexy"
That is like my song, why they don't play their songs in clubs is beyond me. I kinda wish their songs were sold on iTunes, i could have saved money instead of buying the whole CD.
It's only Pop, easy listen music, a good effort from my point of view, it's fun, simple and catchy, works for me....
How sad it is that one of the coolest acts in modern pop music has been reduced to THIS crap.
Like many fans I followed Sugababes from the start. I loved the edgy vibe that original member Siobhan delivered on One Touch (2000) and listend to that album so many times even my neighbours knew the lyrics! Keisha Mutya and Siobhan were cool, relevant and not like the rest of the bouncey girly-bands that flooded the charts at the time. They were the sort of girls you wouldn't f---with. It was all harmonies, beats & attitude.
In 2001 Siobhan left and the group lost its record contract. By 2002 Heidi appeared in Siobhan's place, and the new line-up signed to a new label. Somehow Heidi seemed to fit, and with the combination of Mutya's "don't F--k with me" rasp, Keisha's effortless soul and Heidi's throaty pop voice Sugababes were launched into the stratosphere with hit after hit; "Freak Like Me", "Round Round", "Hole In The Head", "Too Lost In You", "Stronger", "Push The Button", "Ugly" ... and on it goes. Their harmony's blended, the girls meshed, production was fresh ... the whole thing just worked.
Things took a turn for the worse in 2005 when Mutya called it quits. Within days Amelle appeared in Mutya's place, looking strangely similar to Mutya (from a distance anyway - as though we wouldn't notice!?) and sounding like a Mutya-impersonator on a rushed re-recording of "Red Dress". Like a lot of fans I gave Sugababes V3.0 (Keisha, Heidi & Amelle) a go.
Always looking like a dear in the head-lights, Amelle slowly warmed into her role and found her stride on new songs that were recorded with her in mind. For me, it was b-sides like "Shake It" and "In Recline" and the Arctic Monkeys cover "I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor" that gave Amelle the growling-space she needed to create her niche. If Mutya had to leave, at least V3.0 seemed promising.
But things started to go tits-up. Quickly. The "Change" album followed in 2007, the first album featuring Amelle. The sound shifted to a highly polished pop kinda vibe and despite having some great songs ("Denial", "My Love Is Pink", "3 Spoons Of Suga") only half of the album was really any good. "Back When" - worst song ever! By anyone! Anywhere!! Amelle is never really let out of her cage, and the production of the album somehow washed their voices into each other. That Sugababes sound was watered down, and the edge was gone. "Catfights & Spotlights" followed, and again ... similar problem; it was half a Sugababes album and half soggy crapola. Keisha even admitted "Catfights" wasn't great, and the group soon headed back to the studio.
Signing to Roc Nation they set their sights on the US market. But instead of forging a new Sugababes sound and nailing it to the wall, they followed current trends and parroted artists who were at the top of their game; Lady Gaga and Rhianna come to mind. The sound SORT OF worked for them. Keisha's voice suited the electronic R&B sound of the Sweet 7 sessions, in particular "About A Girl", "Wait For You" and "Thank You For The Heartbreak". And the lead single "Get Sexy" was fun; a bit stupid but fun, and it let Amelle show some personality first time since 2006. But others missed the mark - "Wear My Kiss" is a bland ditty and could have been done by anyone, and the ever-dreadful "Miss Everything" is just a Sean Kingston demo (ie. cast-off) that the girls recorded their own over-produced vocals on the track .. just horrible!
But before the album was even released, drama got the best of them. In mid-2009 Heidi and Amelle staged a coup and forced Keisha out. Career-suicide? Yup! Thinking they could go on with NO original members, a sound that's been done, and no chemistry within the group was just idiocy. But Heidi and Amelle (or should I say their management) found yet another girl to join the fold - and days later, in stepped the bland over-trained Euro-vision loser, Jade Ewen. No match for Keisha's ice-cool vibe. Feeling the strain, Amelle checked herself into "facility" for a good "rest", and Heidi went into damage-control mode in the media, spouting off about how difficult it was to be bullied by Keisha every day (oh grow up Heidi!) and all the while reminding us how long she's been a Sugababe. Meanwhile Ewen went into the studio to re-record the vocal parts Keisha had already recorded in an attempt to salvage the album.
And the verdict? Jade's voice doesn't suit the songs at all, and with her limp "American Idol" delivery she murders the few songs Keisha actually starred on ("Thank You For The Heartbreak" and "Wait For You"). To her credit, Jade takes a fair stab at "About A Girl", and "No More You" is a nice Ne-Yo production ... although I can't help thinking I'd rather hear Keisha sing it. And neither song is enough to save this album. Sadly, Sugababes are just not cool anymore. They also showed they have NO appreciation of their 'Sugababes' ancestry, having recently announced they will no longer perform Sugababes songs on which Mutya or Siobhan originally appeared! (WTF?? Why call yourselves Sugababes then?!?!?!?)
The release of the album stalled ... and stalled. When it was finally released, it dropped in and out of the UK charts in a matter of minutes. Here in Australia I have never even seen a copy in stores. Future singles from the album have been shelved. Funnily enough, no-one seems interested in hearing average over-produced pop by a 'rotating-roster' girl group - even if they do record under a well known brand name. Overall I'd say the best that could be said for Ewen's transition into the group is that (suprisingly) she ISN'T a Keisha look-alike!
If you're really keen on hearing these songs, save yourself the $$$ and download the "Sweet 7 Sampler" which leaked to file-sharing sites in late 2009. It features the original versions of the first 6 songs from the album but with KEISHA'S vocals, not Jade's. Unfortunately "Miss Everything" is one of those 6 songs, but the Delete button took care of the particulary file!
Interestingly, legal proceedings initiated by Mutya Buena may see the "Sugababes" name stripped of the current line-up. Unfortunately it won't change the outcome - as this album proves, "Sugababes" are dead. Only the brand-name survives.
R.I.P.
