Earlier this week I made a complete meal of writing a proper Cheryl Cole '3 Words' review, but here are the random notes I made during my first few listens. This is not exactly award winning writing, it's just random thoughts I made while trying to figure out if it was amazing or rubbish. It was hard to disassociate my love for Cheryl's shiny hair in her new L'Oreal adverts from the music and just before writing it she annoyed me a bit by kicking Ethan and Duane out of X Factor. I'm so easily swayed. It's very girly, all about being in love and is pretty sad. There's no Xenomania, there's lots of Will.I.Am and it's far, far away from a Girls Aloud album.
1. Three Words: Strange guitar opening, sounds a bit like Foals, before the bass builds up . Bizzaro. Will.i.Am/Cheryl co-write and Will.i.Am is all over it - it's a duet! The three words are indeed 'I Love You'. Very brave opening track. "It wasn't complicated, wasn't pre-meditated, to you I'm dedicated." Anthem for Chuck & Blair.
2. Parachute: Awesome military drumming. Cheryl sounds sad. About a secret love 'I won't tell anyone your voice is my favourite sound'. Her love is the parachute that will catch her if she falls. Nice, strong 90s rnb chorus. Brilliant little pointing finger breakdown "I won't fall out of love."
3.Heaven: Another wibbly electro Will.I.Am song and he's on it again. Most annoying bit is Cheryl totally aping his accent and singing 'My heaven's with you' as 'My heaven wit you'. No need. Best bit - Will I Am sounds like he's telling Cheryl she's immature at one point.
4. Fight For This Love: Best song on the album. The drums on this are amazing now. SOLDIER.
5. Rain On Me: Madonna-ish, teeters along before you have some very odd synthesised oboe (?!) sounds and it blows off into a big midtempo dance chorus. Tears in my eyes while raving kind of affair. Not a will i am track so no idea who is singing along in the chorus. Co-written by Livvi Franc!
6. Make Me Cry: Nice 70s Chic type of bassline. "Are you trying to make me cry?" Fierce, talk to the hand. Cheryl says shit! Doesn't really go anywhere but pleasant.
7. Happy Hour: Ridiculous, yet adoreable analogies. Bad boy she needs a taste of, he's an addiction. Co-written by Priscilla Renae, originally a Rihanna demo. Nice layering up of vocals without any Nadine style warbelling. Type of song I think Cheryl would sing along to in the shower. Middle Eastern vibes - K-Ci & Jojo esque piano topline. "Some days I can be sweet and some I'm sour, but I can't help but drink you up cos you're my happy hour." 2nd best song.
8. Stand Up: The only upbeat song, only one that doesn't sound like Cheryl is the saddest person ever. Taio Cruz penned and he features on it during a rap where he bigs up his advance and his bloody Rokstar shades. Makes me want to crouch to my knees and then fascinatingly 'Stand Up' in some kind of never before considered dance routine.
9. Don't Talk About This Love: Cover of a Nikola Bedingfield song. CUT YOUR EARS OFF AWFUL.
10.Boy Like You: Opens with a sample of Fleetwood Mac 'Little Lies'. Random. Another Will.i.Am track. Clapping / electro drumbeat. It's a shoulder wiggler.
11.Heartbreaker: Identical to the single release, no Cheryl mix or anything. Is that FIVE Will.I.Am duets??\
12. Got To Be Real: Amaz-Oh no, this is Cheryl Lynn. Thanks iTunes!
Cheryl's Hair: 10/10 ; Album 7/10
Mr Discopop's heard it too.
So. Amazing or rubbish?
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear it... even if there is only one upbeat song!
ReplyDeleteWhich Girl Aloud will come along with an album of upbeat stormers? I hope Kimberley.
Thank you for the "kind of" review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, particularly your 10/10 for Cheryl's hair (it's very good at the moment.)
ReplyDeleteLoving the single, "Rain On Me" and "Parachute" quite fiercely. She does sound sad though doesn't she?
I do tend to sing "Coz I came here to dance, I'm gonna take off my pants so stand up" instead of the actual lyric though.
ReplyDeletei think cheryl's doing really well for herself considering she's not a strong singer; good luck and fair play to her!
ReplyDeleteEither she is really quite sad, or her PR is very clever and she's a good actress. Quite a few of her interviews have talked about private sadness, quiet Cheryl, contemplative... and then there's the X Factor tears and the "is it a funeral veil or fishing net" headgear on the album cover.
ReplyDeleteHmm.
Listened to it a few times. I am wondering what the singles will be. I think Don't Talk About This Love (which I think is quite passable), and Parachute.
Overall, I think it's OK... a few more listens and I reckon I'll like it more. On first listen, it's very sparse.