British girl groups are a dime a dozen, but this one is surely worth their weight in gold. Sugababes emerged in 2000, just before the demise of the "cool" British girl group the All Saints. The Sugababes quickly became the heir apparent to the cool girl group crown and continue to be my personal favorite among the lot that over the years has included Girls Aloud (their most obvious competition), Atomic Kitten, Mis-Teeq, and of course the group that started this round: the Spice Girls.
The bands line-up has shifted a bit through the years (Original member Siobhan Donaghy left after the first album, replaced by Heidi Range; Mutya Buena left last year, replaced by Amelle Berrabah), but their focus has remained constant: creating brilliant pop music with high-concept production, great hooks, and rediculous lyrics. Yes, rediculous, but that's part of their charm. When not filling clubs with Xenomania-produced dance pop, the 'Babes deliver dark downbeat ballads, drenched in synths and William Orbit-esque bleeps.
Sugababes first album, One Touch, wouldn't quite reveal the brilliance that would become their pop career. First single "Overload," a cool minimal groove of a pop single, was a top 10 hit and a Brit award nominee, but none of the other singles really caught fire. Overloaded smartly omits the girls' less noteworthy singles, including only "Overload" and the downbeat "Run for Cover" from One Touch. Both are good, but not nearly as fantastic as what would follow from their next three albums.
Despite the fairly positive reception of One Touch, the album didn't meet sales expectations, and the band was dropped from its record label in 2001. Amidst rumored in-fighting and depression, Siobhan left the group. The future looked grim.
Luckily, the group was able to get a new contract, a new member, (Heidi) and an enhanced team of producers, namely Richard X and Xenomania, both of whom were well-known as remixers, and would become two of pop music's hottest producers. Richard X worked with the girls on "Freak Like Me;" perhaps their most critically acclaimed single, the track is a mash-up of Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" and Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric?" The hard-hitting pop workout was a sensation, the band's first #1 single. It was followed by another #1 hit, the Xenomania-produced "Round Round," and then their second album, Angels With Dirty Faces, which also delivered the phenominal downbeat ballad, "Stronger," which remains my favorite Sugababes song.
Through Angels With Dirty Faces, third album Three, and fourth album Taller in More Ways, the band had its strongest line-up in Mutya, Heidi, and its third original member, Keisha Buchanan. Two more #1 hits would come out of this era, guitar-driven "Hole in the Head" and "Push the Button," their best frothy dance pop. Also good are Three's "Stronger"-like ballad, "Too Lost in You," and their girlpower body image song, "Ugly." Really, there are no bad Sugababes singles.
The collection's new track, "Easy," is another great slice of Sugababes pop. It's pared down minimalism during the verses contrasts nicely with the '80s power keyboards of the chorus. Not sure I can say the same about "Good to be Gone" though, which may be their weakest single ever. Still, it's not bad, but it sounds a little too much like something rival band Girls Aloud might come up with.
While subbing Heidi for Siobhan was a welcome change, losing Mutya is a real loss. She had the group's most distinctive voice, and added a good dose of personality. Their fifth album is supposedly in the works, following many assurances that Overloaded is not a break-up signal. Even if they did leave at this point, they certainly have left their mark.
Best tracks: Freak Like Me, Round Round, Stronger, Hole in the Head, Push the Button, Ugly, Easy.
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