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Reviews
S Club
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Released: 25th November 2002.
With the departure of Paul from the successful seven-piece, S Club 7 have simply removed the number from their name and voila, we have S Club. Determined to stay afloat, the group hurriedly put this new album together, evident in the first single, "Alive", which is nothing but a cheap attempt to reclaim the popularity of "Don't Stop Movin'". Although the album doesn't hit complete rock bottom like the 2000 release "7", "Seeing Double" doesn't fair much better. What the fans love about S Club is the sheer poppiness of their songs. It's the uplifting, forget about your troubles and just dance tracks that make them appealing. Unfortunately, this collection of 15 songs does little for me other than make me cringe.
The group have decided to branch out and experiment with new sounds, something that was beginning to take place on "Sunshine". However, they've made music so far away from what we know as S Club that they've lost their trademark sound. Take "Dance" for example, a mid-tempo track full of breakbeats and R&B grooves. Or "Who Do You Think You Are", a trashy knock-off of Daniel Beddingield's "Gotta Get Thru This". Or even the awful attempt at trying to go completely R&B on the suspiciously Ms Dynamite sounding "Bittersweet".
However, while filling the majority of the album with complete rubbish, they decided to throw in a small smattering of catchy tracks just for laughs. "In Too Deep" is a soulful, mid-tempo groove with a nice beat and great harmonies, with lead vocals from Jon. Another mid-tempo in the form of "Let Me Sleep" sees Jo quickly pull back the mic to sing the hypnotic breezer. The only ballad on the album, "Straight From The Heart", is thankfully not disappointing. Complete with a string section, it's a great Christmas number, much like "Have You Ever", only better.
The only two songs really worth true acclaim are "Love Ain't Gonna Wait For You" and "Whole Lotta Nothing". The first is a brilliant, disco-down, hook-laden romp, while the latter is my personal favourite. A fast-paced dance track, it sports a Latin-flavoured tinge, complete with trumpet and an infectious, irresistible chorus.
While being a contender for worst album of the year, "Seeing Double" hasn't completely lost itself to the dogs, thanks to the few aforementioned tracks that give it that little bit of life. The question here is do you really want to pay for the entire collection?
