Friday, 3 June 2011

Sugababes' new single 'Freedom': First listen (Digital Spy-The Sound Blog))

Thanks to @stewartee  for the heads up. This is a very informative review From Robert Copsey from Digital Spy. A lot of detail and is making me even more desperate to hear the full length version ~JEF


Sugababes' new single 'Freedom': First listen

Friday, June 3 2011, 16:53 BST
By Robert Copsey, Music Reporter
Sugababes
© Rex Features / David Fisher
For those not in the pop know, the Sugababes are on the cusp of releasing their new single, called 'Freedom'. After teasing us with a preview of the track earlier this week, we sat down with the mastermind behind the band, Mark Hargreaves, to listen to the track a full two times over, and at a more than respectable volume. Here are some of the notes we made:


  • The track clocks in at 3 minutes at 22 seconds, and was produced by The Invisible Men, who helmed Jessie J's 'Do It Like a Dude'.





  • The first verse is divvied up between Jade and Amelle. "I like the lights when they hit your face," Jade sings on the intro over a dark 'n' stormy mid-tempo melody.





  • "So raise your hand/ One fist in the air/ For freedom/ For being alive/ Not having a care/ For freedom," they chant on the anthemic, lighters-in-the-air pre-chorus - which, incidentally, we thought was the actual chorus on first listen.





  • The real chorus immediately follows, where alongside a stew of sledgehammering beats and thick basslines they belt: "'Cause tonight is the night that we break the speed of light/ So stand up, come alive/ Liberate yourself 'cause freedom starts tonight," all in wonderfully harmonised fashion.





  • Heidi takes the reins on the second verse. "I love the night/ The way it covers us/ You're acting shy/ But you're curious," she purrs.





  • When the second pre-chorus/chorus kicks in you'll realise that you have already learnt the words.





  • A dubsteppy middle eight breakdown follows, which you will have already heard from the Nokia ad. While nothing can replace Heidi's classic middle eights from yesteryear, it's a head-spinning moment that forces you to sit up and take notice.





  • Jade shouts "Put your hands in the air!" before the final chorus plays out, which features her most impressive ad-libbing to date.





  • By marrying a live band sound with au-courant wobbly basslines, the Sugababes have neatly side-stepped the trend-following sound of last year's Sweet 7 and have instead played to their strengths. Pinning down the Sugababes' sound has always proved a pointless exercise, but the common threads that run throughout the band's career - impressive vocals, intriguing production and slick harmonies - can all be found on 'Freedom'.

    Listen to a preview of 'Freedom' below:

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