Sweet 7 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 5 March 2010 | |||
Recorded | April–November 2009 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 43:48 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Sugababes chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Sweet 7 | ||||
|
Sweet 7 is the seventh studio album by British girl group Sugababes, released on 15 March 2010 by Island Records. Production for the album began in April 2009. Sweet 7 is the only Sugababes album to feature Eurovision Song Contest 2009 entrant Jade Ewen following the controversial departure of Keisha Buchanan in September 2009. As a result of the group line-up change, Sweet 7 was re-recorded to feature the vocals of new member Ewen and for the removal of Buchanan's vocals, making this the only Sugababes album that features none of the original members.
Production on the album began with Buchanan's involvement, who was featured on the lead single "Get Sexy", which peaked at number two in the UK. Following her departure, "About a Girl" and "Wear My Kiss" peaked at number eight and seven, respectively. The album was produced by Jay-Z's entertainment company Roc Nation; the involvement of Roc Nation's in-house producers gave the album a strong electro and dance-pop sound due to work from US producers and writers, mainly Fernando Garibay, Stargate and The Smeezingtons. Despite the high-profile input, Sweet 7 was negatively received by critics, with the negative reviews criticising the lack of an identifiable sound and soul from the project as well as the group's loss of identity due to Buchanan's departure, with many considering it a major step down in quality from their previous works.
Sweet 7 peaked at number 14 in the UK and number 35 in Ireland, becoming the group's second-lowest charting album to date in those countries. Promotion for the album ended after the release of the final single so that the group could begin work on a new album, but they split after they released its intended single, "Freedom".
Prior to the album's creation, Sugababes signed a US record deal with Jay-Z's label Roc Nation. [4] The album was recorded by Sugababes mostly in Los Angeles and New York with a couple of sessions in London. [5] The group primarily worked with RedOne, [6] Ryan Tedder, [6] Stargate, [5] Fernando Garibay, [7] and The Smeezingtons. One of the album's tracks, "No More You", was written by Ne-Yo. [5] Keisha Buchanan compared the song to Rihanna's "Hate That I Love You" and "Take a Bow". [8] Buchanan told BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat, the album has "definitely got the British feel throughout the album - we've not gone away and gone 'All American' on our fans." [5] Buchanan continued, "I think it's given us a fresh energy again. I think the one thing we wanted to do was come back with something different." [5] She also admitted the girls had become "complacent" around the time of Catfights and Spotlights but they also said that they are very proud of that album. [6]
After the release of the album's first single "Get Sexy" and just two months before its initial projected November 2009 release, it was reported by the media that Amelle Berrabah had quit the group. [9] [10] [11] Buchanan, however, denied any drama within the group and insisted that Berrabah would remain a member "for the moment". Rumors began circulating that Jade Ewen, the UK's 2009 Eurovision Song Contest entrant, would be joining the group and replacing Berrabah. [12] On 21 September 2009, it was announced that Buchanan had left the band, [13] although she stated via her Twitter account that it was not her decision to leave. [14] Berrabah and fellow member Heidi Range later stated that they both attempted to quit the Sugababes themselves only to find that their group's management decided that they would follow them, rather than find two new members for Buchanan. [15] Buchanan was immediately replaced by Ewen, who immediately began recording her vocals over Buchanan's in preparation for the album's release. [16] Additional new material was recorded in November 2009. [17]
Buchanan reunited with the original Sugababes line-up with former members Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy in 2011, but the trio would not regain the Sugababes name and trademark until 2019. In March 2023, Buchanan stated that she would never again perform any of the songs from Sweet 7. [18]
