It's the backing tracks that are Out of Control! (Out Of Control - Girls Aloud)

Member Name: crazyminx

Product:	Out Of Control - Girls Aloud
Date:	01/06/09 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The Promise, Miss You Bow Wow, The Loving Kind, Rolling Back the Rivers

Disadvantages: Almost everything else

INTRODUCTION

I am lucky enough to have tickets to see Girls Aloud in concert this week with my boyfriend, so in honour of that I am reviewing their latest album, Out of Control.

Out of Control was released in November 2008, and there was a lot of expectation surrounding it, partially due to the rising celebrity profile of Cheryl Cole whose stint as a judge on the X Factor turned her into a household name. The first single from the album, The Promise, had already been released in October and had gone to number one, which seemed promising. However, having listened to the whole album, I don't think it lives up to that promise.

There is definitely a smooth and cohesive sound to the whole album. It leans more towards dance-floor tracks than their previous albums and there are a lot of electro beats in most of the songs. However in many of the tracks I think the production and the beats are pushed too much to the forefront and the girls' fantastic voices aren't shown off well enough.

Sadly, although there are a few great songs on the album, there are also quite a few duds and when I listen to the album I find my finger reaching for the 'skip forward' button a few too many times.

TRACKS

The album kicks off with The Promise, which is a fast, fantastically catchy song with a great beat. It has a retro feel to it but is modern at the same time, which is an achievement, and the chorus is one of the best pop choruses I've heard for a while. There is a lovely bridge too and lots of opportunities for the girls to show what great singers they are.

This excellent first song is followed by The Loving Kind. This was the girls' second single from this album and peaked at only number ten in the charts, which at the time was the worst result for one of their singles. However I really like the song, as it is sweet, gentle pop with a sing-along chorus and a very pretty bridge. Admittedly it is not as strong or memorable as most of their other singles, but it's still a lovely song full of love and yearning, and the girls' voices sound great on it.

The album's third song is Rolling Back the Rivers in Time is a great song in which the girls' voices sound really sweet. It's got a nice beat without being taken over by the beat as many of the other later songs are, and it's got a strong pop chorus. There's a nice melancholy edge to the lyrics and overall sound too.

After this strong start to the album, things start to head downhill a little. The fourth track, Love Is the Key, is a very rhythmic, chant-like song without much of a tune to it. It's not awful but it's certainly not great.

The fifth song, Turn to Stone, is a solid but unremarkable song. It actually has some lovely singing but the very fast, constant electronic beat in the background is completely incongruous with the song and turns it from what could be a lovely ballad to an average dance track.

This is followed by Untouchable, the third single from the album and a new low for the girls chart-wise, as it reached only number eleven and was the first of their singles not to get into the top ten. I actually do like it, but it's more of a very strong album track than a song which should have been released. It's another song which could have been a beautiful ballad but has a few too many beats in the background which distract attention from the words and singing.

The seventh song is called Fix Me Up and it's my least favourite on the album. It is a flat, tuneless and chant-like song that seems to go on forever.

The album picks up a little around the eight track point, and we get Love Is Pain. It starts off with half a minute of electronic beats, but once it gets going it shows off the girls' excellent voices and has an infectious chorus with some very cool high notes. It's a bit too dance-y in general for me to really love, but the chorus definitely gets me swaying along and it's an enjoyable song.

After this comes Miss You Bow Wow, which is, despite its stupid name, the stand out song of the album for me and I'm surprised it's not been released as a single. It's great fun, has a brilliant beat and some incredibly catchy verses and choruses that just make me want to sing along. It's the first song on the album that I learnt any of the words to. It makes me want to get up and dance and is one of my favourite Girls Aloud songs ever.

The album starts to slip again with the tenth song, Revolution in the Head, which is yet another song that's heavy on the tuneless chanting. It's a bit catchier than Fix Me Up but I think the girls' voices sound really harsh on it and I don't enjoy it.

Song eleven, Live In the Country, starts in a promising and upbeat manner but the chorus is dull and the rest of the song seems to stay on the same level, making it tedious.

The CD ends with We Wanna Party, another song that doesn't have much of a tune to it and relies too much on the beat. Tedious verses that stay on the same level lead on to a chant-y chorus, and at this point I'm usually pleased that the CD is ending. That's if I didn't just turn it off after track nine!

CONCLUSION

Girls Aloud are a great group with wonderful voices and the ability to pull off a cracking pop song. However this album is over produced and too many of the songs are dull, tuneless and headache-inducing. There are a few great songs here but they are too few and far between. There are really only seven songs that I can say I like, and out of those seven there are only four I'd go out of my way to listen to. It's disappointing overall, but I'm still a fan of the girls!

Summary: Sadly over-produced