He/Him
A contender for my 11 leaves before Easy and Change - this sucks! Shoulda given them both a zero!!
The Sugababes Discography Rate
- Thread starter beyoncésweave
- Start date
I gave it a 7 and regretted it after 27 eliminations. Why a 7? Because I always upgrade some songs as I do not want to rank an album below a 5 in a rate or have a big difference in average compared to other albums. A personal rule. A rule which I have thrown out of the window, because of the Alt Pop Girls rate. Shura deserved my below 5 average. Not saying it would have changed any of the outcome, but it would have made me feel better.
In short: About A Girl was lucky.
Last edited:
But I mean... I expected some 0x76 scenario.
Y'all should know by now that One Touch eliminations come in pairs, sigh...
I'm older than my years, drowning in my tears
It's okay, to go and make mistakes
Change, change all around, just go with the rhythm
Soul Sound
Score: 7.767
11 x 1: @Epic Chocolat
Highest: 10/10 x 15 (@SmashHitter, @CasuallyCrazed, @xtophermorrison, @Russron, @Terminus, @Shockbox, @Robsolete, @LE0Night, @scottdisick94, @Mr.Arroz, @Mikl C, @Consideration, @ohnostalgia, @acl, @Blayke)
Lowest: 4/10 x 7 (VivaForever, @Sprockrooster, @Robert, @supersoon, @High Heel Feminist, @chanex, @cryctall)
My score: 9/10
––
Oh, this one stings. This is the closest thing to a completely uncomplicated song on One Touch, “Soul Sound” serves utterly gorgeous charm for days and years. The gentle acoustic pluckings and almost silent shuffling beat keep this on a simmer, and the lyrics paint an almost nonsensical picture of chillout, but this is almost purely about the vocals. And what vocals. Siobhán’s steady tone revealing layers of poignancy; Mutya serving as point guard; and Keisha bringing it together by melding into the song. And the harmonies. Possibly the best ever by the band (until these girls would one up themselves thirteen years later). It’s one of the best examples of early 1.0’s uncanny ability to just phase in and out of each other’s voices, being distinct one moment and completely absorbed into the song the next. It’s something that, for me, cancels claims that they sound pitchy or too young. When even a hint of supposed squeakiness creeps in, the harmonies completely wash it away.
The effect of this vocal showpiece is in eliciting an entire mood. The song conjures, purely though the force of the vocals, a lazy Sunday afternoon of being bathed in sunlight and warmth and feeling completely and truly content. The band has several attempts at this, especially early on (see “Lush Life”, “Breathe Easy”, “Groove Is Going On” etc.) but this is the best such effort. Snuck in at the middle of the album, the song glues the whole enterprise together – a momentary, blissful respite between the album’s bookends of anxiety and despair. It does all of this without ever coming off as cloying or syrupy. In that sense, it merely extends early 1.0’s understated offhandedness to its attempts at straightforward charm.
I think this suffered in the rate, and has so in fans’ imaginations, as a result of being a single (the last released off One Touch, and the lowest charting at #30. It was the lowest charting for the band full stop, until these three ladies broke the record again with “Flatline” NN). There were far better single choices on the album (“One Foot In”, “Same Old Story”, even “Promises”). Being a single changes its setting from being a sunny, almost-interlude to something with unwarranted signficance. The thinking behind the release was probably that this was an uncomplicated vocal showace for the band that would sell the band as sweet, innocent and unthreatening young things, which is of course a rather inaccurate image of the band. Yet, it feels a bit pointless to be fixated on terrible label decisions from 16 years ago and letting them infect the song itself. This remains what it always has been. A luminous, warm, lush dream. It has never failed to put me instantly in this blissful, quietly happy mood, and I suspect, never will.
Let’s lead off with PCDPG (6) who finds it “a nice change in sound for the album. A bit more uplifting and more upbeat.” Filler (6) is a bit too harsh on something that’s won him quite a few bar tabs, “Cute, but mostly only useful as obscure trivia for us to be smug about when playing along with a 'SUGABABES TOP 40 SINGLES' round on Pointless” Speaking of pointless, here’s hatin’ ass tylerc904 (5) “Never liked this and am not shocked it flopped.” Okay! Chanex (4) tries to quiz me about ha bad taste, “Why have I always disliked this song so much? It's just super cheesy to me. VivaForever (4) still thinks her tragic taste is cute, “This would be good (not great) if it didn't sound like it was being performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks' older sisters.” Constantino (7) also has faulty hearing, but at least likes the song, “The vocals are a bit too pitched, which makes this even more sugary than it already is… but it’s cute regardless, very Faith Hill.” uno (7.5) is on the safe leaky boat, “Definitely one of the better songs on the album - it's no wonder why they decided to make it an album. The squeaky voices do get a bit grating at times, but it works in more spots than it doesn't.”
