Customer Reviews

Change

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1. "About You Now" 3:32
2. "Never Gonna Dance Again" 3:44
3. "Denial" 3:30
4. "My Love Is Pink" 3:43
5. "Change" 3:42
6. "Back When" 3:56
7. "Surprise (Goodbye)" 3:05
8. "Back Down" 3:21
9. "Mended by You" 3:33
10. "3 Spoons of Suga" [UK Bonus Track]3:51
11. "Open the Door" 3:15
12. "Undignified" 3:45

I'm a fan of UK trio Sugababes, and own all their albums, last year's Greatest Hits included, but I must confess to being disappointed in "Change", their fifth studio release.

Lead of single "About you now" is a simple, catchy pop/rock song and has already topped the UK singles chart. In a similar mould is the sunny "Never gonna dance again". Other than those, a few tracks hint at the quirky, uber cool pop the girls are capable of; the sparse dub-like "Back down", the excellent funky techno-ish "My love is pink", "Open the door" (sweet harmonies set to a Soul II Soul beat), and the UK bonus cut, the outstanding "3 spoons of suga" (remember "Overload" or "Round round"? This is similar).

And therein lies the problem. Other than these, what we get are nice but safe sounding upbeat songs or ballads which could have been done by any other group. Well, they are not complaining, the album has topped the UK albums chart, giving them their second #1 UK album. I hate to do this but I can't rate this album more that 3 and a half stars!!

The Sugababes just keep getting better and better. This is their 5th studio album, a massive feat for a pop group. Despite the member changes, they've never lost their sparkle or their catchy tunes. I did think they fell down a bit with their Greatest Hits compilation, but have definitely redeemed themselves with this CD. "Taller In More Ways" is my favourite Sugababes album, but "Change" is ranked 2nd equal with "Three."

I would usually list my favourite song on the album as the first song I mention, but I can't decide on a favourite since I have so many.

But I guess I'll go with "Surprise" first - this is a definite favourite of mine. I actually didn't like it so much on the first couple of listens, but suddenly it just hit how amazing this track is. Clocking in at only 3 minutes 5 seconds, it packs a lot into a small amount of time. A song about an ex boyfriend calling you up out of the blue wanting to get back together, the Babes tell him to get lost. It's really catchy and 'oh oh oh' bits at the end of the choruses courtesy of the lovely Heidi are fun to sing along to.

Another favourite is "Never Gonna Dance Again" - I really hope this is going to be a single. Described as a ballad, but not really, it's more midtempo. This song is incredibly sad, about a boyfriend breaking up with his girlfriend during a slow dance, and the girlfriend decides she can never dance again because it reminds her of her ex too much. All three girls put in a strong showing in this track and I love the lyrics.

"Mended By You" is yet another highlight, another gorgeous ballad from the girls. I find the Babes have two types of ballads - they're either amazing or boring. This is the former, absolutely amazing. Despite the sad feel, the song is actually positive, about a relationship that has changed somebody for the better. One of the girls' best slow songs to date, I love Amelle's verse and the chorus.

"Denial" is a quirky little song and another favourite. I actually don't know what this song is supposed to be about, but I like it. With interesting lyrics about nature and a cool backing beat, this is a song that you'll either love or hate. I am definitely a lover of it!

"My Love Is Pink" reminds of me of a Girls Aloud song (my other favourite band), it's just like "Graffiti My Soul" or "Fling" from their new album. A song about nothing at all, this is funky with really cool lyrics and great vocals from all three girls. The chorus is loads of fun to sing along to.

"Back Down" is yet another standout track (see, there's so many!). I love this track because each Babe gets a long verse to sing and it shows off their distinct voices and personalities. The girls sing about their boyfriends in this track and what they love about men. It's extremely catchy and I adore Heidi's verse.

"About You Now" was the album's lead single and was another #1 hit for the girls in the UK. Rightly so, this is yet another favourite. I think this is possibly my favourite Babes single to date. It's sooooooooo catchy and I love the lyrics. The girls all sound amazing and the overall feel of this track is just infectious. A great comeback for the ladies.

"Open The Door" is rather like "Denial" - slower with an interesting backbeat and lyrics. It's chilled out with cool lyrics. I didn't like this at first but over time I grew to like it. I love the chorus.

The remaining tracks are good, but not outstanding. We have "Change" - the 2nd single from the album and Christmas release. I wanted "Never Gonna Dance Again" to be the 2nd single over this. But it's a nice little track, but doesn't seem to go anywhere for me. "Back When" is in the same vein, a cute track that sees the girls reminiscing about the past, but when it reaches the chorus it goes nowhere (except when they sing 'back when' - it sounds cool!). I like Heidi's parts though. "Undignified" is the same, it's the album's closer but is kind of bland - I wanted a "2 Hearts" (from Taller In More Ways) kind of ending, big and orchestral. The UK bonus track "3 Spoons Of Suga" is similar to another Babes track, "Angels With Dirty Faces" from the album of the same name - self referential and in the same style. Unfortunately, it's not nearly as good. This song is your usual party track.

