Taller in More Ways is the fourth studio album by British girl group Sugababes,released by Island Records on 10 October 2005. It was primarily produced by Dallas Austin and Jony Rockstar,with additional production from Cameron McVey,Xenomania and Guy Sigsworth. The title of the album was inspired by a line in the album's second single,"Ugly".
The album was preceded by its lead single "Push the Button",which peaked atop the UK Singles Chart,while its second single "Ugly" also achieving commercial success. Founding member Mutya Buena left the Sugababes in December 2005 and was replaced by Amelle Berrabah. As a result,Taller in More Ways was re-released in March 2006 with the addition of a new song,"Now You're Gone",and three re-recorded tracks featuring the vocals of Berrabah:"Gotta Be You","Follow Me Home" and "Red Dress",with "Red Dress" and "Follow Me Home" becoming and third and fourth single off of Taller in More Ways respectively.
Upon release,Taller in More Ways received generally favourable reviews from music critics. It topped the UK Albums Chart,becoming the group's first domestic number one album. It was certified 2×Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Additionally,it reached the top ten in Ireland,Switzerland,the Netherlands and Austria. To promote the album,the group went on the Taller in More Ways Tour in 2006.
Background
"Hole in the Head",the number one single from the Sugababes' third studio album Three (2003),was released in the United States during July 2004. During this time,the Sugababes revealed that they would meet with producers in the US to work on their fourth studio album.[1] In August 2004,the Sugababes released "Caught in a Moment",the fourth and final single from Three,and also confirmed that recording for the group's fourth album had commenced.[2] During their break between the Autumn of 2004 and Summer of 2005,speculation arose about the band's future,which included rumours of a greatest hits album being released and that the group would later split.[3] Band member Heidi Range expressed her distaste with the media speculation,saying:"You know what? At first it would make us angry,then we'd laugh it off and now we don't even pay any attention to it. The tabloids have been saying we're about to split since I joined the band four years ago and I've no idea where it all comes from."[3]
Composition and lyrics
"It's our best album, at least 30 to 40 times better than the last one! There's a track called 'Follow Me Home' which is a step up from 'Stronger' and one called 'Red Dress' which moves on from 'Round Round'. Every track is different and is very diverse including a flavour of RnB crunk."
—Mutya Buena commenting on the album during an interview published on the group's official website.[4]
Taller in More Ways is predominantly a pop record,[5] but also draws influences from electropop and R&B.[6] Priya Elan of The Guardian described the album as a "titanic pop experimentation".[5] Buena stated during an interview that each track on the album is different and diverse.[4] The mood of the album ranges from uptempo pop numbers to slower, downtempoballads.[4]
The album opens with "Push the Button", an uptempo pop, electropop[7] and electronic song.[8]Instrumentation consists of computer beats and electronics.[8] The song was inspired by a limerance between Buchanan and an artist who collaborated with Austin,[9] and is lyrically about a woman's sexual frustration of being unnoticed by a man.[9]
The next track is "Gotta Be You", a crunk and R&B number[10] that runs through a "monotonal crunk-influenced synthesised honking".[8] The song is lyrically interpreted as reacting to judgements created by the press.[4] It received several comparisons to "Try Again" by Aaliyah.[7][10]
The third track is "Follow Me Home", a downtempo and romantic R&B ballad,[6][11] instrumentatally accompanied by of keyboards, a guitar, beats and bass.[12] The romantic song was inspired by Buena's daughter and is lyrically about protecting your loved one.[7][9]
The fourth track on the album is "Joy Division", which draws influences from dub and nu metal.[8] K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic described it as a "breezy, ska-punk-tinged" track.[7] The song's is accompanied by keyboards, a guitar, beats and bass,[12] and features the Sugababes singing lines such as "Boy do I turn you round / Isn't this profound".[6] Lyrically, "Joy Division" is about sleazy men; according to Range, "My verse is about a guy who tries to chat you up and conveniently forgets the fact that he's got a wife and kids".[13]
"Red Dress" serves as the fifth track on the album; it is an uptempo pop song that features two choruses.[14][15] Its instrumentation is composed of keyboards, bass and guitars, while the main riff samples the Northern soul song "Landslide" by Tony Clarke.[12][14] "Red Dress" features a theme of girl power, and is lyrically about a woman who uses her sexuality to gain power over men.[14]
