James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
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Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
Love her or hate her, you’d have to have been living under a rock for the past year if you’d not noticed Cher Lloyd. Mouthy Lloyd claims to have ‘changed’ the X Factor with her ‘urban’ vibe, which is a pretty big claim to make for a show which is seven years in the making. The question now, of course, is whether or not her album will be big enough to match her attitude.
With collaborations from big names such as Mike Posner and Busta Rhymes, it’s fair to say she’s doing better than whining warbler Katie Waissel, but arguably, Lloyd’s duets with said stars could just be a smokescreen for what is an album lacking in swagger.
Kicking off with 'Grow Up', which resembles Missy Elliott’s ‘Get Your Freak On’, minus the attitude, the majority of Sticks + Stones is thick with heavy beats and teeny-bop rapping. The most radio- friendly of these is 'Superhero', which, for the most part is fast, fun and non-offensive.
Sticks + Stones could also be accused of being a little ironic, as Lloyd whines, ‘I don’t wanna end up here’ on the final track of the same name. With a #1 debut aged 18, where else would she want to end up? Equally, Swagger Jagger comes across as a little audacious- it seems a little premature to moan about people who ‘can’t stop youtubing me’ on one’s first single.
Still, there are some redeeming features amongst a plethora of dubstep and autotune. 'With Your Love' shows Cher being uncharacteristically placid, and actually gives the listener the chance to appreciate the girl behind the rapping, there is someone who can hold a note or two. We’ll forgive Mike Posner’s needless contribution in the middle. Similarly, 'Beautiful People' is a chilled R&B ballad, which, sandwiched neatly between up-tempo 'Swagger Jagger' and 'Playa Boi', brings the album to a calm plateau.
All in all, if we were to overlook some musical faux pas such as Dub on the Track (a ballsy but insultingly-bad tribute to Lloyd’s idol, Nicki Minaj) we could appreciate the work Cher Lloyd has put into her debut album. However, if the album as a whole were a little more With Your Love and a lot less Swagger Jagger, Cher would have a lot more chance of silencing her critics.
As for whether or not Cher has done enough to cement herself as a credible artist, Sticks and Stones falls a little short. As for making an impact on the British music scene, well- Swagger Jagger speaks for itself. Sticks and Stones is certainly not for the faint-hearted, but equally, it probably won’t change the music industry as much as Miss Lloyd claims to have ‘changed’ the X Factor.
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