Aqua burst onto the scene way back in 1997 with their super annoying pop track 'Barbie Girl', I dare doubt that it has been voted by the 'most annoying track' of the 90's a fair few times. The track spent several weeks at number 1 in the summer of 97 and they released their debut album 'Aquarium' on the back on it.

I think it is safe to say that this album is for serious pop fans only. Those who like a bit of cheesy bubblegum pop. But the true test is whether the music is of that cheesiness quality or whether it is pure dirge.

'Aquairum' consists of 11 pop songs. Here is my track by track review:

'Happy Boys And Girls' - Well what an opening! This is pure pop at it's best. Something that is so instant and gets stuck in your head for days on end. This is a great start to the album. Incrediably, it is not as annoying as you'd expect it to be, but more of a classic pop song. 8/10.

'My Oh My' - This was released as the 4th single from the album and was a hit in the UK. 'My Oh My' is another 'what-you-would-expect' Aqua song. It's consistant all the way through and a definite highlight on the album. 8/10.

'Barbie Girl' - We all know this. You're going to either love it or hate it. I have to be honest and say that I despised this song when it first came out, and i'm still not keen to it to this day. However, it gets me buzzing when it's played in a 90's themed nightclub and i'm wasted. 7/10.

'Good Morning Sunshine' - The first ballad on the album. It has a slow beat that their previous songs and is an instant 90's pop ballad song. I think it showed that Aqua had the potential to write 'serious' songs as well as their bubblegum tracks. This song served as the 5th and final single from the album in the UK. 10/10.

'Doctor Jones' - The album's second single in the UK and their second number 1. Simmilar to 'Barbie Girl' for pure annoyance, but all these years later, it's not the track they are remembered for. I prefer it to 'Barbie Girl', but again it isn't my favourite track. 8/10.

'Heat Of The Night' - More of a mellow song, but not a ballad. It has a Spanish theme to it, with the male singer taking part in a small bit of the language. It's not a bad song, but it does not stand out as much as the other songs. 7/10.

'Be A Man' - Time for another ballad, and i've said this on the review for their second album, but Aqua are incredibly good at doing ballads. This song however, doesn't really gel with me. In fact, once it's stopped playing, I kind of forget what the song goes like. A bit of an album filler. 6/10.

'Lollipop (Candyman)'. Cheese factor 10/10. This song was released throughout Europe but in the UK (thankfully) we were spared. I have no doubt this would have been massive if it had been released. What can I say about this song? It's annoying, it's cheesy, it's typical Aqua! 8/10.

'Roses Are Red' - This is more dancey than their previous stuff, but the cheese is still there. Another song that was a single throughout Europe (they sure liked releasing singles off this album) but again not in the UK. It is one of the weaker songs on the album. 6/10.

'Turn Back Time' - This was the third single and their third UK number 1. The song was also on the official soundtrack to the film 'Sliding Doors'. A ballad and probably their most serious song. A definite highlight and a 90's classic. 10/10.

'Calling You' - And onto the album's closing song. I'm dissapointed they've ended on this song. It's probaly the weakest track on the album and they could have ended it on a higher. It's very pop but does not have the appeal of their previous songs. 5/10.

SUMMERY.

Aqua sure know how to do cheese. This album is the perfect example of that. Some of the songs let it down but there are still some classics on there. I do prefer their follow-up 'Aquarius' though as that tends to be more poppy but less annoying.