Album Review

Sugababes – Girls

• 13th Oct 2008

Despite the band’s line-up changes, which don’t really happen as much as you’d think, Sugababes release ‘Girls’, their first single from the upcoming sixth album.

A remix of blues singer Ernie K. Doe’s ‘Here Come The Girls’, this track could signal one of two things; one, the band are jumping on the Mark Ronson bandwagon by trying to give past songs their own twist. Or two, the Sugababes are drained of the lyrical spark evident in their past singles, most of which sounded much fresher than ‘Girls’.

Either way, this track lacks originality, but seeing as though we’ve heard it before in one form or another (it was used in a Boots advert a while back, just in case it’s driving you mad), that’s no surprise.

It is catchy, and the 2008 update isn’t unwelcome, but the number of tracks out there that could have benefitted more is huge. There is a limited number, however that could highlight the band’s desire to be seen as sassy, independent females such as this track, and with lyrics such as “with or without a man I feel complete…”, it ticks all the empowered female boxes.

On this showing, it’s unlikely that the Sugababes’ sixth album ‘Catfights and Spotlights’ will be a musical masterpiece, unless they are saving the lyrical talent for later singles. The band has been around for a while now, and should they keep their current line-up for the foreseeable future, it might be worth having a brainstorming session about their next direction.