The sixth track of Taller in More Ways is the midtempo pop rock ballad "Ugly", consisting of acoustic guitars "buoyed by peripheral detail".[16] Its lyrical content is related to self-esteem and body-image concerns; the song received comparisons to "Beautiful" by American recording artist Christina Aguilera and "Unpretty" by American girl group TLC.[10][15]
"It Ain't Easy", the album's seventh track, is an electro and R&B song backed by a guitar riff, drums and keys.[6][12] It is reminiscent of that heard on "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode.[6][7] Lyrically, "It Ain't Easy" is about the Sugababes as people and balancing their lives with their careers.[4]
The album's eighth track, "Bruised", contains a repetitive "ta-na-na" backing vocal[16] and is lyrically about a tempestuous relationship.[10] Buchanan revealed that the song is about being in an unhealthy relationship, saying: "Every time they come close to you, you get bruised".[13]
The ninth track of the album is a cover of Animotion's new wave single, "Obsession".[4] Hoffman described it as "sugary synth pop".[7] The song contains "glittering" chord progressions of a 1980s nightclub.[6] According to Talia Kraines of BBC, the cover is an "almost exact reworking" of the original.[17]
This is followed by the progressive electropop track "Ace Reject", lyrically inspired by dysfunctional relationships.[9] Buchanan spoke of the song's concept and meaning, saying: "It's about the fact that we break up and make up and we don't know why."[9]
The UK bonus track, "Better", features an "ooh-ooh-ooh" backing vocal and is lyrically about overcoming one's problems.[13][16] The song was compared to "Thank You" by Jamelia.[15]
The album's twelfth and closing track is "2 Hearts", an acoustic-driven pop ballad that incorporates European electropop.[6][16] The song's instrumentation consists of guitars, horns, beats, bass, percussion and strings.[4] It also features a string grandeur similar to that of Hybrid.[6] The song is reminiscent of "Grace Under Pressure" by Elbow.[16]
Songs
According to Simon Price of The Independent, "It Ain't Easy" is reminiscent of "Rock Is Dead" by Marilyn Manson.[18] Alex Roginski of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that the song "utilises electro clash for a grinding foray into R&B."[6] K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic noted that the song "pits a menacingly swung, twangy guitar riff", which according to him is "lifted so blatantly" from Depeche Mode's song, "Personal Jesus".[7] Buchanan spoke of the song's lyrical content and meaning, saying: "It's basically about us as people. It's not easy being where we are now, trying to keep a balance between normality and doing this. When you're content within yourself, you should know how you are, and people around us know what we're like."[4]
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian named it better than the album's lead single, "Push the Button", while also describing it as "Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus' rewritten with its existential angst replaced by the travails of teen romance."[19]The Observer's Peter Robinson also noted a similarity between the two songs, writing that the track "breezily pays homage to Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus'".[15] He suggested it was one of the album's best tracks.[15] Hoffman wrote that "it's a wonder Martin Gore doesn't get a writing credit" in the song, "against a martial strut and agitated double-time group vocals."[7] Rick Fulton of Daily Record regarded it as one of the album's highlights.[20] However, Ben Hogwood of musicOMH acknowledged that although the song features "nervy vocals" from Buchanan, it takes "much of its source material" from Goldfrapp's song "Train", which according to him is "complete with an unsuccessful bridge passage."[21]
Sugababes performed the song at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland on 20 March 2006, as part of their UK tour to promote Taller in More Ways.[22] An editor for The Scotsman described the song as a "Goldfrapp-matching" track to "Obsession", and named the performance one of the "best points" of the gig.[23]
"Gotta Be You" is a crunk&B song.[8] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH described it as an "electric piece of club R&B".[21] According to group member Keisha Buchanan, the Sugababes are the first British band to incorporate the American sound in their music.[8] Kitty Empire of The Observer called it "brooding R&B" and noted its reminiscence of "Try Again" by American R&B singer, Aaliyah.[24] Similarly, K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic wrote that "Gotta Be You" "treads melodically close to the song", in which he described the latter as "majestic".[7] Another critic, Nick Southall from Stylus Magazine, wrote that it is "disarmingly close" to "Try Again".[25]
