Change (Sugababes album)

Change is the fifth studio album by British girl group Sugababes, released through Island Records on 1 October 2007. The album features production by Dr. Luke, Jony Rockstar, Dallas Austin, Deekay and Xenomania, among others, and is the first album to feature complete vocals by Amelle Berrabah.

Change
Studio album by Sugababes
Released	1 October 2007
Recorded	2006–2007
Genre	Pop pop rock dance-pop R&B
Length	43:25
Label	Island
Producer	Dallas Austin Deekay Dr. Luke Novel Jony Rockstar Flex Turner Xenomania
Sugababes chronology
Overloaded: The Singles Collection (2006) Change (2007) Catfights and Spotlights (2008)
Singles from Change
"About You Now" Released: 1 October 2007 "Change" Released: 10 December 2007 "Denial" Released: 10 March 2008

The album debuted on top of the UK Albums Chart, where it became the band's second consecutive number one album and was eventually certified platinum by the BPI.[1] In addition, it reached the top ten in Estonia and Ireland. In France, Change was adapted as the group's first greatest hits compilation.

Production and release

Following the release of their greatest hits album, Overloaded: The Singles Collection (2006), the Sugababes went back into the studio to work with a number of American producers on their then-untitled fifth studio album, the band's first full studio album with Amelle Berrabah. Collaborators on the album include Dr. Luke, Danish production team Deekay, and Novel as well as previous collaborators Xenomania, Dallas Austin and Jony Rockstar. Although, it was Amelle's first production, some of the songs from the album were leftover tracks that were originally intended to appear on Taller in More Ways (2005).

The album was produced by Higgins and production team Xenomania, known for their work on other Sugababes singles including "Round Round", "Angels with Dirty Faces", "Hole in the Head", "In the Middle", and "Red Dress".[2] The mixing process was undertaken by Jeremy Wheatley for 365 Artists at Twenty One Studios, located in London, England. This was assisted by Richard Edgeler.[2] Keyboards and programming were provided by Powell, Higgins, Cowling and Matt Gray, while Coler was responsible for the guitar present in the song.[2]

AXM Magazine reported the Sugababes' assumed attempt to move into the American market with the album.[3] On 30 August 2007, the group appeared on The Album Chart Show to perform the first single, "About You Now", and premiere another two album cuts. They also confirmed that the album's title would be Change.

When inserted into the computer, the UK edition disc allows access to bonus features such as remix versions of "About You Now" and a special interview with the group, plus wallpapers and photos. The French edition of Change is a greatest hits compilation because Overloaded: The Singles Collection was not released there, and it contains all their hits since "Overload" to "Denial".

"Never Gonna Dance Again" was written by Sugababes members Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range in collaboration with Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling and Nick Coler. The song was originally written and recorded for the group's previous album Taller in More Ways, but was cut from the final track listing due to the girls not being fond of the song. During production of the fifth album, they came back to the track and grew to like the song, prompting the group to add it to the track listing of Change.[2]

The song "About You Now" was used in the movie Wild Child and features as track three on the soundtrack.[4] In December 2007, "3 Spoons of Suga" was included on the soundtrack for the 2007 film St Trinian's.[5]

Songs

"Never Gonna Dance Again" is a midtempo pop song that displays musical elements of dance-pop.[6] Nick Levine of Digital Spy wrote that the song's "desperately sad disco lament" is composed "almost entirely at mid-tempo."[6] Fraser McAlpine of the BBC characterized the track as a "dancefloor tearjerker", similar to "Closer" by Ne-Yo and "Teardrops" by Womack & Womack, whereas The Trades writer Paul Schultz called it a "break-up ode".[7][8]

Lyrically, "Never Gonna Dance Again" is about the break-up of a relationship which is set on a dancefloor. During the chorus, Sugababes sing the lines "I lost the rhythm when you said it's over / As the final record starts to fade, I feel the dancefloor turning colder".[6][9] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis and Schultz have both noted that the song's lyrical content is reminiscent to that of George Michael's song, "Careless Whisper".[8][10]

