Album- Wordshaker
Artist- The Saturdays
The Saturdays are one of the premium girl groups currently
charting in today’s British music industry, with thirteen top ten singles to
date and four top ten albums. However, if you are a late fan of the group, then
for some reason you cannot download their second album Wordshaker on any
digital download outlets. Whilst this is probably just because their next album
featured some previous material from this record, could the potential reason be
that this isn’t actually a good album?
Track 1- Forever Is
Over
Forever Is Over opens the album up in a grand way, with the
song being a big pop rock tinged affair co-written by ex-Busted member James
Bourne and originally written for American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. The song
finds the group singing about how they wish they could change the past but they
can’t, and now they are just excepting that the idea of being with this man
forever is not possible. The song is lyrically sharp with a nice pop chorus,
and the lyrics are fun in the way that you can see the girls as being both a
bit vulnerable and a bit empowered. The vocals are good with member Vanessa
White leading well in the chorus, and the blend of more prominent electric
guitar and drums with flourishes of synths pushes the group into different
musical territory that is more intriguing, but which still feels true to the
band.
3.5/5
Track 2- Here
Standing
After the burning intensity of the last track the girls
completely change tact for Here Standing, a piano led ballad that focuses on
the group being in this euphoric state of being and telling this person that
they are the reason that they are standing and that life is so good. Although
the lyrics lend themselves towards an immediate analysis of this song as a
romantic track, in a way the lyrics are good because you can relate them to
other people within your life. The vocals are nice as the slightly more
stripped back verses allows for the individual voices to shine, whilst the
girls harmonise well within the chorus. In terms of the production things are
kept simple with the gorgeous piano melody and stomping drum beats, and although
the sound is quite safe for this type of ballad, it is still an effective sound
that is emotive enough, and this is definitely one of the finer ballad
offerings from the group.
3.5/5
Track 3- Ego
Second single Ego finds the girls going back to their man
bashing ways as they sing of how they used to be so great with this man, but
now he has messed up because his ego has got the better of him. Lyrically the
song is a smart slice of instantly catchy electro pop with a tightly structured
chorus packed with some strong pop hooks. The vocals on this track are ok, with
the girls imbuing a type of feisty personality into the song, however in places
the use of Auto Tune detracts from the powerful nature of the song. Producer
Steve Mac keeps things simple but vibrant with the blend of forceful dance
beats and shimmering synth notes, creating this instantly fun sound that makes
this a good single choice.
3.5/5
Track 4- No One
Taking things along the same man bashing lines of the
previous track, No One is a synth heavy, mid tempo pop ballad in which the
girls tell this guy of how they hope he understands that he is no one to them
because they are sick of all the lies and the way he acts. The message is
strong but the chorus lacks the catchy quality of the previous songs, and
whilst the girls blend well together with their vocals, overall the song shows
off some of the weakness of some members vocals, and it is definitely just one
of the more inferior ballads from this group. The production of the track is
also quite bland, with the stuttering synth rhythms just acting as this too
simple base for a song that doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere.
2/5
Track 5- One Shot
One Shot takes us back to more of an upbeat pop state, but
the song is slightly more interesting in terms of the grinding bassline used in
the production, a sound that immediately grabs your attention and emphasises
the songs feisty nature. Here the girls sing of how they are constantly waiting
for someone to make a move, and they tell this guy that they want him, but he
should be careful as you only get one shot. The song is filled with a delicious
pop chorus that has a strong hook, and vocally the piece is also strong as the
girls definitely exude this sense of being powerful women, although the presence
of the group as a whole does feel like it is lacking a bit.
3.5/5
Track 6- Wordshaker
Title track Wordshaker is another feisty pop piece that
finds the girls telling this boy of how he is just this wordshaker, which in
their terms means that he always says one thing but then takes it back, and
just messes with their heads. The contrast of the slightly slower, almost
languid feeling verses with the forceful and snappy chorus makes for a catchy
quality to the song, whilst the groups vocals are definitely stronger as the
harmonies feel slightly tighter and more focused. Although the equally grinding
bassline and bubbly synth notes of the track feel a bit familiar coming after
the similarly styled One Shot, the introduction of the electric guitar towards
the end and the blend of notes means that the song still has enough going for
it to feel different and be a good title track.
