GIRLS ALOUD - WHAT WILL THE NEIGHBOURS SAY?

(This is the review I posted on Amazon.co.uk)

So what if the five lovely girls do little else but turn up to sing what a group of record producers tell them to, if you love pop music then this is probably the most complete collection of pop this year.Working with the guys responsible for most of the Suagababes output that is any good (Xenonmania), proves to be an inspired route, as does the decision to not go the "R'n'B" lite route that most packaged pop acts tend to travel. The songs are not afraid to take influences from all over the place, and the result is a fresh, exciting and completely enjoyable album.

You will have heard the brilliant singles Love Machine (nodding it's head to 60's pop) and The Show (the kind of song that Electroclash would have produced if that movement had been any good) and whilst nothing quite matches up to those classic singles, a good number of tunes come close. Wake Me Up is a pumping dance track with a distinctly rock edge, Deadlines and Diets manages to avoid the usual pop route and actually gives us a ballad that we don't need to skip on our CD player, and Here We Go is the kind of catchy sing-a-long that will go down a storm in the Christmas disco's.

Its not a perfect album, and is at least three songs too long, but when it's good, it's great and it really is the best girl band pop album since Spiceworld in 1997. Put simply. If you love pop music...you'll love this!

DEAN'S VIEW - 3 1/2 out of 5