DJHazey (7) likes it despite not quite being able to climax, “It always feels like it's going to build into something spectacular but it remains chill and reserved. Nice track that will always get lost in the shuffle among their giants.” Mina (7) is too high to say anything other than “Pleasant”. roux (7) is freaked out by how un-them it is, “I like it but in this context of the album this one kind of sticks out like a sore thumb with a daisy chain wrapped around it. They're even smiling in the music video, it's terrifying.” Let’s add kal (7) to the daisy chain, “I'm very conflicted with this – on one hand, I really enjoy it whenever it comes up on shuffle, but on the other, I never really seek it out. It's got a beautiful vocal arrangement and a very carefree attitude. The music video is a perfect fit for it too.” Yeah, in terms of visualising the mood-setting the song creates, it’s bang on.
Solenciennes (8) tries to make a positive out of the signature he’s stuck with forever, “the best thing about the song is the shady GIF material it gave me, see my signature. It’s nice, the chorus is pleasant, but it plods along for me a bit and it was a bad single choice I think, they would have been better off releasing any one of “One Foot In”, “Promises”, “One Touch”, “Real Thing”, “Same Old Story”… pretty much anything else off the album, it’s just so lacklustre as a single choice.” MOR queen P'NutButter (7.5) also finds it a “Poor choice for the fourth single release, but it's an easy listen.” mrdonut (8) “didn’t realise until fairly recently that this wasn’t written by any of MKS, it completely belongs on One Touch and to the 1.0 era. I get that this wasn’t going to exactly set the charts alight and while it’s not necessarily a go-to Sugababes track in their discography either, it’s sweetly infectious and infectiously sweet.”
Robinho#1 (8) seves a nice little cup of Earl Grey, “Was a terrible single choice but no one can deny those vocals. Siobhán reigns supreme on this little downtempo track.” Runawaywithme (8) has had sixteen summers for this to grown on ha, “Pretty summery nostalgia inducing nothingness that has grown on me a lot over the years.” Voodoo (8) is also baffled at the hate, “I don’t get why some people hate this, to be honest. It’s a cute, light, summery song. Sure, it sounds kinda out of place but it’s a good song.” Ironheade (8) finds that it’s time to stan Siobhán, “A sweet little guitar-pop nugget that fits in a bit more with what I might have expected of a teenage girl group in 2000. Surprisingly (if you know my tastes), not a bad thing. That ascending four-note arpeggio may be the catchiest piece of music on this album, and even if the drum machine sounds weirdly thin, the light harmonising and skippy electric guitar underlay add a lot of nuance, and Siobhán was absolutely made for this - so blissful when she sings "soul soooooouuuuuund"! And even with Mutya's usual surliness, she makes a surprisingly good partner for the sunniness of this one, an intriguing contrast that the darker nature of later albums never let her take full advantage of. Cute, but not in the dismissive way.” Indeed.
Remorque (9) honours them with the Mac! “The closest the Sugababes ever got to the iconic Fleetwood Mac sound. The production on this one is lush and the harmonies are gorgeous. Siobhán’s voice is magnificently complimented by Mutya’s and Keisha’s backing vocals and everything just blends together wonderfully.” londonrain (9) thinks “It's a real shame that this was the song that basically killed the momentum of One Touch, because I actually really like it.” Hmm, I suspect the momentum was waning seven and a half months after the album’s release, sis.
Blayke’s fire sale of 10s continues, “This song is criminally underrated. It was definitely fitting in the 2000’s new-age (with guitar) feel sound that kind of came into some pop songs. I think the harmonies on this are fantastic. It’s another Siobhán song and she does truly shine in this. Keisha’s verses are a bit cringey though with the higher register but the rest of the song is much better than the one hiccup. I loved the video albeit it being extremely cheap. A few years ago a Filipina artist (I can’t remember her name) covered this song for her album and it was a bit more upbeat and resurged my love for the song.” acl (10) finds that they have mellowed out over the years, “I don’t think i’ve ever seen any love for on PJ but when I got seriously back into Sugababes around 2008 it was that made me love them again. Call it old age but the gentleness of the melody and their harmonies elevated me so it gets a 10” YAS. CasuallyCrazed (10) is melting along with me, “One of the sweetest, most nostalgic moments. It’s happy and sad, nostalgic and. That Siobhán vocal is heart-wrenching.” Shockbox (10) owns up to jinxing the song, “It's always the case that my favourite songs are the least successful singles. So blame me for the floppage that was.”
My bae LE0night (10) works ha way into my heart by using the song to anchor a whole réfléxion over One Touch, “I have however seen some criticisms about One Touch over the years, most of which referred to it as a bit of an awkward early start of sorts, which I can sort of understand but when the dust had settled I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed it? There was admittedly a point early on where I got a bit worried it would turn out to be rather mawkish and juvenile, but then “Soul Sound” kicked in and most of everything that followed turned out to be really, really lovely.”