"Thank You for the Heartbreak" is an electropop song with a 1980s electro influence. [8] [19] David Balls of Digital Spy described it as a "snappy electropop number", and noted its potential to "have slotted quite nicely" onto Sugababes' fifth studio album, Change (2007). [20] During an interview with Digital Spy , group member Amelle Berrabah stated that "Thank You for the Heartbreak" is amongst the tracks on the album that the Sugababes enjoy, and later named it a potential single from the album. [21] There was a "potential lyrical mishap" with the song's lyric, 'dancing off my tears', on which Heidi Range replied: "If people want to sing that when we perform it, well, we won't complain!" [22] Nick Levine of Digital Spy wrote that the song "displays the Sugababes spunk of old" in comparison to the other "characterless" tracks on the album. [23] David Balls of Digital Spy noted that the song suggests that the Sugababes "extracted maximum benefit from their recording sessions in LA earlier this year", and they did not "stray too far from their comfort zone". Balls also described "Thank You for the Heartbreak", as well as the album's second single "About a Girl", as a track that is both "fresh-sounding" and "packed with the attitude that always made the group stand out." [8] Thomas H Green of The Daily Telegraph listed the song in his "Download this" category. [24] Lauren Murphy of Entertainment Ireland described it as a "minor saving grace" and "very likeable" in comparison to the other "mediocre" tracks on the album. [25]
"She's a Mess" is an uptempo electropop song. Originally called "I'm a Mess", the group decided to retitle it due to concerns that the lyrics (such as "Drinking bottle after bottle / I'm such a mess in that dress / I'm not impressed") encouraged binge drinking. However, Range stated that "there are some lyrics that are quite cheeky but people shouldn't take them seriously." [26] During an interview for Digital Spy, Berrabah described the overall sound of Sweet 7, saying: "It's quite an uptempo album with a lot of different sounds." Berrabah cited "She's a Mess" as an example for this, which she said was "just totally different from everything else." [27] Jon O'Brien of AllMusic wrote that the "aptly named 'She's a Mess' is a chaotic attempt at a Clubland trance-pop floor-filler". [28] Al Fox of the British Broadcasting Corporation called the song, along with the album's third single "Wear My Kiss", a "glimmer of brilliance" and went on to say that it is saved by Berrabah's "unashamed attitude". [29] Christopher Lee of The Scotsman named it one of the better tracks on the album, although admitted that it "wouldn't have sounded much different coming from any other girl band". [30] Nick Levine of Digital Spy wrote that "sisterhood" is being "jettisoned entirely" on the track, which he described as "crass and misogynistic". [31] Celina Murphy of Hot Press suggested that "She's a Mess" "might actually sound quite punchy" if it was recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. [32]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 39/100 [33] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Daily Mirror | [34] |
The Daily Telegraph | [35] |
The Guardian | [36] |
The Independent | [37] |
London Evening Standard | [38] |
NME | [39] |
The Scotsman | [40] |
The Times | [41] |
Virgin Media | [42] |
Sweet 7 received poor reviews from music critics. Aggregating website Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 given to reviews from mainstream critics, gave the album an average score of 39, based on six reviews, which indicates "generally unfavorable reviews". [33]
Jon O'Brien of AllMusic, who gave the album a 2 out of 5 star rating, criticised it as a "bland, soulless, and repetitive affair", while admitting that it "reveals they [Sugababes] are now unrecognizable, not only in terms of personnel, but also in terms of their sound and image". He admitted that although the album is "never short of an infectious hook or club-friendly production", it "undoubtedly betrays the experimental sensibilities that set them apart from their contemporaries." [3] Thomas H Green of The Daily Telegraph gave the album a 3 out of 5 star rating, praising it as "catchy, cod-sexy, hi-NRG cheese that will ensure jammed and joyful school discos and gay club dance floors." [35]
Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian called the album "disappointing" and criticised the band's shift in sound, stating that most of the tracks "are [...] either in thrall to Lady Gaga's robotronic sound" or "just wrong for this particular band", with her gaving the album 2 out of 5 stars. [36] Andy Gill of The Independent gave a notably unfavorable review wherein the album was awarded 1 out of 5 stars. He criticised the group's lack of identity, in particular the loss of founding member Buchanan, writing: "Sugababes finally slipped from being a band to a brand". He went on to say that the "policy of replenishment has eroded both the trio's character and its appeal". [37] Regarding the quality of the album, Gill felt that Sweet 7 contained mostly "generic disco stompers". [37]
