Here come the girls

Not since the Spice Girls in the late ’90s has a girl band been able to capture the hearts of American audiences quite like the British five-piece. Since the Spices came and went, Diddy has given girly pop a shot with the quartet Dream and, of course, with the drama-ridden Danity Kane. And let’s not forget the trashtastic Pussycat Dolls who have been dominating the airwaves for the past few years. Sure, these girls have all provided a catchy song every few months, but are they really quality girl bands? OK, it sounds like an oxymoron, but honestly, is there such a thing as a girl band that can produce a listenable album and not just a three-and-a-half minute sing-a-long anymore? The Muse takes a look at three British girl bands with new albums that might just fill the void left by Baby, Ginger, Posh, Scary and Sporty.
Girls Aloud, Out of Control (Fascination Records)
Despite being assembled on reality TV show Popstars: The Rivals in 2001, Girls Aloud remains one of Britain’s best selling and critically acclaimed acts of recent years. Much, if not all, of their success is due to producer/songwriter Brian Higgins and his Xenomania production team, who provide the girls with compositions that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Prodigy or Adam and the Ants album. On their fifth studio album, released Nov. 3, the girls can check off another box on the credibility list thanks to a collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys on the track ‘The Loving Kind.’ (They also recorded a cover of David Bowie’s ‘Sound and Vision’ with Franz Ferdinand last year.) The album also boasts a nearly seven-minute pop opus called ‘Untouchable.’
The Saturdays, Chasing Lights
(Fascination Records)
Since The Saturdays released their first single, the Yazoo sampling ‘If This Is Love,’ in the U.K. in July, the five-piece have been teetering on the verge of chart superstardom. Their place in the pop world was secured last week when their second single, ‘Up,’ landed in the top five of the British charts. The girls’ debut album, Chasing Lights, will drop next week. It is a 12-track affair that includes the bitter electro kiss-off ‘Keep Her,’ and the infectious ‘Work’ ‘-‘- a track that Rihanna would have traded a dozen umbrellas to record.
Sugababes, Catfights and Spotlights
(Island Records)
Though it’s their sixth studio album, the Sugababes only have one original member remaining in the current lineup. However, the Sugababes 3.0, as fans like to call them, is perhaps the strongest reincarnation of the band yet. Having scored one of the biggest hits of their career last year with the Dr. Luke produced anthem ‘About You Now,’ the babes decided to bring it back to basics with their latest effort, even sampling Ernie K-Doe’s ‘Here Come the Girls’ on the album’s lead single, ‘Girls.’ The result is a throwback album with enough of a modern twist to keep listeners from dozing off. Thank producers, Teddybears guitarist Klas Ahlund and Orson lead singer Jason Pebworth, for the fresh sound. However, the harmonies ‘-‘- and the sass ‘-‘- all boil down to the babes.