Finally, we have a short, sweet 11 from Epic Chocolat “An early favourite that still holds its charm after all these years. I must say I have a fondness for the first incarnation of the group. The youth, the innocence, this song always reminds me of that too.” Lovely.
The effect of this vocal showpiece is in eliciting an entire mood. The song conjures, purely though the force of the vocals, a lazy Sunday afternoon of being bathed in sunlight and warmth and feeling completely and truly content. The band has several attempts at this, especially early on (see “Lush Life”, “Breathe Easy”, “Groove Is Going On” etc.) but this is the best such effort. Snuck in at the middle of the album, the song glues the whole enterprise together – a momentary, blissful respite between the album’s bookends of anxiety and despair. It does all of this without ever coming off as cloying or syrupy. In that sense, it merely extends early 1.0’s understated offhandedness to its attempts at straightforward charm.
I think this suffered in the rate, and has so in fans’ imaginations, as a result of being a single (the last released off One Touch, and the lowest charting at #30. It was the lowest charting for the band full stop, until these three ladies broke the record again with “Flatline” NN). There were far better single choices on the album (“One Foot In”, “Same Old Story”, even “Promises”). Being a single changes its setting from being a sunny, almost-interlude to something with unwarranted signficance. The thinking behind the release was probably that this was an uncomplicated vocal showace for the band that would sell the band as sweet, innocent and unthreatening young things, which is of course a rather inaccurate image of the band. Yet, it feels a bit pointless to be fixated on terrible label decisions from 16 years ago and letting them infect the song itself. This remains what it always has been. A luminous, warm, lush dream. It has never failed to put me instantly in this blissful, quietly happy mood, and I suspect, never will.
Let’s lead off with PCDPG (6) who finds it “a nice change in sound for the album. A bit more uplifting and more upbeat.” Filler (6) is a bit too harsh on something that’s won him quite a few bar tabs, “Cute, but mostly only useful as obscure trivia for us to be smug about when playing along with a 'SUGABABES TOP 40 SINGLES' round on Pointless” Speaking of pointless, here’s hatin’ ass tylerc904 (5) “Never liked this and am not shocked it flopped.” Okay! Chanex (4) tries to quiz me about ha bad taste, “Why have I always disliked this song so much? It's just super cheesy to me. VivaForever (4) still thinks her tragic taste is cute, “This would be good (not great) if it didn't sound like it was being performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks' older sisters.” Constantino (7) also has faulty hearing, but at least likes the song, “The vocals are a bit too pitched, which makes this even more sugary than it already is… but it’s cute regardless, very Faith Hill.” uno (7.5) is on the safe leaky boat, “Definitely one of the better songs on the album - it's no wonder why they decided to make it an album. The squeaky voices do get a bit grating at times, but it works in more spots than it doesn't.”
DJHazey (7) likes it despite not quite being able to climax, “It always feels like it's going to build into something spectacular but it remains chill and reserved. Nice track that will always get lost in the shuffle among their giants.” Mina (7) is too high to say anything other than “Pleasant”. roux (7) is freaked out by how un-them it is, “I like it but in this context of the album this one kind of sticks out like a sore thumb with a daisy chain wrapped around it. They're even smiling in the music video, it's terrifying.” Let’s add kal (7) to the daisy chain, “I'm very conflicted with this – on one hand, I really enjoy it whenever it comes up on shuffle, but on the other, I never really seek it out. It's got a beautiful vocal arrangement and a very carefree attitude. The music video is a perfect fit for it too.” Yeah, in terms of visualising the mood-setting the song creates, it’s bang on.
Solenciennes (8) tries to make a positive out of the signature he’s stuck with forever, “the best thing about the song is the shady GIF material it gave me, see my signature. It’s nice, the chorus is pleasant, but it plods along for me a bit and it was a bad single choice I think, they would have been better off releasing any one of “One Foot In”, “Promises”, “One Touch”, “Real Thing”, “Same Old Story”… pretty much anything else off the album, it’s just so lacklustre as a single choice.” MOR queen P'NutButter (7.5) also finds it a “Poor choice for the fourth single release, but it's an easy listen.” mrdonut (8) “didn’t realise until fairly recently that this wasn’t written by any of MKS, it completely belongs on One Touch and to the 1.0 era. I get that this wasn’t going to exactly set the charts alight and while it’s not necessarily a go-to Sugababes track in their discography either, it’s sweetly infectious and infectiously sweet.”