"Never Gonna Dance Again" garnered a mixed reception from music critics. McAlpine wrote that the song "immediately feels like the girls have struck gold again".[7] Levine suggested that "Never Gonna Dance Again", along with the album's singles "Denial" and "Change", demonstrates the group has "managed to grow up without losing their way with a melody". He elaborated that the song "seems to showcase a more reflective Sugababes".[6] Petridis called it a "classy" example of the group's "trademark clever, referential pop",[10] while The Independent's Andy Gill praised Xenomania's production of the song, saying that it "makes the most of its winningly logical melody".[11]

Ally Carnwath of The Observer wrote that the track is a "surprisingly energetic mope around the disco", although admitted that the "elegiac tone" of the song's lyrics is a "real comedown".[12] A writer for The Scotsman criticized it as a "dreary, formulaic break-up song", additionally noting that the track is not catchy like "About You Now".[9] An editor for Stornoway Gazette admitted that although disco-friendly, "Never Gonna Dance Again" is the album's starting point of "disappointment", while saying that it "has the feeling of being tired and slightly jaded in comparison to the strength of the previous offering", referring to the album's lead single "About You Now".[13] NME wrote that it seems "less than a threat and more of a promise."[14]

"3 Spoons of Suga" is an uptempo pop song, with elements of dance-pop. Nick Levine of Digital Spy described it as a "Nancy Sinatra-style pop strut".[15] He also suggested that the song "doesn't sound like anything the Sugababes have recorded before", and went on to name it a "kissing cousin" to the group's 2008 single, "Girls".[16] Levine noted that "Boys and Girls" by Pixie Lott has a "passing resemblance" to "3 Spoons of Suga".[17] Matt O'Leary of Virgin Media noted the incorporation of a guitar in the "beat-led dancefloor" track.[18] An editor from The Scotsman suggested the line "He don't get stressed cos he's blessed by the cut of his jeans" was reminiscent of songs released by British girl group Girls Aloud.[9]

"3 Spoons of Suga" garnered favorable reviews from music critics. Lauren Murphy of Entertainment Ireland described it as "villainous pop" and wrote that it epitomises the "sexy 'give-a-damn' attitude that Sugababes have pretty much built their career upon."[19] Tom Young of BBC admitted that "3 Spoons of Suga" was "ridiculously titled", yet "ridiculously catchy". According to him, the song contains "simple rocky edge" that gives the "rich textured voices" of Berrabah and Buchanan "plenty of room in which to excel."[20] Victoria Segal of The Times wrote that the "sticky disco of 3 Spoons of Suga should stop Mutya Buena's victory lap in its tracks".[21] The Scotsman's editor felt that the song has a "playful attitude" which is missing from the rest of the album.[9] Emily Mackay of Yahoo! Music suggested that it was one of the stronger tracks on the album, writing "the check-me-the-f*ck-out glammy strut of '3 Spoons of Suga' finds them [Sugababes] on stronger footing."[22] Paul Schultz The Trades regarded it as a "ridiculously danceable Bananarama mimicry" and "stirring anthem".[23]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[24]
BBC Music	[25]
Digital Spy	[26]
The Guardian	[27]
Metro	[28]
NME	(4/10)[29]
The Times	[30]
Virgin	[31]
Yahoo! Music UK	(4/10)[32]

The album received mixed reviews, with The Guardian calling it a "mixed bag" but applauding tracks such as "Never Gonna Dance Again" and "Back Down".[33] The Times claimed that the album was "only slightly better than All Saints outtakes, all dated production and pop tastefulness" but complimented tracks such as "My Love Is Pink" and "3 Spoons of Suga".[34]

Commercial performance

The album's first single, "About You Now", was digitally released on 24 September 2007 in the United Kingdom, with the physical single release a week later. The song, produced by Dr. Luke, became Sugababes' sixth number-one single in the UK and their most successful to date. The second release from the album, "Change", was digitally released on 10 December and physically released on 17 December, charting at number thirteen. "My Love Is Pink" was also released as a digital single on 10 December.[35] The third single from the album, "Denial", was digitally released on 10 March 2008 and physically released on 17 March, peaking at number fifteen.

Track listing

Change

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"About You Now"	Cathy Dennis Lukasz Gottwald	Dr. Luke Rob Smith^[a] Steven Wolf^[a]	3:32
2.	"Never Gonna Dance Again"	Keisha Buchanan Heidi Range Miranda Cooper Brian Higgins Tim Powell Lisa Cowling Nick Coler	Higgins Xenomania	3:43
3.	"Denial"	Range Buchanan Amelle Berrabah Geeki Flex Turner Elliot Malloy	Malloy Turner	3:31
4.	"My Love Is Pink"	Buchanan Range Cooper Higgins Powell Cowling Coler	Higgins Xenomania	3:44
5.	"Change"	Lars Halvor Jensen Martin Michael Larsson Niara Scarlett Range Buchanan Berrabah	Deekay Dicky Daniel Klein^[a] Thomas McEwan^[a] Lars H. Jensen^[b]	3:37
6.	"Back When"	Dallas Austin Gary White	Austin JC Chasez^[b]	3:56
7.	"Surprise"	Dennis Gottwald	Dr. Luke Smith^[a] Wolf^[a]	3:05
8.	"Backdown"	Alonzo Stevenson Tony Reyes Buchanan Range Berrabah	Novel	3:50
9.	"Mended by You"	Range Buchanan Jony Lipsey Karen Poole Jeremy Shaw	Jony Rockstar	3:34
10.	"3 Spoons of Suga" (UK bonus track)	Range Buchanan Lipsey Poole Shaw	Rockstar	3:50
11.	"Open the Door"	Buchanan Range Dennis Gottwald	Dr. Luke Smith^[a] Wolf^[a]	3:16
12.	"Undignified"	Tom Nichols Turner Buchanan Range Berrabah	Turner Nichols	3:45

Notes

• ^{^[a]} denotes additional producer
• ^{^[b]} denotes vocal producer

Change: The Greatest Hits

Change: The Greatest Hits
Compilation album by Sugababes
Released	17 March 2008[36]
Recorded	1998–2007
Genre	Pop
Length	66:15
Label	Island
Producer	Dr. Luke Deekay Flex Turner Elliot Malloy Richard X Brian Higgins Tim Powell Xenomania Jeremy Wheatley Jony Rockstar Craigie Cameron McVey Brio Taliaferro Jason Pebworth George Astasio Dallas Austin Rob Dougan Andy Bradfield Paul Simm
Sugababes chronology
Overloaded: The Singles Collection (2006) Change: The Greatest Hits (2008)

The Sugababes' greatest hits album, Overloaded: The Singles Collection, was not released in France, and the French edition of Change was adapted to become a greatest hits compilation. The album features the original Overloaded track listing, with the addition of "About You Now", "Denial" and "Change", the three singles released from the international edition of "Change".

