Sugababes' "Overloaded: The Singles Collection" album is so good, you wouldn't wanna stop playing it once you get your hands on it. It's full of great hits, but it also shows how consistent and cutting edge a band Sugababes are. They were always unique from the beginning, being the edgy alternative to the super saccharine dance-pop/teen-pop of the early 2000s. Why they didn't become a huge success in the US, I will never know (just like how I could never figure out why US pop music these days is not so much purely unadulterated, unabashed pop as it is urban-influenced in any way, shape, or form). Still, if one wants to know what the US has been missing out on, an essential collection such as this is a great place to start.
I could say so much more about the band, but let me just focus on the album's content because the pop gems within it are what makes this greatest hits compilation one of the best in years.
1. "Freak Like Me" - Definitely a great rush to open an album. It still sounds really fresh and edgy, even compared to their recent singles. If I were to describe this breakout-to-UK-superstardom single of theirs to a curious American listener, I'd probably say that it's like "Spice Girls on lots of acid." That's not necessarily a bad thing because acid never sounded this damn cool and infectious. It truly makes great use of the scratchy mash-up sound to the point of exploitation: it's raw, primal, robotic, icy, and delivered with lots of nonchalant attitude. Apparently UK listeners found this single pretty exciting too: it became the inaugural chart-topping Sugababes single over there.
2. "Round Round" - Although Sugababes are known to be a very versatile girl group, they have grown to hone two distinct trademark sounds: cool, edgy, sassy dance-pop and dark, brooding, moody (if not trip-hop-ish) ballads. If one song were to best exemplify the former sound the girls have mastered so effortlessly, it would be this track: the mother of all Sugababes dance-pop tracks.
To be quite frank, a lot of the subsequent Sugababes dance-pop tracks have followed the template of this one in order to achieve the same amount of success: hard-edged dance beats that are equal parts campy and club-friendly as well as dubby and grungy (making the tracks sound sexier and sassier).
3. "Red Dress" - Like a younger sonic sibling to the track before it, this number mixes heavy rock guitars, bass, and a meant-for-disco-strutting drum loop to make the Sugababes sound fresh and relevant.
4. "In The Middle" - I think this would probably be the weakest of the Sugababes dance-pop tracks just because it sounds like it was meant to be a 3rd or 4th single to promote an album (which is was). The beats and the song are interesting enough, making it an electro banger. It may have seemed weaker as a single, but ironically next to the superior tracks that came before it, it manages to sound really good and fresh.
5. "Stronger" - After the first four tracks which signalled one of the best multi-track album openings in any album in a while, the tempo changes, but thankfully not for the worse. "Stronger" is one of, if not their best, ballads because it sets itself from any popular (chart-friendly) ballad in the 2000s by incorporating the dark atmospherics and full-bodied beats of trip-hop as well as the melodic infectiousness of pop to make this a great triumph of a track.
6. "Shape" - An antithesis to "Stronger": it's one of their weaker slow tracks, but the quality doesn't slip even when the Sugababes' don't sound as untouchable. It's still a well-executed near-R&B ballad that has a twinkle of silky calm amidst a good serving of backing beats
7. "Overload" - After the two quite good slow tracks, the tempo picks up again with this track. This was the very first Sugababes single to be released and it almost sounds nostalgic (even though it was released only in 2000). So minimal in production compared to the 'Babes' slicker, more elaborately-produced recent singles, but just as effective (if not more) in its infectious delivery. Fast horse-clopping beats combined with other funky band beats, acoustic elements, and the girls' honeyed vocals make this a highlight not only for them, but for 2000s pop music in general.
8. "Good To Be Gone" - A brand new track that actually compliments the other great hits within the compilation. It features some of the most understatedly effortless, sassy, and cool vocal performances from Sugababes' yet, while still being an effectly catchy glam rock-esque track (a la Goldfrapp, with a bit of alternative/indie vibe mixed in - yes, Sugababes are still very much a pop group even with a track like this).
9. "Caught In A Moment" - One of their most romantic ballads, it continues with the trip-hop-inspired production that made "Stronger" so popular. This track is just pure drama, even though Sugababes sound as moody and as icy as ever.
10. "Ugly" - A slight change in direction for Sugababes. They've managed to pull off a little bit more pop/rock into their usual dance-pop rousings. Think Gwen Stefani's "Cool" mixed with beat behind Pink's "Don't Let Me Get Me" and the melody behind TLC's "Unpretty" and you basically have this song in a nutshell.
11. "Easy" - This is probably the biggest grower I've heard from them, but come to think about it, the more their tracks start out as growers, the more addictive they become once you get into them. It has funky verses that mimic early Prince material followed by an explosive bridge/chorus combo that's as devastatingly campy and catchy as it is sassy and commanding.
12. "Too Lost In You" - GASP! It's a Dianne Warren track! Run for the hills before the street cred gets sucked away dry by the powers of MOR pop! Well, thankfully this is one of those rare Dianne Warren epic ballads that manages to sound edgy even though it's got the same kind of infectious pop song structure we've come to expect from her. Kudos to producer Rob Dougan and Sugababes' moodiness for making a track that could have been another sappy disaster sound so damn sexy and mysterious.
13. "Run For Cover" - Taken from their first album, this song definitely still sounds fresh even though the overuse of dubby drumloops makes it sound a bit dated. It's just a really edgy pop song that's a reminder of Sugababes getting a start as an alternative pop band (a.k.a. "an alternative to braindead bubblegum pop").
14. "Hole In The Head" - Think of "Round Round" mixed with some more acoustics and ska elements, and you basically have this track. It gets really catchy during the duration of the song, and it again features some of the most exquisitely sassy vocals from the 'Babes.
15. "Push The Button" - Weird to think the most uncharacteristically Sugababes track has become their biggest worldwide hit single to date: it's very light-weight and very disposable, and the girls actually sound happy in it...Too happy...But then again, they sound as sassy as ever, showing that they're more in command of their sexiness instead of the thought of trying to be sexy commanding them. Brilliant end to a brilliant collection!
Okay, so to completists, this is not the perfect album. It's missing a couple of singles: "New Year," "Soul Sound," "Angels With Dirty Faces," and "Follow Me Home." If the goal of cutting those certain tracks was to make the album tighter, then the tracklister must be paid great dividends because it's done wonders to make this collection sound even more cohesive, more vital, more...SUGABABES! Bottom line, the final verdict is that it would be a mortal sin to not purchase a copy of this album if you even dare consider yourself a pop music fan.
Most best of albums have songs that make you say why is this song on here? This album was done the right way by having the hits that made them big. However when it comes to the songs they chose from OneTouch, they probably should have included the title songe one touch from their debut album & Follow Me Home (one of their best ballads)from their last album. Their Newest song Easy is a song that shows their contiuing growth as well as their ability to maintain the sugababe sound through another lineup change. Another song that is a must listen to, would have to be Good to be gone--- great vocals,cool sound. Overall this album is a must have if you are a sugababes fan and a good starter album for the casual listener. By the way isn't it weird how close Amelle sounds to Mutya !