Robinho#1 (8) seves a nice little cup of Earl Grey, “Was a terrible single choice but no one can deny those vocals. Siobhán reigns supreme on this little downtempo track.” Runawaywithme (8) has had sixteen summers for this to grown on ha, “Pretty summery nostalgia inducing nothingness that has grown on me a lot over the years.” Voodoo (8) is also baffled at the hate, “I don’t get why some people hate this, to be honest. It’s a cute, light, summery song. Sure, it sounds kinda out of place but it’s a good song.” Ironheade (8) finds that it’s time to stan Siobhán, “A sweet little guitar-pop nugget that fits in a bit more with what I might have expected of a teenage girl group in 2000. Surprisingly (if you know my tastes), not a bad thing. That ascending four-note arpeggio may be the catchiest piece of music on this album, and even if the drum machine sounds weirdly thin, the light harmonising and skippy electric guitar underlay add a lot of nuance, and Siobhán was absolutely made for this - so blissful when she sings "soul soooooouuuuuund"! And even with Mutya's usual surliness, she makes a surprisingly good partner for the sunniness of this one, an intriguing contrast that the darker nature of later albums never let her take full advantage of. Cute, but not in the dismissive way.” Indeed.
Remorque (9) honours them with the Mac! “The closest the Sugababes ever got to the iconic Fleetwood Mac sound. The production on this one is lush and the harmonies are gorgeous. Siobhán’s voice is magnificently complimented by Mutya’s and Keisha’s backing vocals and everything just blends together wonderfully.” londonrain (9) thinks “It's a real shame that this was the song that basically killed the momentum of One Touch, because I actually really like it.” Hmm, I suspect the momentum was waning seven and a half months after the album’s release, sis.
Blayke’s fire sale of 10s continues, “This song is criminally underrated. It was definitely fitting in the 2000’s new-age (with guitar) feel sound that kind of came into some pop songs. I think the harmonies on this are fantastic. It’s another Siobhán song and she does truly shine in this. Keisha’s verses are a bit cringey though with the higher register but the rest of the song is much better than the one hiccup. I loved the video albeit it being extremely cheap. A few years ago a Filipina artist (I can’t remember her name) covered this song for her album and it was a bit more upbeat and resurged my love for the song.” acl (10) finds that they have mellowed out over the years, “I don’t think i’ve ever seen any love for on PJ but when I got seriously back into Sugababes around 2008 it was that made me love them again. Call it old age but the gentleness of the melody and their harmonies elevated me so it gets a 10” YAS. CasuallyCrazed (10) is melting along with me, “One of the sweetest, most nostalgic moments. It’s happy and sad, nostalgic and. That Siobhán vocal is heart-wrenching.” Shockbox (10) owns up to jinxing the song, “It's always the case that my favourite songs are the least successful singles. So blame me for the floppage that was.”
My bae LE0night (10) works ha way into my heart by using the song to anchor a whole réfléxion over One Touch, “I have however seen some criticisms about One Touch over the years, most of which referred to it as a bit of an awkward early start of sorts, which I can sort of understand but when the dust had settled I was honestly surprised at how much I enjoyed it? There was admittedly a point early on where I got a bit worried it would turn out to be rather mawkish and juvenile, but then “Soul Sound” kicked in and most of everything that followed turned out to be really, really lovely.”
Finally, we have a short, sweet 11 from Epic Chocolat “An early favourite that still holds its charm after all these years. I must say I have a fondness for the first incarnation of the group. The youth, the innocence, this song always reminds me of that too.” Lovely.
Last edited:
Finally.
Bollocks, why didn't I give it a 10? I think it has grown on me some more.
He/Him
Noooooooo!!! What is wrong with you all??
IMPORTANT: almost all post-Naughty Dog Crash Bandicoot games were, in fact, on the PlayStation 2. The PS1 did have Crash Bash, but then I couldn't pluralise "games" with that alone.
This rate is ruined, cancel it now.
Thrilled they're still here:
Promises
Run For Cover
Stronger
Whatever Makes You Happy
Caught In A Moment
Follow Me Home
Red Dress
Ace Reject
2 Hearts
Never Gonna Dance Again
Denial
Change
Side Chick
Unbreakable Heart
Sound Of Goodbye
Easy
Please leave:
About You Now
Maya
Flatline
So...all in all I'm pretty pleased!
Also, upon revisiting my scores, some of my most embarrassing commentary is yet to come yay!
Promises
Run For Cover
Stronger
Whatever Makes You Happy
Caught In A Moment
Follow Me Home
Red Dress
Ace Reject
2 Hearts
Never Gonna Dance Again
Denial
Change
Side Chick
Unbreakable Heart
Sound Of Goodbye
Easy
Please leave:
About You Now
Maya
Flatline
So...all in all I'm pretty pleased!
Also, upon revisiting my scores, some of my most embarrassing commentary is yet to come yay!
Last edited: