Catfights and Spotlights

Catfights and Spotlights is the sixth studio album by British pop band Sugababes, released by Island Records on 17 October 2008. Produced primarily by Klas Åhlund, Steve Booker and Orson, the album also features additional contribution from Si Hulbert, The Invisible Men, Melvin Kuiters, and Max Martin. It is the group's final album to include remaining founding member Keisha Buchanan.

Catfights and Spotlights
Studio album by
Sugababes
Released17 October 2008 (2008-10-17)
RecordedJune – August 2008
Genre
Length49:10
LabelIsland
Producer
Sugababes chronology
Change
(2007)		 Catfights and Spotlights
(2008)		 Sweet 7
(2010)
Singles from Catfights and Spotlights
  1. "Girls"
    Released: 6 October 2008
  2. "No Can Do"
    Released: 22 December 2008

The album received a generally positive reception from the media and music critics,[1][2] but became the group's third lowest-charting and second lowest-selling album, reaching number eight and the top twenty in the UK and on the Irish Albums Chart, respectively. Catfights and Spotlights spawned only two singles, with the international top ten entry "Girls". The second and final single "No Can Do" was released on 22 December 2008.

Recording and theme

After they had completed their Change Tour in May 2008, the Sugababes announced that they would not go back into the recording studio until September 2008 to work on their next album, insisting they needed more time to work on their new material for a 2009 release.[3] However, in June 2008, band member Keisha Buchanan told an interviewer that the group would start work on a new album straight away due to opportunities to record with new producers, and by 17 June the trio had started recording.[4] Production was fast tracked after Italian musicians Melvin Kuiters and Si Hulbert brought Island Records a new track based around a sample of Ernie K. Doe's classic soul-funk song "Here Come the Girls" which was considered "a perfect vehicle" for the Sugababes sixth studio album.[4] Less than a month later at the annual Liverpool Summer Pops in Liverpool, they announced that the lead single was completed, describing it as "amazing". The title of the single, "Girls", was revealed on 11 August 2008.[5][6]

The album has been described as having a "funkier" sound by Orson's lead singer Jason Pebworth, who has been working with the group in the recording studio.[7] In an interview, the Sugababes described the Catfights and Spotlights as having a more mellow and mature sound which focuses mainly on their vocals. The album was also described by Range as darker.[8]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
BBC Music(positive)[10]
Digital Spy[11]
The Guardian[12]
Planet Sound[13]
The Sunday Times[14]
The Times[15]

Allmusic editor Matthew Chisling called Catfights and Spotlights the ″group's strongest showing to date″. He felt that the album took the band "into a new dimension of artistic merit, flashing impeccable songwriting skills and flourishing arrangements thanks to the help of immaculate production, which throws the girl into a retro bodysuit yet never feels stale [...] Catfights and Spotlights is the true reflection of a girl group's transition from shallow pop stardom into full-fledged recording artistry."[9] Lucy Davies from BBC Music found that the album "bounds out like a Kate Moss Rimmel ad, all metallic, sharp-sure and savvy", and added: "The trouble with the Sugababes' sound has always been keeping the balance between blending and preserving individuality, and they've managed it here on the whole."[10] Digital Spy's Nick Levine remarked that "Catfights and Spotlights is mellower and more classic-sounding than previous Sugababes records, with loads of strings and a conspicuous lack of synths, but it's no less polished and commercially-minded."[11] Popjustice called Catfights and Spotlights "the most 'complete' Sugababes album since their first."[16]

In his review for The Guardian, Dorian Lynskey noted "a general transition from crisp modernity towards self-consciously grown-up, Duffyesque soul". Indeed, half of it is as colourless as promised, but the half credited to Swedish songwriter/producer Klas Ahlund is unflaggingly terrific [...] Sugababes have always lacked a reliably sympathetic ally who can pull the best from them: a Xenomania to their Girls Aloud. In Ahlund, they might just have found one."[12] The Times reviewer Priya found that "Sugababes are attempting to put some electricity back into their sound" with the album. While he felt, that the band "make the 1960s sound their own [and] recall the urban angst that made us fall in love with them [...] the throaty-voiced Amelle Berrabah is no replacement for the soulful, feisty pipes of the former member Mutya Buena."[15] Planet Sound felt that "mainly working with new producers has mixed success for the girlband". The Teletext music page noted "too many ballads" on the album, "but just enough singles here not to disrupt momentum".[13] Elan Mark Edwards from The Sunday Times wrote, that "there are 14 tracks on Catfights and Spotlights, and there isn't a single turkey among them".[15]

Sales and impact

Catfights and Spotlights debuted at number eight on the UK Albums Chart with first week sales of over 23,000 copies, becoming their fifth studio album to reach the top ten in the United Kingdom. However, it also became their first album since their debut One Touch (2000) not to peak inside the national top three. The album fell out of the top fifty in its fourth week of release.[17] In the week of 19 January, the album jumped 22 places from 96 to 74 with sales 2,000.[18][19] Catfights and Spotlights was eventually certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 7 November 2008.[20] In Ireland, the album debuted at number 18, before falling to number 42 the following week. As with the UK, it became the group's lowest-charting album and first album to miss the top ten since One Touch.[21] In Greece, the album entered at number 33, before dropping to number 37 the following week. However, on its third week the album climbed to number 22.[22]