3.5/5
Track 7- Denial
Another mid tempo pop ballad, Denial is another emotive
track in which the girls sing of how they gave their all in this relationship,
but now they realise this boy isn’t good for them, and now they deny the fact
that the relationship ever existed. The idea of denying a relationships existence
is an interesting concept, and although the passion of the song is lacking a
bit in terms of the girls slightly weak vocals, the blend of more simple pop
instrumentation with the use of acoustic guitar and drums creates this powerful
but also kind of light tone to the track that nicely captures the songs emotive
essence.
2.5/5
Track 8- Open Up
From the defiant nature of Denial we turn to the forgiveness
asking quality of Open Up. Here the girls seem to change roles for once and
realise that they are the ones ruining a relationship, with the girls asking
this boy to open up as they will be a good girl from now on. The song is smart
and catchy in the way that the girls promise to be good girls and seemingly
wish to not just open the door to their house, but also open up the door to
this boy’s heart. However, in places the girls still seem like bad girls, and
this just creates an interesting dynamic for the song. The blend of scattered
electro swirls and punchy synths creates this feisty pop tone that feels
instantly catchy and fun to dance around to, whilst the girls are vocally
passionate and enthusiastic enough to make this a nice, personality driven
piece.
3.5/5
Track 9- Lose Control
Probably the records most upbeat and energised number, Lose
Control is a very fun dance pop track in which the girls tell us of how they
use to be this type of girl, but upon seeing this boy they feel like they are
just going to lose control, because this boy makes them feel like everything is
right. Whilst it may not be the greatest idea in an age of feminism, the song
is undeniably catchy, with a lush pop chorus that is full of hooks and which is
just catchy in its pure intensity. The vocal harmonies on the ‘oooh’ is just
great and overall the vocals on this track are really fine-tuned, with member
Vanessa White providing some great ad libs to add an extra kick to the final
chorus. Production wise the song features a vibrant blend of bubbly, grand
synths and a feisty dance rhythm that will definitely just make you want to
lose control and dance.
4/5
Track 10- Not Good
Enough
The group changes the record up a bit with Not Good Enough,
a mid tempo pop number that also has a slight RnB feel to it, and which was
originally recorded for the groups debut album Chasing Lights. The song focuses
on the group simply telling this person that all the flashy things he buys and
the way that he sells himself is just not good enough for them, as they will
not just be treat as a trophy. The song overall just acts as a sophisticated
slice of pop where the girls seem to be really empowered both lyrically and
vocally, whilst the production is also nice and interesting in terms of the
blend of snappy hand claps and this acoustic guitar element that creates more
of an RnB style to the groups sound, adding a richness to the song that makes
the lyrical message feel more potent.
3.5/5
Track 11- Deeper
The only song on the record to feature writing credits from
all of the group’s members, Deeper is a soppy mid tempo pop ballad with more of
a light sound. The song focuses on the group realising that they may be moving
too fast with this relationship, but their feelings are just going deeper and
they are just in the throes of love. The song’s lyrics utilise a range of
clichéd images and ideas that seriously affect the quality of the song, whilst
the groups lighter vocals with the more falsetto led chorus just feels weak and
unimpressive. The production is also too frenzied with the blend of drums and
fuzzy synth beats, creating this over powering sound that should have been
simplified.
2/5
Track 12- 2 Am
Final track 2 Am is a light synth pop offering from the
group that closes the album in a romantic way. The song finds the girls singing
of how they are in this state of sadness within their hearts, because their
love is away from them and they just want him back. The song is a soppy slice
of romantically focused pop that features some shiny synths and melodramatic
vocal performances. However the harmonies in the track are quite nice, and
although this definitely feels like a clichéd offering, the song does have this
guilty pleasure quality.
3/5
Final Review
Wordshaker is a fun pop album that is packed with some nice
tunes. The songs are lyrically strong with some catchy pop choruses and good
hooks, whilst the vocals are vibrant enough to keep you interested. The
production of the album is also really focused with a strong vein of electro
pop that centres the girls in the right direction and makes for a cohesive
record. However the album does have its issues, with the vocals feeling very weak
for some of the tracks. In other songs there is a lack of a presence of the
group as a whole, whilst some tracks are ruined by the use of clichés, and at
times the production can feel just a bit scattered. The ballads are also
definitely the weaker offerings from the record, being something that the group
need to refine, and so if some of the tracks had been cut then this probably
would have been a really lovely pop album. Yet it does remain a good album, and
it maybe should be brought back to digital download availability.
5.5/10
Best Track- Lose
Control
Worst Track- Deeper
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