Sugababes - 'Sweet 7'

It was with some trepidation that I first bought and then listened to the Sugababes new record, 'Sweet 7' this evening. This is not the Sugababes I'm used to - not the same faces, the same sound or the same amount of clothing (there's more flesh on display than ever before) - and I'm not keen on the cover, but it's the Sugababes so I have to give it a go, if only for Heidi.

The album opens with the three singles to date, starting with the awful, misogynistic, 'Get Sexy' for which I chastised the 'Babes last year so I won't go over old ground. Then we have the superior stomper 'Wear My Kiss' and the more standard 'About A Girl' that sounds like it should've been released in the early '00s. Then we're into new territory.

The 'Babes hit their stride with 'Wait For You' and stay in the same vibe until the last few songs, some relentless dance electro-pop designed for clubs and dancefloors and, y'know what? I think it works. I'll need to listen a few more times but it gets the thumbs up.

I like 'Thank You For The Heartbreak' but I'm not keen on 'Miss Everything' that feeds the 'Babe's voices through a vocoder (why? they've got perfectly good voices) and features Sean Kingston - who? - singing more than the 'Babes. 'She's A Mess' is a bit formulaic but 'Give It To Me Now' sounds like classic 'Babes. It slows down with 'Crash And Burn' and the following tracks which is an odd way to sequence an album, rather than finishing on a high, but maybe I just need to listen to it more. I think 'Sweet And Amazing' will grow on me.

Anyway, well done 'Babes! But please remember that you don't have to be semi-naked to be sexy and powerful women.