The Saturdays: Wordshaker
The Saturdays: Wordshaker
Also In The News
|
By Richard James. |  |
Friday, 09, Oct 2009 04:50
Fascination Records, out October 12th.
In a nutshell...
Feisty rock fayre from the five-piece.
What's it all about?
Wordshaker represents the sophomore release from the Saturdays, following up on their platinum-selling first effort. A handful of the tracks have already been heard by audience members at the Saturdays' 2009 tour, with the expected level of online discussion generated as a result. The previewed tunes include Wordshaker's title track, along with One Shot, while the first single release from the new album is Forever Is Over, scheduled for October 5th.
The new album is an adamant declaration of the Saturdays' staying power - second track Here Standing is a fine example with lyrics that spell out the protagonists' plans to stick around. With the first album having produced five singles, it seems the second time around the girls could be looking to equal or better that, with a distinct tipping of the balance towards supercharged dancefloor pop and away from filler ballads.
While the release date may be nearing the end of 2009, that does not mean a rush to get the album out before Christmas - work began early in the year and is reflected in notably higher production values this time around.
Who's it by
The Saturdays are Frankie, Mollie, Rochelle, Una and Vanessa, five now-familiar figures on the pop touring circuit. As well as their own headline tour, the girls spent the summer appearing at festivals and one-off concerts, as well as making a different type of headlines in the nation's press.
Former S Club Junior Frankie Sandford remains one of the most frequent headline-grabbers in the group; however, they commonly appear as a group, with the individual press exposure that the Girls Aloud members enjoy still escaping the Saturdays.
As a group, it seems their profile grows inexorably, with a particular boost coming with their work for Comic Relief - the girls opened the show in 2009, singing I Just Can't Get Enough. Group member Mollie King points out that previous acts to do the same include the Spice Girls, adding that the Saturdays' turn to do so was an "oh my god" moment for her.
As an example...
"I know that we're moving too fast/But I can't let go/And it may not last/But I'm going deeper, deeper/Head over heels/I go deeper, deeper/And I hope it's for real this time." - Deeper
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
The girls' growing recognition and respect could see them scoop a prize or two - the quality is certainly there.
What the others say
"There are about ten tracks on Wordshaker that are literally very nearly almost as good as Up whilst sounding nothing like it." - Teen Today
"Wordshaker is better than Chasing Lights, but that was hardly going to be a hard feat to achieve." - Turn Up The Pop
So is it any good?
Putting aside any music snobbery, this album really is unashamedly pop. Mollie suggests that the Saturdays, Girls Aloud and the Sugababes are the only people in the UK right now doing what they do - making a total of 13 performing artists. Over the past two years, the Saturdays have certainly established their own place in that preciously small market, without really presenting a threat to their better-established counterparts.
In Wordshaker, the girls have a little more attitude and vastly improved production - gone are the made-at-home elements of the backing tracks, which have become much more fully featured. The richness of sound is much greater, without threatening to overpower the vocal performance of the five performers.
However, all of the hallmarks that made the first album good have also been retained, making Wordshaker an all-round good listen. With the pace of progression that has been achieved in the space of a year, I for one can't wait for album three - and to see what 2010 has in store for the Saturdays.
8/10
Bob Bardsley