Rick Pearson of London Evening Standard wrote that Range, Berrabah and Ewen were unconvincingly "grasping for an identity" on the album, giving it 2 out of 5 stars. [38] Alex Denney of NME awarded it 4 out of 10, writing that Sweet 7 "leaves us hankering after the good old days" and that "time was we could expect more than bland consistency from the Sugababes – shame." [39] Johnny Dee of Virgin Media awarded Sweet 7 2 out of 5 stars; according to him, the Sugababes "have completely lost all vocal character and personality". [42] The Times's Dan Cairns criticised the album's songs and went on to write that the Sugababes in 2010 "are a pale, karaoke imitation of the glory days." [41] Simon Price of The Independent wrote that the group "plays it depressingly safe with substandard electro pop", while reacting negatively to the line-up change, saying: "They [Sugababes] can call themselves what they like, but they'll never fill the heels of Keisha, Mutya and Siobhan. It's over." [2]
Sweet 7 debuted at number 14 on the UK Albums Chart. [43] It became the Sugababes' lowest-charting album in the country since their 2000 debut album, One Touch . [44] The album dropped 29 places to number 43 in the following week, which was its last appearance in the chart. [45] In Ireland, Sweet 7 peaked at number 35 on the Irish Albums Chart, becoming their second-lowest charting album in that country to date. [46] The album debuted at number 92 on the Swiss Albums Chart, becoming their lowest charting album in that country, excluding Catfights and Spotlights (2008), which failed to chart. [47] Sweet 7 debuted at number five on the Greek International Albums Chart, staying the chart for two weeks. [47]
"Get Sexy" was released on 30 August 2009 as the album's lead single. It is the last single to feature vocals by founding member Buchanan. Some reviewers praised the song's production and lyrics, while others dismissed it as unoriginal and generic. The song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and number three on the Irish Singles Chart, while also charting on the singles charts in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden and Slovakia.
"About a Girl", the first single to feature vocals by Ewen, was released as the album's second single on 8 November 2009. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart and inside the top twenty on the Irish Singles Chart.
"Wear My Kiss" was released as the third and final single from Sweet 7 on 21 February 2010, three weeks prior to the album's release. It went top-ten in the UK and Ireland at numbers seven and nine, respectively.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Get Sexy" |
| The Smeezingtons | 3:14 |
2. | "Wear My Kiss" |
| Garibay | 3:44 |
3. | "About a Girl" | RedOne | 3:28 | |
4. | "Wait for You" |
| Garibay | 3:54 |
5. | "Thank You for the Heartbreak" | Stargate | 3:40 | |
6. | "Miss Everything" (featuring Sean Kingston) |
| The Smeezingtons | 3:39 |
7. | "She's a Mess" |
| The Smeezingtons | 3:26 |
8. | "Give It to Me Now" | Syience | 2:50 | |
9. | "Crash & Burn" |
| Jeberg | 3:35 |
10. | "No More You" |
|
| 4:15 |
11. | "Sweet & Amazing (Make It the Best)" |
|
| 3:50 |
12. | "Little Miss Perfect" |
| Stargate | 3:53 |
Total length: | 43:48 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "About a Girl" (The Sharp Boys Extended Remix) |
|
| 7:22 |
14. | "About a Girl" (music video) | 4:23 | ||
15. | "Wear My Kiss" (music video) | 3:13 |
Notes
Sample credits
Track listing and credits taken from Sweet 7 liner notes. [50]
Visuals
Vocal and performance credits
|
|
Technical
|
|
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
Greek Albums (IFPI) [47] | 5 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [46] | 35 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [51] | 92 |
UK Albums (OCC) [44] | 14 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [52] | 16 |
Region | Date | Label | Catalogue | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Poland | 5 March 2010 | Universal Music | 060252727295 | [53] |
Switzerland | [54] | |||
Austria | [55] | |||
Australia | 12 March 2010 | [56] | ||
Netherlands | [57] | |||
Ireland | Island | |||
United Kingdom | 15 March 2010 | 00602527272955 | ||
Germany | 16 March 2010 | Universal Music | 0602527272955 | [58] |
The Sugababes are an English girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011.
Siobhán Emma Donaghy is an English singer and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the girl group Sugababes. Donaghy left Sugababes in 2001 and released her debut solo album, Revolution in Me, in 2003. Her second studio album, Ghosts, was released in 2007 and met critical acclaim.
