Album Review: Cheryl Cole - 3 Words (4/5)

Strike when the iron is hot they say, and there was no hotter time than now for Cheryl Cole to step out with her solo debut. As a judge on The X Factor the last 2 years, Cole has built a strong public following, rehabilitating her image after an infamous fight with a restroom attendant 2003. And Girls Aloud, the group of which she is one-fifth, remains as hot as ever, having scored a #1 hit this time last year with "The Promise."

The immediately striking thing about 3 Words is how un-like Girls Aloud it is. Gone is the group's edgy electro-pop sound, generally produced by Xenomania. The producer du jour here is Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am, who produces or co-produces five of the album's tracks and appears on three of them (also included as a bonus is Will.I.Am's single "Heartbreaker," on which Cheryl provided guest vocals). It's a winning match, producing many of the album's best moments, such as bubbly "Heaven," which pairs various vocal processing techniques over a warm synth melody, and "Boy Like You," which samples Fleetwood Mac and recycles the beat from Fergie's "Glamorous." "Parachute" is also good, an upbeat pop ditty with a beat reminiscent of Nelly Furrtado's "Promiscuous."

The highlight from their collaboration though is the title track, "3 Words," which I'm absolutely crazy about. The song is highly repetitive, its subtle sound forming from the shifting layers of guitar and keyboards. Although this is a love song of the typically confessional order, the ominous melody provides a surprising contrast to the lyrical subject. Add in the shifting beat, which varies between the verses, chorus and bridge, and you've got something that's original, surprising and unlike anything I've heard Will.I.Am produce for his group or anyone else. I doubt this would make a good single, but it makes a hell of an opening track.

Beyond the Will.I.Am stuff, the other highlights are the understated hit single "Fight for This Love," which is on its way to passing the 400,000 sales mark in the UK this weekend, and clubby "Stand Up," co-produced and co-written by current British R&B favorite Taio Cruz. I like that it's got a bit of an '80s beat to it paired with modern synths.

While the album hits some really great high notes, it also delivers some major disappointments. In particular, it sags in the middle. "Rain on Me" is a rather mediocre mid-tempo number. "Make Me Cry," the only Will.I.Am effort I don't like, lacks a distinguishing melody. Beat-heavy "Happy Hour" also fails to find its melody and makes a mockery of the rest of the album's earnest romantic themes by using a drunken happy hour as a metaphor for love. Also disappointing is Cheryl's only stab at a ballad, "Don't Talk About This Love," which never soars like it should.

I seem to be in the minority, in that I generally like this album. I've been going back and forth all week about whether to give it a 3.5 or 4 rating, since that's the threshold for whether I recommend it or not. Ultimately, I'm giving Cheryl the benefit of the doubt, for even though there are a number of bland tracks, there are also a number of good ones (and one particularly brilliant one).

Best: 3 Words, Heaven, Fight for This Love, Parachute, Stand Up