Girls Aloud and the Sugababes were still picking their spots and secretly pining for their geography teachers when All Saints (Shaznay Lewis, Melanie Blatt, and sisters Natalie and Nicole Appleton) were scoring hit after hit as the cooler, more intelligent alternative to the Spice Girls and other “girl power” pap at the fag end of the ‘90s.
And in the process – from their smash hit ‘I Know Where It’s At’ in 1997 to hole in one ‘Pure Shores’ in 2000 – they shifted over 10 million albums worldwide, bagged themselves a couple of rock stars and even made combat pants the height of fashion which was certainly no mean feat.
However, the group split up in 2001 after a succession of ego clashes and all round bitchiness before embarking on short lived solo careers – or in Natalie and Nicole’s case, formed a sister act.
But now they have kissed and made up in a big way, having returned to the studio together to record their first album, Studio 1, in over five years, with production handled predominantly by Greg Kurstin (Beck, Lily Allen, Peaches), K Gee (All Saints, George Michael) and Rick Nowells (Dido, Madonna, kd lang).
I guess time does heal old wounds after all. Or is that non lucrative solo ventures?
They say:
No other reviews available yet.
We say:
Studio 1 sees All Saints updating their tried and tested pop sound with strong elements of reggae, ska, dancehall and, as you may have guessed from the title of the album’s lead single, rock steady, such as on the cut ‘n’ paste electro assault of ‘Chick Fit’ and the sax and trumpet flavoured ‘Scar’.
The problem is there’s really nothing here the new breed of female artists – namely the Sugababes and Lily Allen – can’t match or outdo.
Not surprisingly, then, the better moments occur when All Saints stick to more familiar mid tempo pop songs, like the sophisticated ‘On and On’. But even then they fail to reach the sublime heights of previous hits ‘Black Coffee’ and ‘Pure Shores’ (or, for that matter, Natalie and Nicole’s underrated album Everything’s Eventual).
Perhaps the end result would have been more groundbreaking and enjoyable if former collaborator William Orbit was twiddling the knobs. But as it stands, Studio 1 is quite the disappointment and one these ladies may live to regret.
Like this? Try these:
TLC – CrazySexyCool
Lily Allen – Alright, Still
Sugababes – Taller in More Ways
RELEASED
13th Nov ‘06
LABEL
Parlophone
POSTED...
Thu 9 Nov 2006 at 5:47pm