In an interview with Daily Star Sunday, Sugababes member Range blamed their music label, Island Records, for disappointing sales of Catfights and Spotlights. According to Range, "The sales have been disappointing but I don't think it is a reflection on the album's quality, and the problem is the promotion, I don't actually think our fans know we've even got an album out."[23] In a 2009 interview with The Guardian, Buchanan further elaborated: "We're still really proud of [Catfights and Spotlights], even though it wasn't our most successful album [...] I was surprised – I think Change should've got those bad reviews, because that was a lot poppier. With Catfights, we decided to go a bit old-school and stripped-back. But if we stayed in the place we were in, we'd never move on."[24]

Track listing
Catfights and Spotlights
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Girls"
  • Melvin Kuiters
  • Si Hulbert
3:11
2."You on a Good Day"
Åhlund3:27
3."No Can Do"
  • Jason Pebworth
  • Jon Shave
  • George Astasio
  • Geeki
  • The Invisible Men
  • Si Hulbert
3:11
4."Hanging on a Star"
  • Pebworth
  • Shave, Astasio
  • Geeki
  • Buchanan
  • The Invisible Men
  • Hulbert
3:22
5."Side Chick"
  • Åhlund
  • Alex Purple
  • Buchanan
Åhlund3:40
6."Unbreakable Heart"
Åhlund3:52
7."Sunday Rain"
Booker4:01
8."Every Heart Broken"ÅhlundÅhlund4:09
9."Beware"
  • Åhlund
  • Berrabah
Åhlund2:56
10."Nothing's as Good as You"
  • Pebworth
  • Shave
  • Astasio
  • Geeki
  • The Invisible Men
  • Hulbert
3:03
11."Sound of Goodbye"
  • Booker
  • Poole
  • Buchanan
Booker4:23
12."Can We Call a Truce"
  • Åhlund
  • Purple
  • Deanna
  • Buchanan
Åhlund4:33
13."About You Now" (Acoustic Version)
Dr. Luke2:46
14."She's Like a Star" (with Taio Cruz) (UK bonus track))CruzCruz2:43
Catfights and Spotlights – iTunes Store bonus content
No.TitleLength
15."Girls" (radio edit)3:08
16."Girls / Watershed" (music video)3:18
Catfights and Spotlights – Enhanced CD bonus content[25]
No.TitleLength
15."Girls" (Klas Åhlund Rework)3:08

Notes

Charts
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Croatian Albums (HDU)[26] 31
European Top 100 Albums (Billboard)[27] 34
Greek Albums (IFPI)[22] 22
Irish Albums (IRMA)[28] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 8

Certifications
Region Certification
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
List of release dates, showing region, formats and label
Region Date Format(s) Label
Netherlands 17 October 2008
Island
Ireland
United Kingdom 20 October 2008
Australia[31] 22 November 2008
United States[32] 24 December 2009

References
  1. "link". Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  2. link
  3. WENN (11 May 2008). "Sugababes Scrap New Album Plans". Entertainmentwise. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  4. Champion, Sarah (18 August 2008). "Interview at Isle of Wight Festival 2008". VirginRadio.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  5. "New single - GIRLS" Archived 22 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Sugababes.com. 12 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  6. Peter Robinson (11 August 2008). "Here come the Sugababes: listen to the new single now..." Popjustice. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  7. Kilkelly, Daniel. "Sugababes working on "funky" album". Digital Spy. 4 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  8. "Sugababes Heidi, Keisha and Amelle on the new single 'Girls'" on YouTube. ITN Music. 12 August 2008. Retrieved 14 August 2008.
  9. Chisling, Matthew. "Sugababes – Catfights and Spotlights". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Review. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  10. Davies, Lucy. "Finally secures Amelle's place and puts the ghost of Mutya to rest". BBC Music. Review. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  11. "Review". Digital Spy. Review. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  12. Lynskey, Dorian. "Rock & pop review: Sugababes: Catfights and Spotlights". The Guardian. Review. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  13. "Planet Sound review". Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
  14. Edwards, Mark. "Sugababes: Catfights and Spotlights The Sunday Times review". The Sunday Times. Review. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  15. Elan, Priya. "Sugababes: Catfights and Spotlights". The Times. Review. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  16. "So this Sugababes album…". Popjustice. Review. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  17. The UK Albums Chart Week 9 November 2008
  18. "UK Music Charts | The Official UK Top 75 Albums: Week of Mon 23 Mar - Yahoo! Music UK". Uk.launch.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  19. "Board Message". Buzzjack.com. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  20. "British album certifications – Sugababes – Catfights and Spotlights". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Type Catfights and Spotlights in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  21. Sugababes - Catfights and Spotlights Irish Top 100 Archived 19 October 2012 at WebCite
  22. "Ελληνικό Chart". Ifpi.gr. Archived from the original on 15 November 2006. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  23. "Music - News - Sugababes blame label for album 'flop'". Digital Spy. 30 November 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  24. "Sugababes: 'We took our eye off the ball'". The Guardian. 30 November 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  25. "Sugababes - Catfights and Spotlights (pre-order)". iTunes Store UK (Apple Inc). Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  26. "Top of the Shops - službena tjedna lista prodanih albuma u Hrvatskoj". hdu-toplista.com/. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  27. "Top Music Charts - Hot 100 - Billboard 200 - Music Genre Sales". Billboard. 15 November 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  28. "Sugababes - Catfights And Spotlights - Music Charts". Acharts.us. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  29. "Archive Chart". Official Charts Company. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  30. "British album certifications – Sugababes – Catfights and Spotlights". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Catfights and Spotlights in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  31. "SUGABABES / CATFIGHTS AND SPOTLIGHTS - Sanity.com.au - More Movies - More Music". Sanity. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  32. http://www.sugababes.de
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