The sound of girls aloud (The Sound Of Girls Aloud - Girls Aloud)

Member Name: Dooyaa

Product:	The Sound Of Girls Aloud - Girls Aloud
Date:	17/02/08 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great pop music

Disadvantages: Some uninspired lyrics

Girls Aloud were famously formed on reality tv show Popstars the Rivals and went on to beat one true voice to the christmas number one. Ever since then, however, they have shaken off their reality tv tag and become one of the most successful pop groups around, while still managing to be credible with a variety of audiences. They are admired by NME and MTV alike, something that rarely happens to any band, let alone a pop band.

With a record-breaking seventeen consecutive Top 10 singles (including three number ones), four platinum albums (including a number one) and record sales in excess of 4.2 million in the UK alone, Girls Aloud have broken records even the Spice Girls couldn't. This CD collects all of their singles together and adds new tracks as well!

Girls Aloud are:

Cheryl Tweedy-the most fancied member, mostly famous for firstly assault and then marrying ashley cole. If I sound negative then I dont mean to because Cheryl is probably my favourite out of the group!

Nadine Coyle-the best singer easily, with the longest legs ever. She was also going out with Jesse Metcalfe for a bit, so just about every girl in the world hates her now!
Kimberly Walsh-is NOT the daughter of their manager Louis Walsh! She has those gorgeous big lips!
Sarah Harding-doesnt get to sing half as much as she should because she has more personality than any of the others and sounds great.
Nicola Roberts-poor Nicola tends to be the most insulted member, which is unfair because she's really pretty and her red hair makes her stand out!

1. "Sound of the Underground" 3:40
The first single and a christmas number one, this song is nothing like a typical pop song, the guitar in the background gives it an edge and makes it more credible and cool.
Reached number one

2. "Love Machine" 3:27
The best song they have ever done, by miles. Again one of their more credible tracks, especially after it was covered by the Arctic Monkeys. This is jaunty and loads of fun, with cheeky lyrics! It has a famous twangy guitar intro that is instantly recognisable.
Reached number 2

3. "Biology 3:36
A bit odd. At first it sounds like they took the pieces of three songs and mashed them together to make one, it makes no sense and jumps around a lot. It has a jazzy opening which turns into a straightforward if dull pop song which then turns into a funky chorus, and none of them go very well. However, its cool backing track makes it work and this is definately memorable.
Reached number 4

4. "No Good Advice" 3:48
Very eighties 'My Sharona' but with attitude! They sing their hearts out on this one with ANOTHER cool use of a guitar to create something different, even if its not completely original! It lets itself down with the annoying talky bit at the end though, I think.
Reached number 2

5. "I'll Stand by You" 3:45
A sappy cover of the classic Pretenders song, with some poor harmonising and noone but Nadine sounding very good, even Cheryl who normally sounds great on ballads. It was for charity though, so its forgiven.
Reached number 1

6. "Jump" 3:40
A dancy version of the Pointer Sisters song which is nowhere near as good but if you've never heard the original then its a really great song, a good choice.
Reached number 2

7. "The Show" 3:37
An odd choice for the first single off their second album as its one of the worst songs on it! Its a bit electro with some classic girls aloud attitude lyrics but is all a bit forgettable, to be honest.
Reached number 2

8. "See the Day" 4:05
ANOTHER COVER, Im not sure who did the original of this but this is probably not as good. It was a christmas single and it does sound very christmassy, but the verses are a bit dull. It does have a very good chorus though which I love. All in all is just a bit cheesy and reminds me of cold dark winter too much.
Reached number 9

9. "Wake Me Up" 3:28
Starts with a cool guitary-ish intro and is generally full of attitude and some great singing. Not a classic but worth a listen.
Reached number 4

10. "Life Got Cold" 3:57
Just beautiful, moody and atmospheric yet still catchy and sweet, it is a far superior ballad to the others on here. In fact it is almost not a ballad at all. In a weird way it reminds me of Wonderwall by Oasis, even though I'm sure it probably sounds nothing like it to anyone else!
Reached number 3

11. "Something Kinda Ooooh" 3:22
This is great whenever Cheryl sings on it, she gets all the best bits! The chorus is average, but it still has a great hook and got stuck in my head for days. Its electro dancy pop again, like a lot of their stuff. I think they're better with a guitar in there, And what does 'something kinda ooh jumpin on my tutu' mean exactly? BAD LYRICS.
Reached number 3

12. "Whole Lotta History" 3:48
This has a very All Saints talky beginning, and they sound great on this reserved ballad, which is more like Life got Cold than See the day. However, its all a bit boring, and it was only the fourth release off Chemistry, so its not amazing.
Reached number 6

13. "Long Hot Summer" 3:53
Not the summer smash it wanted to be, this is so summery and fresh, like the title suggests! Its laid back and relaxed and it has a GREAT verse where Nadine almost raps the lyrics, its briliant!
Reached number 7

14. "Money" 4:13
The first new track, and not a great one. Its filler material at best.

15. "I Think We're Alone Now" 3:18
They went for the christmas number one again with this cover of Tiffany's famous song (and didn't manage it!). Its a passable cover but this song was never really meant to be sung by a group, it sounds odd and quite bland really, like a lot of their covers. When they do their own stuff its great but on covers they always end up sounding a bit kareoke, especially here. Nothing special really.
Reached number 4

Verdict: Covers bad, originals good. Unfortunately Greatest Hits album are the kiss of death for pop groups, so I'd suggest you buy this because its great and you'll have something to remember them by!

If you like pop music this is for you, but even if you dont you might be surprised because they incorporate a variety of styles into their music and they really do make good songs that anyone can like!

Lyrically, most of their songs are about the standard sorts of girlband fodder that is sung about these days. They're rebellious, they like to dance, yada yada yada. It's pretty dull and uninspired stuff. The exceptions to this are 'Love Machine' which has fun and original lyrics like 'we're gift wrapped kittycats!' and 'Life got cold' which shows genuine emotion.

Vocally, these girls are ok. Noone is ever going to describe any of them as the Mariah or Whitney of their generation, but all of them can hold a tune and sound pleasant enough. Cheryl has an interesting voice that adds a different sound to it and gives an edge, and Nadine is pretty damn good. However, I find that she tends to overpower the rest of them somewhat. The other three don't really get to sing as much which isn't fair.

Overall, I would say that if you like pop music then this would be for you. It's original without being too out there, and should be able to find a mainstream audience. If you don't like pop music, don't dismiss it, because there will be something on here that you will like I promise, it's great to sing and dance to!

Summary: A good collection of a great pop band's hits