All Saints - "Saints & Sinners" (Saints And Sinners: Limited Edition - All Saints)

Member Name: mccannalex

Product:	Saints And Sinners: Limited Edition - All Saints
Date:	17/02/01 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Slickly produced album with No fillers.

Disadvantages: It could easily be there last and William Orbit grates after a while

The very fact that this album has seen the light of day deserves a round of applause itself. With pregnancy, inter group bickering, "Honest" and high profile relationship break ups you couldn't blame the girls if they called it a day and left for "Pure Shores". In truth though, with the Met Bar cocaine society its hard to imagine a day when the Appleton sisters are out of the limelight, when the band split a QVC presenters slot surely beckons.

This is an album that very existence is down to the hard work and determination of Shaznay and Mel, the insignificant others as far as the tabloids are concerned. With the Production talents of Mr William Orbit and Kenny G behind the desk its a case of something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.And in trying not to repeat the sampling faux par's of the debut album "Saints & Sinners" it is clearly a more rounded release.

"Pure Shores" and "Black Coffee", the near identical single releases taking Orbits ambient production to another level. If anything it seems more appropriate with these girls than it ever did with Madonna or Blur. Its perhaps on the other Orbit produced track "Surrender" that its seems a case of style over content, but they say do familiarity breeds contempt. "All Hooked Up", a future single reminds us of the old days due to the Kenny G production. You can't really fault a song that chorus states "I know that you want a piece of my ass", its that sexual rebellion that sets them apart from the Spice Girls. While Mel B may be able to walk it, when it comes to the music it leaves the average male limp.

The low point's of this album "I feel You" and "Dreams" are probably the worst All Saints songs ever. The former can be blamed on love, as its co-written between Mel and ex-Jamiroqai bassist Stuart Zender. Sickly saccharine R&B with no trace of a m
emorable tune but what do you expect from an ex member of the most hideous band ever. Its worth noting that Mel Blatt's other effort "Ha Ha" is one of the album's better tracks. With "Dreams" we can only presume that this track was allowed on the album as a peace offering between Shaznay and Natalie Appleton.

Although many have criticized the move from R&B to mainstream pop "Saints & Sinners" succeeds where the debut failed. With hardly a filler in sight its possible that all the tension has been challenged into making the best possible album. People have been calling The Sugarbabes, the new All Saints, lets see if they can match this one. I'll put £50 on the table that they fail.

Alex McCann

PS. Check out my pop related ops on A1, Destiny's Child, Ronan Keating and many more

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