Heidi India Partakis is an English singer, best known as a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She was an original member of girl group Atomic Kitten, however she left the group before they released any material. In 2001, Range replaced original member Siobhán Donaghy in the Sugababes, after which the group enjoyed higher commercial success and accumulated six UK number-one singles as well as two number-one studio albums over the course of a decade, before the line-up at the time disbanded in 2011.
Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan is an English singer and songwriter and a founding member of the girl group Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy. With Sugababes, she has had six number-one singles and two number-one studio albums, making them one of the most successful-charting British pop acts of the 21st century so far. Buchanan was sacked from the group in September 2009 and replaced by Jade Ewen. Buchanan returned to the group in 2012 with the original line-up.
Amelle Sousa Berrabah, also known as Amelle, is a British singer and rapper. She is best known for being a former member of the girl group the Sugababes, replacing founding member Mutya Buena, who left the group in December 2005. She achieved a solo number one single in 2009 when she collaborated with Tinchy Stryder on their single "Never Leave You", which made her the only member of the Sugababes to achieve a number-one single outside of the group.
The discography of the British girl group Sugababes consists of eight studio albums, four compilation album, four extended plays, thirty-four singles, two video albums, six promotional singles, and thirty music videos. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 and, at various times, featured three vocalists from Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah, and Jade Ewen.
"Red Dress" is a song by British girl group Sugababes from their fourth studio album, Taller in More Ways (2005). The group's members wrote the song in collaboration with its producers, the British songwriting and production team Xenomania, based on the perception that women must expose their body to be noticed. "Red Dress" was released in the United Kingdom on 6 March 2006 as the album's third single, and is the first to feature vocals by Amelle Berrabah, following the departure of Mutya Buena in December 2005. The Sugababes performed a cover of the Arctic Monkeys' song "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" as the single's B-side.
"Follow Me Home" is a song by British girl group the Sugababes, released as the fourth single from their fourth studio album, Taller in More Ways (2005). The pop and R&B ballad was written by band members Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena and Heidi Range, with Jony Rockstar, Karen Poole and Jeremy Shaw. The producer, Rockstar, developed the idea of a close person as its inspiration. Buena wrote a verse about her daughter, while Buchanan wrote a verse based on her close friend. The song was released as the album's fourth single on 5 June 2006 and contains vocals from Amelle Berrabah in replacement of Buena's, who left the band in December 2005.
Overloaded: The Singles Collection is the first greatest hits album of British girl group Sugababes. It was released on 10 November 2006—almost one year following the departure of founding member Mutya Buena and the introduction of her replacement, Amelle Berrabah. Overloaded features twelve of the group's singles, four of which reached number one in the UK; "Freak like Me", "Round Round", "Hole in the Head", and "Push the Button". The Sugababes collaborated with members from Orson to produce two new tracks for the album, "Easy" and "Good to Be Gone". Overloaded received positive reviews from critics, who generally praised it as a reflection of the group's success.
"Easy" is a song by British girl group Sugababes, released as the lead single from their greatest hits album Overloaded: The Singles Collection (2006). Development of "Easy" began when the American rock band Orson discovered that the Sugababes were working on a new album, in which they proposed ideas for new tracks. They subsequently wrote the song with the group, and produced it. Backed by bass synthesizers, it is an uptempo electropop and pop rock song that features metaphorical lyrical content containing sexual euphemisms. The song is the group's first single to feature written contributions from then-new member Amelle Berrabah, who had previously sung on re-recorded versions of three songs from the album Taller in More Ways, including the singles "Red Dress" and "Follow Me Home".
Change is the fifth studio album by British girl group Sugababes, released through Island Records on 1 October 2007. It was their first album to feature complete vocals by Amelle Berrabah, who joined the group following founding member Mutya Buena's departure in 2005.
"Change" is a song by English girl group Sugababes from their fifth studio album, Change (2007). It was written by the Sugababes, Niara Scarlett and its producers, the Danish production duo Deekay. The song was released as the album's second international and third overall single on 10 December 2007 with an accompanying B-side titled "I Can't Take It No More". "Change" is a midtempo pop rock ballad composed of anthemic harmonies, guitars, keys and sweeping effects.
