Album- Sticks +
Stones
Artist- Cher Lloyd
The fourth placed finalist on the X Factor UK series 7 was
one of those people who really divided opinion, with many people seeing her as
just a bratty, obnoxious teenager. But with her debut album she really found
mainstream success and melded together her rap and urban influences with pop
sensibilities. She is no doubt one of the success stories of the X Factor that
proves the show can find talent, but is her debut album actually any good.
Track 1- Grow Up (featuring
Busta Rhymes)
The opening track is a fast paced stomper of a pop song that
is all about having fun and never letting age get away. The fast paced nature
of the track is not only a product of the clattering drums and the pop beats of
the production of the track, but is perhaps more prominently a product of the
fast paced lyrical content in which Lloyd shows off her rap skills best out of
all the album, with the male vocal of Busta Rhymes a perfect complement to her
voice. The chorus is also a simple unassuming moment that is clichéd but sweet.
3/5
Track 2- Want U Back
This pop number produced by musical wizard martin is an up
tempo cheery song with a biting edge that plays well to Lloyd’s youthful state.
And from the “ahh” vocal introduction that is a running motif throughout the
track, it can be clear to the listener that Lloyd means business. The
production beats within the track are lush, featuring a dance edge that gives a
jump around in your room and sing along flavour to the track, alongside some
perky guitar moments. And whilst the lyrics are straightforward and a bit too
easily memorable they are astute and get down to the bear bones of the songs
overarching concept that taps into the mind set of many girls in the world. And
the vocals give a sense of youth and feistiness, with the auto tuning of the
title being a welcome twist in the song rather than a hindering moment.
4/5
Track 3- With Ur Love
(featuring Mike Posner)
This sweetness of this track really compliments the up tempo
in your face nature of the previous track, and shows a different side to the
artist, telling the listener that she isn’t all about being a powerful, in
charge person. The mid tempo number features a more stripped down side to Lloyd
and is infectious with its wistful “da da da dum” introduction. The lyrical
sentimentality of the track infuses a palpable sense of love into the song,
with the light tone of her vocals giving the sense of Lloyd being overcome by
her feelings and truly being on top. The Mike Posner rap feature is a sweet
male vocal addition that gives a momentary two sided perspective to the track
and is also interesting in that it incorporates personal moments into the track
within the line “ I don’t even care if you sing my songs wrong”, a reference to
Lloyds troubles when attempting to perform the song during her time on the X
Factor.
4/5
Track 4- Swagger
Jagger
The lead single for the European release of the album was a
weird, aggressive introduction to the artist that truly divided opinion. But
after a few listens the track becomes an infectious dance pop number that
highlights how Lloyd can push some boundaries in music and will always be true
too herself even if people don’t like that.
The chorus is infectious and underdog empowering, and whilst elements of
the production do sound a little too similar to Swedish House Mafia records,
the electro pop grooves give a great vitality to the song. The rap styled
verses also compliment the simplicity of the chorus, and although a bit too
teen pop they have a nice edge to them and some cool cultural references. It’s
one of those songs that you may hate but one day you might just find yourself
accidently singing along to it a little bit.
3.5/5
Track 5- Beautiful
People (featuring Carolina Liar)
The album’s first ballad is a vulnerable song which blends together
synth beats, piano instrumentation and guitar riffs into melancholic number
about the cruel people in the world and the way that this can hurt an
individual. It’s quite an empowering number in terms of the message having that
universal quality and highlighting the obsessive nature society has today with
looks, the lyrics being simple but effective. And the vocal contrast of Lloyd
and the male vocal of Carolina Liar is great in having that subtle suggestion
of both sexes being effected, and creating a listen that feels more fragile,
with the vocal harmonies being spot on.
3.5/5
Track 6- Playa Boi
This track seems to be a perfect step on from the slowed down state of the previous
song in that it opens with Lloyd firmly and very vocally declaring that “no
playa boi can win my love”. The verse are rap driven and feel a little bit too
bratty teenager, but the simple chorus features a great lyrical sample that
means this track features a good hook and so keeps you wanting to listen, just
like Lloyd. But aside from the lyrics the other elements of the track are
really good, with the vocals having that aggressive but lovelorn feel and the
beat being really powerful and propulsive, with the dupstep wobble into the
final verses being a nice touch that gives the song a bit of va va voom.
3/5
Track 7- Superhero
The change from a more electro pop based sound on the
previous track to a more classic sounding, drum beat driven song is a cool
change of pace that gives a freshness to the record and keeps you wanting to
listen. The song is all about Lloyd not being a superhero in a love
relationship, and whilst the lyrical repetition of some words and letters in
the chorus is a bit annoying, the lyrics have a light and bouncy up tempo feel
that gives the track a slightly chilled out feel, and the rap section towards the
songs end is a great cheeky element to the song that shows she can do some rap.
3/5
Track 8- Over the
Moon
This is unfortunately the point where the album starts to go
downhill. The lullaby like chorus of this track and dupstep produced vocal
aggressiveness of the verses just don’t blend well together and make it sound
as if Lloyd is trying to be more forceful and aggressive than she is. And the
production of the track rather than bringing anything new and good to the album
just sounds very forced and trying to make a record that is all over the place.
This is also seen in the vocal distortion of Lloyd which just feels annoying
and unnecessary. It’s definitely a sign that she should be sticking to the Want
U Back kind of track, cause even if this was a rehash of that song it would
still sound much better.
1.5/5
Track 9- Dub on the
Track (featuring Mic Righteous, Dot Rotten and Ghetts)
Sadly this song is just stupid, trying to give Lloyd some
urban credentials and failing miserably. The production just sounds so
stereotypically dupstep that you find yourself thinking couldn’t they have just
don something else with the track, and with her vocals that have been all poppy
and suited to the other songs on the record, there is no way we can believe Lloyd
when she says she’s the kind of girl who put dub on the track. And her raps
just sound terrible against the featured artists on the track who actually do
sound good, buts that because they are featured on a song that would soung good
on their own albums, not on Lloyd’s. The auto tune moments are also just really
annoying, as is the “work hard party harder” lyrical repetition. She should
have just stuck to the pop, even if she is a fan of this type of music.
1/5
Track 10- End Up Here
The closing song is a slow burning ballad number in which
Lloyd expresses how Lloyd doesn’t want to end up in a certain place after a up
and down relationship and that she is moving on. And the closing song is a cute
slow pop ode that brings the record back to form after the digressing in
goodness due to those last two tracks. Although she is sonically slightly
overpowered in the chorus, the synth beats and powerful sound gives a nice
sweet nature to track, with the vocal lamentation in the chorus giving a vulnerable
flavour to the track that suits Lloyd’s voice really well. The lyrics are great
in that they are simple but tell a story and are built around a simple chorus
that is really listenable. A fitting end that isn’t generic balladry and dull
but isn’t a up tempo party banger that would make us feel like the album just
kind of stopped rather than came to a natural end.
Final Review
She may not be everyone’s taste but with a solid pop make
over that still allows her to indulge in her other musical tastes it’s hard to
not see Lloyd as a true artist. The album is marred by a couple of tracks that
just shouldn’t have made the record, but the Max Martin produced numbers show
that her forte is definitely sickly sweet but powerful pop numbers that have a feisty
edge, and she should definitely stick to this for album number two, which
surely must happen after a good debut.
7/10
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