Change

Change

Change is a concept not entirely unfamiliar to Sugababes, whose lineup had weathered more personnel upheavals than the average multinational by the occasion of the group’s fifth album, 2007’s Change. It’s the first Sugababes release to feature complete vocals by new member Amelle Berrabah, who joined in 2005, and her voice dominates the lead single, “About You Now”. Written by pop power duo Cathy Dennis and Dr. Luke, it’s a fluffier cousin to one of Luke’s previous pop-electro-rock efforts: Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone”. That’s not to diminish “About You Now”, which is softer than some of the group’s more outré releases but boasts a soaring chorus—“Can we bring yesterday back around?/’Cause I know how I feel about you now”—equal to Sugababes’ greatest hits. Elsewhere on Change, the production powerhouse Xenomania contributes “Never Gonna Dance Again”, a disco-tinged sad banger that owes a lyrical debt to George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” (“And so I’m never gonna dance again/I lost the rhythm when you said it’s over.”) “My Love Is Pink”, meanwhile, dials up the camp, while “Denial” layers the bass hook from Gossip’s “Standing in the Way of Control” over staccato verses, before melting into a melodic chorus about giving into the allure of forbidden attraction. And “Surprise” is a punchy, bass-led kiss-off to an ex (“Surprise, why you call me up late at night/Expecting me to wanna die/I’m busy here with some other guy.”) Overall, Change is a more eager-to-please collection than fans had come to expect from a group previously defined by their nonchalance. Had the members of Sugababes lost some of their edge? Possibly. But it’s hard to complain when the alternative sounds this good.

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