Buchanan explained the song's concept and lyrical interpretation during a track by track analysis of the album on the group's official website, saying: "This song is about reacting to the press when they slag you off, about how they judge you. When we heard the song we loved it. To be honest, any publicity is good publicity whether it's positive or negative, and it's taken us a while to get that. When the press write something negative and something that's untrue, it's hard to look at that in a positive way. We could really relate to the song."[26]
According to Alexis Petridis of The Guardian, Austin "adds a light, but none the less thrilling dusting of monotonal crunk-influenced synthesised honking" to the song. Petridis elaborated that this is "about as far as the album ventures into the realms of hos and playas, fuckin' the atmosphere or otherwise."[27] Ben Hogwood of musicOMH gave a favorable review; he described it as a "dancefloor anthem in the making and surely a future single".[21]
Talia Kraines of the BBC was critical of "Gotta Be You", calling it an "annoying" and "dull r'n'b-lite" track.[28] Hoffman of AllMusic was also unfavorable of the song, writing that it "pillages less successfully" compared to other tracks from the album.[7] He elaborated that despite a "passable foundation of synth-fuzz R&B with trendy tabla-esque skittering", the song "can't help but pale by comparison" to "Try Again".[7] Alex Roginski of The Sydney Morning Herald criticised the songwriting as "flat".[29] According to Joe Muggs of The Daily Telegraph, "Gotta Be You" "feels like a deliberate attempt to woo the US market".[30]
Taller in More Ways received generally favourable reviews from music critics. K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, labelling it "among their strongest" and favouring "the simple yet effective electro-pop club ditty 'Push The Button' [and] even better in that category [the] monstrously funky 'Red Dress'", as well as 'Follow Me Home' and 'Ugly', calling them two "aptly pitched inspirational mini-epics". The review was less favourable about the final three cuts saying they "fail to leave much of an impression". He described "Gotta Be You" as "[a song that] can't help but pale by comparison [with] Aaliyah's majestic 'Try Again'."[7]
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian, however, was favourable of 'Gotta Be You', referring to Austin as "[someone who] clearly knows where Sugababes' strengths lie", further stating "[Austin] adds a light, but nonetheless thrilling dusting of monotonal crunk-influenced synthesised honking to 'Gotta Be You'." He was less favourable about their cover of 'Obsession', stating, "sadly, Sugababes' version sands off the edges rather than amps up the lunacy: what's left is like 1980s night at karaoke". He also remarks that "you get the impression that they would be happier making R&B". In conclusion, however, he states that "the album's strike rate is far higher than you might expect from a manufactured pop act's fourth album; it avoids the obvious pitfalls and its highpoints are genuinely high", giving the album 3 out of 5 stars.[33]
Peter Robinson of The Observer, gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, summarising it as "the cool yet commercial pop queens put a spring in Peter Robinson's step", although saying "only occasionally do the band drop the ball: 'Better' is an excellent song but sounds too much like Jamelia's 'Thank You'".[15] Nick Southall from Stylus Magazine gave the album a B+, also noting similarities with Aaliyah's single, stating "'Gotta Be You' is disarmingly close to 'Try Again'", further concluding it as "not the best album in the world or even of the year, not obscurantist schizeclecto meta-pop like Annie or M.I.A. or loaded down with po-mo pop.cult. signifiers like Girls Aloud, it doesn't impart a skewed existential narrative like Britney, but 'Taller in More Ways' is absolutely bursting with tunes, and as such it's hard to resist."[16]
Taller in More Ways became a commercial success. On 22 October 2005, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with sales of 65,781, becoming the group's first album to top the chart in their native UK.[37] The album also became the group's highest first-week sales.[37] The Sugababes achieved a chart double when "Push the Button" spent a third week at number one while the album debuted at number one.[37] In its ninth week on the chart, Taller in More Ways jumped from number 21 to number 9 on sales of 95,035, almost 30,000 more than its opening week of sales.[38] By December 2005, in just two months of sales, the album had sold almost 400,000 copies in the UK alone.[38]Taller in More Ways was certified 2× Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments of 600,000 copies of the album.[39] By November 2006, over a year following its release, Taller in More Ways had sold approximately 860,000 copies in the UK.[40] By October 2008, the album had sold approximately 900,000 copies in the UK alone.[41]Taller in More Ways debuted at number eight on the Irish Albums Chart, and peaked at number seven the following week.[42] It was certified 2× Platinum by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA), indicating shipments of 20,000 copies.[43]