Catfights and Spotlights is the sixth studio album by British girl group Sugababes, released by Island Records on 17 October 2008. Produced primarily by Klas Åhlund, Steve Booker and Orson, the album also features additional contribution from Si Hulbert, The Invisible Men, Melvin Kuiters, and Max Martin. It is the group's final album to include remaining founding member Keisha Buchanan.
"No Can Do" is a song by British girl group Sugababes from their sixth studio album, Catfights and Spotlights (2008). It was written by Jason Pebworth and George Astasio of The Invisible Men, Jon Shave and VV Brown, and produced by The Invisible Men in collaboration with Si Hulbert. The song was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 December 2008 as the album's second and final single. "No Can Do" is a pop song with influences of R&B and soul. It contains a sample of Sweet Charles Sherrell's "Yes It's You", and contains influences of Motown music and songs performed by The Jackson 5.
"Get Sexy" is a song by British girl group Sugababes, taken from their seventh studio album, Sweet 7 (2010). It was written by Fred Fairbrass, Richard Fairbrass, Rob Manzoli, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars and produced by the latter three under their stage name The Smeezingtons. The song was released on 30 August 2009 as the album's lead single. Musically, "Get Sexy" is an uptempo electropop song with influences of dance, techno and R&B. The song features an interpolation of Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy". It is the final single to feature the group's third line-up, prior to founding member Keisha Buchanan's departure in September 2009.
"My Man" is a song by English singer Jade Ewen. It was written by Ina Wroldsen, Harry Sommerdahl and Kalle Engstrom, with production by Kage Sigurth, Wroldsen and Engstrom for Ewen's debut studio album. The song was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on 17 September 2009. Musically, "My Man" is a pop and contemporary R&B and song backed by electro and R&B beats and a synthesizer. It is notably different from her previous single "It's My Time", which was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009.
"About a Girl" is a song by English girl group Sugababes from their seventh studio album, Sweet 7 (2010). RedOne produced the song and wrote it in collaboration with Makeba Riddick. It is an uptempo europop and future house song with a dance-inspired middle eight. The song was released on 8 November 2009 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as the album's second single. "About a Girl" is the first single to feature vocals by band member Jade Ewen, following the departure of Keisha Buchanan, the last remaining original member, in September 2009.
"Wear My Kiss" is a song by British girl group Sugababes, released as the third and final single from their seventh studio album, Sweet 7 (2010). It was the final single from the band before they disbanded in 2011. It was written by Fernando Garibay, Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, and The Jackie Boyz, and produced by Garibay. The song's development began while the Sugababes travelled to the United States during April 2009, in which they collaborated with various high-profile producers. The song was re-recorded to feature the vocals of Jade Ewen following the departure of Keisha Buchanan in September 2009. "Wear My Kiss" is an uptempo dance-pop song that references the items which compose a man's outfit.
"Never Leave You" is a song by Tinchy Stryder, released as the fourth single from his second studio album, Catch 22 as a digital download on 2 August 2009 and then as a CD single on 3 August 2009. The song was written by Stryder with lyrics by Taio Cruz and features guest vocals by Amelle, a former member of British girl group the Sugababes. It received airplay on radio stations in the UK including BBC 1Xtra. "Never Leave You" has also reached "The A-List" on the BBC Radio 1 playlist. The music video was released on Stryder's official website on 24 June 2009.
The Lost Tapes is the eighth studio album by British girl group Sugababes and their first independent release. While work for the album dates back to 2011 when the original lineup reunited, the album remained unreleased until its 24 December 2022 digital release. The Lost Tapes is the second Sugababes album to feature the original lineup after 2000's One Touch. The deluxe version, which included an additional three tracks, was released digitally on 31 December 2022. The Lost Tapes debuted at number two on the UK Digital Albums chart and number 13 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. Following their one-off show at the O2 in September 2023, the album reached a new peak of number 7 on the UK Independent Albums Chart, as well as charting at number 23 on the Scottish Albums Chart. The album debuted and peaked at number 150 on the UK Albums Chart.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)