Track listing

Change: The Greatest Hits – French edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"About You Now^2"	Dennis Gottwald	Dr. Luke	3:32
2.	"Change^2"	Jensen Larsson Scarlett Range Buchanan Berrabah	Deekay	3:37
3.	"Denial^2"	Range Buchanan Berrabah Geeki Turner Malloy	Malloy Turner	3:31
4.	"Freak Like Me" (from Angels with Dirty Faces^1)	Eugene Hanes Marc Valentine Loren Hill William Collins George Clinton Gary Numan	Richard X	3:15
5.	"Round Round" (from Angels with Dirty Faces^1)	Brian Higgins Miranda Cooper Lisa Cowling Coler Buchanan Mutya Buena Range Florian Pflueger Felix Stecher Robin Hofmann Rino Spadavecchia	Kevin Bacon Jonathan Quarmby	3:57
6.	"Red Dress" (from Taller in More Ways^2)	Buchanan Buena Range Higgins Cooper Powell Coler Shawn Lee Cowling Bob Bradley	Xenomania	3:38
7.	"In the Middle" (from Three^1)	Cooper Higgins Scarlett Lee Lisa Cowling Buchanan Buena Range Andre Tegler Phil Fuldner Michael Bellina	Higgins Xenomania Jeremy Wheatley	3:55
8.	"Stronger" (from Angels with Dirty Faces^1)	Jony Lipsey Marius De Vries Felix Howard Buchanan Buena Range	Jony Rockstar	4:04
9.	"Shape" (from Angels with Dirty Faces^1)	Sting Dominic Miller Craigie	Craigie	4:12
10.	"Overload" (from One Touch^3)	Buchanan Buena Siobhán Donaghy Howard Cameron McVey Paul Simm Lipsey	McVey Jony Rockstar Simm	4:38
11.	"Good to Be Gone^2"	Jason Pebworth George Astasio Buchanan Range Berrabah	Brio Taliaferro Pebworth Astasio	3:27
12.	"Caught in a Moment" (from Three^1)	Lipsey Poole de Vries Buchanan Buena Range	Jony Rockstar	4:26
13.	"Ugly" (from Taller in More Ways^1)	Austin	Austin	3:51
14.	"Easy^2"	Pebworth Astasio Buchanan Range Berrabah	Taliaferro Pebworth Astasio	3:39
15.	"Too Lost in You" (from Three^1)	Diane Warren	Andy Bradfield Rob Dougan	4:00
16.	"Hole in the Head" (from Three^1)	Higgins Range Buchanan Cooper Buena Scarlett Coler Powell	Higgins Xenomania Powell Wheatley	3:39
17.	"Push the Button" (from Taller in More Ways^1)	Buchanan Buena Range Austin	Austin	3:38

Notes

1. ^ includes vocals of Mutya Buena
2. ^ includes vocals of Amelle Berrabah
3. ^ includes vocals of Siobhan Donaghy

Personnel

• Dallas Austin – drums, keyboards, producer
• JC Chasez – vocal producer
• Nick Coler – guitar
• Miranda Cooper – keyboards, programming
• Pete Craigie – engineer, mixing
• Richard Edgeler – assistant
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Aniela Gottwald – assistant
• Lukasz "Doctor Luke" Gottwald – bass, guitar, drums, programming
• Matt Gray – keyboards, programming
• Brian Higgins – keyboards, programming, producer, mixing
• Tim McEwan – percussion
• Tom Nichols – percussion, programming, producer
• Andrew Nitsch – assistant engineer
• Rohan Onraet – engineer
• Chris Parmenidis – mastering
• Tim Powell – keyboards, programming, mixing
• Kurt Read – engineer
• Tony Reyes – guitar
• Tim Roberts – assistant
• Johnny Rockstar – bass, programming, producer, beats
• Rick Sheppard – engineer
• Alonzo "Novel" Stevenson – keyboards, vocals (background), producer, drum programming
• Tim VanDerKuil – bass
• Jeremy Wheatley – keyboards, drum programming, mixing
• Steven Wolf – producer
• Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – engineer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (2007–08) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[37] 90 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[38] 32 Czech Albums (IFPI)[39] 38 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[40] 69 European Albums (Billboard)[41] 10 French Albums (SNEP)[42] 105 German Albums (Media Control)[43] 33 Irish Albums (IRMA)[44] 10 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 14 UK Albums (OCC)[46] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2007) Position UK Albums (OCC)[47] 32 Certifications Region Certification Ireland (IRMA)[48] Platinum United Kingdom (BPI)[1] Platinum

Release history

Region	Date	Label
Netherlands	1 October 2007	Island Records
Ireland	5 October 2007
United Kingdom	8 October 2007
Austria	19 October 2007
Germany
Switzerland
Australia	20 October 2007
Spain	25 March 2008
United States
Italy	16 November 2007
France	17 March 2008

Tour

References

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3. SUGABABES – NEW SONGS! AXM
4. Wild Child The Movie Soundtrack Party Album on Amazon
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