Taller in More Ways debuted and peaked at number five in Austria and logged a total of 18 weeks in the chart, becoming the Sugababes' best-performing album in the country.[44] It was certified Gold by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), indicating sales of 10,000 copies of the album.[45] The album debuted at number 12 and reached number six on the Swiss Albums Chart; it spent 29 weeks on the chart and was certified Gold by the IFPI, denoting sales of 15,000 copies.[46] In the Netherlands, the album debuted and peaked at number 10 and also logged 29 weeks in the chart.[47]Taller in More Ways reached number 23 in Sweden,[48] number 30 in Norway,[49] and number 36 on the Flanders chart in Belgium.[50] In Denmark, it reached number 32 and was certified Gold by the IFPI, denoting shipments of 10,000 copies.[51] The album peaked at number 11 in Germany and was certified Gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI), denoting shipments of 100,000 copies.[52]Taller in More Ways also achieved commercial success in Oceania. It debuted at number 36 on the New Zealand Albums Chart and peaked at number 16 seven weeks later, and returned to its peak position in its ninth week on the chart.[53] The album was certified Gold by the Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ), denoting shipments of 7,500 copies.[54]Taller in More Ways reached number 67 in Australia.[55]
"Gotta Be You", "Follow Me Home" and "Red Dress" were re-recorded on the 2006 re-issue following Buena's leave from the group, with new member Amelle Berrabah recording the lyrics that were originally sung by Buena. The re-recorded tracks also have brief differences in musical arrangement, and the re-issue exclusive track "Now You're Gone" features Berrabah, as well.
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.
Xenomania is an English songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent. Formed by Higgins with his Creative Director Miranda Cooper and Business Director Sarah Stennett of First Access Entertainment, Xenomania has written and produced for artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Pet Shop Boys, The Saturdays and Sugababes. In particular, all but one of Girls Aloud's studio albums have been entirely written and produced by Xenomania. Sugababes' "Round Round" and Girls Aloud's "Sound of the Underground" have been credited with reshaping British pop music for the 2000s. Gabriella Cilmi's "Sweet About Me" and Girls Aloud's "The Promise" were named Best Single at the ARIA Music Awards of 2008 and the 2009 BRIT Awards, respectively.
Goodies is the debut studio album by American singer Ciara. It was released on September 28, 2004, via Jazze Pha's Sho'nuff Records and LaFace Records. After writing songs for several established acts, Ciara's talents were noticed by Jazze Pha, and she began to work on what became Goodies. The album's conception came through the title track, produced by Lil Jon and created as a female crunk counterpart to other singles produced by Lil Jon such as Usher's "Yeah!" and Petey Pablo's "Freek-a-Leek". Ciara worked with additional writers and producers on the album, including Jazze Pha, Bangladesh, R. Kelly, Johntá Austin, Sean Garrett, and Keri Hilson, among others.
Angels with Dirty Faces is the second studio album by British girl group Sugababes. It was released by Island Records in the UK on 26 August 2002 and in most European territories by September 2002. The album marked the band's debut on the Island label following their split with London Records in 2001 and was their first regular release to be recorded under the second line-up, including new member Heidi Range, who replaced founding member Siobhán Donaghy.
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 Buchanan is an English singer and a founding member of the girl group Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy. With the Sugababes, she had six number one singles and two number one studio albums, making them one of the most successful British pop acts of the 21st century. Buchanan was sacked to leave the group in September 2009 and was replaced by Jade Ewen. Buchanan returned to the group in 2012 with the original lineup.
