In these boom and bust days of pop groups launching, the SUGABABES are a rare exception. Certainly, if pop's supposed to be suffering from lean times, someone forgot about KEISHA BUCHANAN, HEIDI RANGE and AMELLE BERRABAH as they unveiled their 5th album Change. Change was the band's first album in which AMELLE joins KEISHA and HEIDI on vocals, adding an exciting new slant to the band's trademark harmonies. The new, invigorated sound coupled with some unexpected changes in musical direction open up a brand new chapter for the UK's favourite girl group.
Energised by the success of their 'OVERLOADED' singles collection, SUGABABES returned with some of their strongest material to date. Following a greatest hits is never an easy task and now the SUGABABES biggest rival is their own back catalogue. How exactly do you top an album of 14 hit singles, including four Number Ones?
On Change, things are off to a cracking start with the single 'ABOUT YOU NOW', which marks an exciting change in style for the band while staying true to all the qualities which made them what they are today. The track sits comfortably up there with the band's best. Recorded with DR LUKE (Kelis, Pink, Missy Elliot), the single is fizzing with synths, guitars and perky beats. It's an anthem for anyone who's ever chucked everything away then immediately regretted it. The song's well-reasoned admission, "I know everything changes, all the settings and faces" typifies a new depth and maturity to this album's lyrical content.
As well as being the result of experimentation with new producers and co-writers, the Change also sees Amelle, Heidi and Keisha teaming up with producers who've already provided the band with four of their Number One singles: DALLAS AUSTIN ('Push The Button', 'Walk This Way') and XENOMANIA ('Round Round', 'Hole In The Head'). These collaborations provide a continuity to the SUGABABES sound while still firing on all cylinders to come up with something fresh and exciting.
Standout tracks include 'NEVER GONNA DANCE AGAIN', another relationship breakdown anthem, a sober reflection on the carefree first dances and final careless whispers of a failed relationship. 'CHANGE', with all gurgling electronic synths and William Orbit-esque production is a trademark SUGABABES ballad worthy of a place alongside 'Too Lost In You' and 'Caught In A Moment' while 'DENIAL' revels in the SUGABABES' raw, rockier edge. 'GOODBYE', meanwhile, has some of the catchiest vocal hooks you'll hear all year.
Amelle, particularly, found making the album a breeze. "Joining a band so far into their career was daunting and to start with I felt there was a lot of pressure on me, but recording the album has been a surprisingly easy experience - we got in the studio and it just clicked." Amelle's vocal performance on the album proves that she's not just a Mutya replacement at all, with her unique tones pulling the SUGABABES sweet vocal harmonies in a new direction.
Despite a maturing sound Change is very much a pop album, and one which has certainly added to the band's already impressive resume. To date SUGABABES have sold over 2 million singles, hitting Number One four times. They've sold more than five million albums (including 3 triple-platinum discs in the UK) and have amassed more Top 10 singles than the Spice Girls, All Saints, Destiny's Child or Bananarama, and more Top 10 hits with original songs than any girl group since The Supremes. They're also the first girl group since the 1980s to release more than three hit albums - trouncing Destiny's Child and the Spice Girls.
