Search - Girls Aloud :: Tangled Up

UNSTOPPABLE

Nathan Mahoney | USA | 08/14/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, Girls Aloud have come so far! If you'd seen their auditions for Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 and followed them through Sound of the Underground, WWTNS, Biology, and now Tangled Up (I'm just catching up in the past few months) -- it's been an AMAZING run and it's not even close to stopping. Instead of falling into some lame R&B lite fair trap that so many of these groups succumb to (or get talked into) they set in on electronica, leaving themselves open to a diversity and mixture of styles: electroclash, pop, rock, ska, funk, house, drum n' bass, you name it -- they are UNSTOPPABLE.



1. Call the Shots - The album opener has an airy feel to it with the girls singing against a shimmering keyboard riff. The song opens with Nadine sounding strong as ever. The girls take turns singing and they each sound LOVELY, playing off each other sublimely. The video for this song is so classy, the girls look stunningly beautiful, and wistful for their romantic relationships on the rocks. This song sets the tone for the album. It marks a more mature (aka interesting) Girls Aloud. The lyrics are quite good and catchy, but with enough meat on them to mean something. This was the second single released from Tangled Up. It made #3 in the UK charts, making it their 17th consecutive top 10 hit! That put them in the Guinness book of records!



2. Close to Love - This is a dazzling synth-heavy slab of 70's discotheque-Brit pop. A perfect example of what Girls Aloud do best...this is one the best songs on the album. The chorus is so CATCHY, try not to sing with them!



"Got so close to love

I can almost taste the kill

Barely close enough

But I just can't close the deal"



Great lyrics, so true! The girls trading raps through the song is so infectious, you gotta love em!! This could easily have charted in the top 10 if it had been released as a single.



3. Sexy! No No No... - The first single from the album. This song is INTENSE and is PACKED full of hooks. It begins with Cheryl sing-speaking through a vocoder and WHAM the song blows wide open with a crunchy synthesized guitar sample and the girls in chorus. The highlight of the song is their solos beginning with Nicola, who sounds fantastic, on to Sarah, Cheryl and Kim, then passed back to the powerhouse Nadine who brings it home.



4. Girl Overboard - The intensity relaxes slightly(!) for Girl Overboard...bubbly, pure eurodance brilliance. This would have been an easy choice for a single, but it's best worth is in making the album cohesive.



5. Can't Speak French - This is the most atypical Girl's Aloud song I can think of. Ironic that they made it the centerpiece of the album, says something about what they and Xenomania were thinking. It's got a deeply undulating rhythm and some mish mash of styles that I can't really identify: country-swing-electropop maybe. Whatever it is it works it's way into your head and lodges in there. It's hard for me to separate the imagery from the music, since I saw the video before buying the album. The video showcases the girls looking really sultry in (spilling out of) Victorian corsets. I think the song was designed to explore a different side of their vocal abilities. Nadine and Kim sound so good in the opening verse, that part is so addicting, you anticipate it's arrival coming off of Girl Overboard.



6. Black Jacks - This is a different type of song for GA, too. It's a rocker with a dark edge. This song showcases Nadine's vocal range. She is amazing!



7. Control of the Knife - Black Jacks sets up this next track like an ace. We go from a dark shouty rocker to a bumpin Reggae-Ska-juiced masterpiece. I LOVE this song. I mean LOVE. OK, I'm already partial to Caribbean music, but coming from Girls Aloud -- PERFECTION. The lyrics are perfect, the lilt of their voices is perfect against the rhythm, and those horns....if they ever released an entire album of reggae/dub/ska my head would melt (along with other various organ(s)). Check this out live on YouTube (Tangled Up Tour, Nottingham). They are hhoooooooottttttttttttttttttt. Cheryl and Kim can MOVE. That and the next one Fling (London), are so much fun live. This would have made a brilliant single.



8. Fling - Everything about this song is MAD CATCHY. This easily would have made top 10 in the UK charts. There is so much ENERGY in this song it's gotta get you moving. Everything from the driving beat to their raps+vox to the lyrics is AMAZING. If you can see them live, DO IT. And also buy all their albums and DVDs! Keep them going!



9. What You Crying For - Sexy eurodance stormer that picks up where Girl Overboard left off. For a change Kim leads this song....sleek, sexy vocals from all.



10. I'm Falling - Driving drum n' bass track a la Prodigy, laced with beeps n blips and vocoded vox. Perfect club track



11. Damn - This has a very 80s sound to it, quite poppy. Not a mindblower but another solid effort. Plus it's always fun to try to pick out who's singing which parts. The lyrics are a bit fluffy and daft, they could have given them something better to work with (or let them add in some of their own thoughts), but their voices are right on.



12. Crocodile Tears - This is a pop ballad with a beautiful melody and a Spanish flair. The vocals are LOVELY. I like this one quite a lot, it's quite different from the rest stylistically, but I'm glad they put it on here and closed with it.



I love this album and I LOVE Girls Aloud.



Girls Aloud are getting better and BETTER as a group and individually. This is a perfect slice of sexy British electropop from the best girl band in the world. These are not just pretty mannequins for manufactured synth-pop, they all have LOADS of class and heart and personality and their talent is blossoming. They are also beginning to co-write some of their songs. Very consistent album, PACKED FULL of ideas and hooks, no rubbish tracks at all, and they could have easily pulled 7 tracks to release as singles. It's time for them to expand internationally. You are ready Girls Aloud! Please tour in America! PLEASE."