"Push the Button" is a song recorded by English girl group the Sugababes for their fourth studio album Taller in More Ways (2005). Composed by Dallas Austin and the Sugababes, it was inspired by an infatuation that group member Keisha Buchanan developed with another artist. Musically, the song is an electropop and R&B song with various computer effects. It was released as the lead single from Taller in More Ways on 23 September 2005, by Island Records.
"Ugly" is a song by British girl group Sugababes from their fourth studio album, Taller in More Ways (2005). Written and produced by Dallas Austin, inspiration for the song was conceptualised in the midst of reading negative comments about members of the band. The song released on 5 December 2005 in the United Kingdom as the second single from the album. "Ugly" is a midtempo pop rock and R&B ballad that contains lyrics about personality and body-image issues. It received comparisons to "Unpretty" by girl group TLC and "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera. "Ugly" is the band's final single released under the second line up of Sugababes, after original member Mutya Buena departed the group on 21 December 2005.
"Shape" is a song by English girl group Sugababes, released as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Angels with Dirty Faces (2002). It was composed by Sting, Dominic Miller, and Craig Dodds, who produced the song. The midtempo pop and R&B ballad incorporates a sample of Sting's 1993 recording "Shape of My Heart", whose vocals are featured in the chorus. It received mixed reviews from critics, who were ambivalent towards the sample of "Shape of My Heart".
The discography of the British girl group Sugababes consists of eight studio albums, four compilation album, four extended plays, thirty one singles, two video albums, eight promotional singles and six assorted members. 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.
"Overload" is the debut single of British girl group Sugababes. It was released on 11 September 2000 through London Records as the lead single from the group's debut studio album, One Touch (2000). At the time, the group consisted of Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. It was co-produced and co-written by British songwriters and producers Paul Simm, Felix Howard, Jony Rockstar and Cameron McVey. The general theme of the song involves a teenage girl's crush towards a boy and her finding the situation difficult to manage.
"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.
"Obsession" is a 1983 song by Holly Knight and Michael Des Barres, covered in 1984 by American synth-pop band Animotion. The song hit number six in the United States, and number five in the United Kingdom in June 1985, helped by a distinctive video that MTV played frequently. "Obsession" also hit the top 40 on the US dance chart, twice: once in 1984 ; then in 1986, as a double-sided hit, along with the track "I Engineer".
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".
"Overrated" is a song by English singer Siobhán Donaghy, released as the lead single from her debut studio album Revolution in Me (2003). It was released two years after her controversial departure from girl group the Sugababes. "Overrated" was written by Donaghy, Cameron McVey and Paul Simm, and produced by McVey. It is a guitar-led pop song about the experiences of disappointment and misery. The song received favourable reviews from critics, who praised Donaghy's vocals and McVey's production. The single became her biggest hit to date, reaching the top twenty in the United Kingdom, and achieving chart success in Australia, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
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.
"My Love Is Pink" is a song by English girl group Sugababes from their fifth studio album, Change (2007). It was written by band members Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range in collaboration with the songwriting and production team Xenomania, who produced the song. "My Love Is Pink" is an uptempo dance-pop and electropop song, reminiscent of those performed by British girl group, Girls Aloud. The song was released on 10 December 2007 in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the second single from Change. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the composition and sound, but criticised its lyrical content. The song peaked at number five on the UK Commercial Pop Club chart and number 51 on the Slovakian Singles Chart.
"Gotta Be You" is a song by English girl group Sugababes from their fourth studio album, Taller in More Ways (2005). It was written by Tricky Stewart, Penelope Magnet and Terius Nash, while Dallas Austin produced the song. There are two versions of the song, one with vocals by founding member Mutya Buena, and another featuring Amelle Berrabah's vocals, Buena's replacement. "Gotta Be You" is a crunk&B song that lyrically discuss reacting to judgements created by the media. Several music critics noted similarities between the song and "Try Again" by Aaliyah. Upon the release of the album, "Gotta Be You" garnered mixed reviews from critics.
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