My favourites are:
Surprise
Never Gonna Dance Again
Mended By You
About You Now
Back Down
(with Denial, My Love Is Pink & Open The Door close runners up)

Overall, another strong showing for the girls and it shows that Amelle fits in nicely with the group on her first full length outing with the band. They do keep getting better, I like every song on this album, some more then others but I wouldn't skip any tracks if I listened to the album in full. Keep it up girls, you're going strong!

I think this is a really good CD with only a couple songs that I will skip over every time. I like the variety of the tunes and there are a lot of songs to dance around the house to. This is a good buy.

This is a great cd nad not missing Mutya, Amelle is a good addition to the band. If you like girl bands and pop music this is a def for you. They have a rather mature sound but these girls can def sing

I downloaded this album and i finally got the Physical copy, I'm quiet disappointed in this album, I loved About You now, Never Gonna Dance Again, My Love Is Pink, Denial, and Undignified. Its quiet different, from previous albums, which all i have loved i don't mind listening to the full album. its just With change i only listen to the ones i like and skip over the other songs i did not list. i hope the new album Catfights And Spotlights will make up for this album.

Going through personnel changes every few years can often wear or tarnish the shelf life of your average pop group. U.K. pop outfit the Sugababes seem to be the exception to this rule, having now lost two of its' original members(Siobhan Donaghy in 2001 and Mutya Buena in 2006), leaving Keisha Buchanan to shoulder on with v2.0 replacement Heidi Range and latest member Amelle. The "change" is minimal here, as the girls still get top shelf production and co-writing assists from various and sundry sources. Lead off single "About You Now", from the estimable Cathy Dennis, is a definite departure from the group's typical mix of pop/R&B--it's far more akin to a Kelly Clarkson/Pink hybrid of crunchy guitar pop, and doesn't even settle in until repeated listens, at which point it becomes one of their very best singles yet. Two Xenomania tracks, "Never Gonna Dance Again" and "My Love Is Pink", sound like Girls Aloud outtakes, but are still two of the best tracks here, in addition to the excellent title track and another Dennis contribution in "Surprise". While no track here could be classified as a misstep, the reggae-lite of "Back Down" and the syrupy ballad "Mended By You" are two tracks that are at the very least skippable. Vocally, Amelle ably steps in for Mutya(minus the snarky charisma) and Heidi's overly mannered singing stiffens up the joint on more than one occasion. Still, I'd rank this above the overrated ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES and on an even keel with both THREE and TALLER IN MORE WAYS. High recommendation.

Blending some classic Sugababes electro-pop-trip-hop beats with some new, lighter beats the Sugababes 5th album is aptly titled 'Change' to reflect the addition of Amelle, replacement for new solo star Mutya Buena. However the album indicates the girl's sound isn't that much 'changed' - they seem to have moved away from producing potential club tracks in favour of producing singalong hits for the radio. Another interesting note is while Heidi and Keisha's writing credits appear on nearly every tune, Amelle is only included on a handful, indicating a lot of this album was probably in progress before the Mutya/Amelle bust-up.

First single "About You Now" evokes Ashlee Simpson at the beginning and has a surprisingly catchy chorus, although it wavers on being slightly cheesy during some moments. The next 3 songs are probably the most upbeat dance tunes on the album - "Never Gonna Dance Again" & "My Love Is Pink" are both extremely poppy electro tunes while "Denial" sounds more like "About You Now".

My favourite tunes on the album probably lay in the next bunch - "Change" is the second single with another great chorus, its a good mid-tempo tune about life changes. "Back When" is probably my favourite song on the whole CD, the vocals and instrumentation are just really solid throughout, it's another mid-tempo tune that outshines "Change" in my opinion, especially when back to back. "Surprise" is another good one - the vocals by Heidi around the chorus are kind of 80's but it works, in a kind of Lily Allen fashion. "Back Down" evokes a lot of Joss Stone's stuff in a good way - another great mid-tempo song in this pack, although it gets tiresome quicker than the others.

"Mended By You" is the token sappy ballad on the album, and its not bad but it reminds me of "Change" for some reason, and isn't nearly as strong as past ballads by the girls like "Too Lost In You". For a change of pace "3 Spoons of Suga" is probably the most vintage/recognizable Sugababes song in terms of both instrumentation and tempo, similar to something like "Caught Up In The Middle", but it serves mostly as filler on this album.

"Open The Door" is one of those songs you don't really think about till later - it tends to stick in your head after listening to it, with a bit of a r n b/hip hop flavour, it's one I always forget about but actually really like. In general the girls put something totally different as the last song on their album and "Undignified" sort of fits the bill - its one of the best songs on the album as it actually sounds like some thought was put into it, and the acoustic sound is nice, but again it doesn't compare to other 'last songs' ('Maya' and 'Two Hearts' come to mind).

Overall this definitely won't go down in history as my fave Sugababes album - I think their last two in particular were really strong and as such this one sounds a bit rushed and formulaic, like they were desperate to show the world Amelle really 'is' a part of the group. However, after a few listens I've come to really like most of the songs on the album, even if they aren't as memorable or unique sounding as past efforts by the girls.

Thankfully the girls are veering away from those insipid mid-tempo, urban-tinged beats. This is a solid, if lightweight, pop package. Nothing especially memorable, but certainly more melodic than a lot of the contemporary music out there. Here's hoping a few of these tunes get good remixes instead of the uninspired versions from previous albums. A recommended purchase.