Island
Pop, 2007

Change sees the Sugababes without Mutya Buena this time around. She is replaced by Amelle Berrabah. Who? Don’t ask me. I don’t know and I don’t care, to be honest. I miss the distinctive huskier vocals of Ms Buena though. The Sugababes have been pursuing a more commercial sound ever since the departure of Siobhán Donaghy, and Change see them following steadily down that path. Not that this is anything wrong, of course. It’s just that without Ms Buena’s distinctive vocals, the Sugababes sound rather bland and generic.

Still, tracks like Never Gonna Dance Again and Denial are still good pop music that I find too gorgeous for words.

Change is a fun collection of pop tunes, but it also lacks distinctively good songs that would make it a really good example of a pop music. Nonetheless, this album is fun, just like pop music should be, so that’s alright with me.

But the cover art! Is it just me or does Heidi Range look like she has aged twenty years since the last CD?