All Saints - Studio 1

After a break of 5 years the UK's coolest girl group, All Saints, are back and release a new single and album. The single, ‘Rock Steady’, written by Shaznay Lewis and Greg Kurstin (Peaches, Back, Lily Allen) and produced by Greg Kurstin combines a vibrant, sassy tune with infectious harmonies and a flavour of reggae. All Saints’ two critically lauded albums have sold more than 10 million albums across the globe since the release of their first single 'I Know Where It's At' in 1997. Not one of the quartet's eight singles charted outside the Top 10 - indeed five of them reached Number 1.Their last album, 'Saints and Sinners', was released in 2000 and featured the No.1 single 'Pure Shores'. Now, Melanie, Shaznay, Nicole and Natalie are back together and release the most eagerly awaited comeback album of the year. EMI. 2006. Album Description

Too bad this bombed...love the dub, reggae & ska elements...

All right, got this at a great price, and having dug their earlier singles, and Nick & Nat's Appleton album ("Fantasy" is one of the 00's best singles bar none), I caved...

Good thing, as this record is pretty ace...it's like Lily Allen's record in girlgroup form...

The songs are well written pop tunes, but the production and arrangements are what make this stand apart unexpectedly...the dub/ska/reggae influences...VERY British...it wouldn't have caught on in America anyway unfortunately...most Americans don't even remember their 2, maybe 3, US hits!!!

The fact this record tanked and they are all mums anyway...their kids are top priority (and their friendship as well), over music...chances are this will have been All Saints' last hurrah...

Hopefully, history will be kind to 'em...cuz these ladeez are great...love the DVD and interview BTW... March 11, 2008

Destiny's Child Lite

All Saints started getting notice in the U.S. around 1998 when "Never Ever" was big, but they were also easily compared to Spice Girls. After that it seemed like both groups were trying to outdo each other, but soon they both broke up. Well, All Saints got back together back in 2006 and released their third studio album, Studio 1.

The reason why I'm now comparing the ladies to Destiny's Child is because this album feels like DC's The Writing's on the Wall in that there are a lot of songs about trifling men. But the problem here is that the lyrics aren't that exciting. "Not Eazy" and "Scar" are skippable, "Too Nasty" is hard to relate to, and "Hell No" took the words right out of my mouth.

The only song really worth hearing on here is "On and On". And "Fundamental" is passable. I doubt All Saints will gain any new fans with Studio 1, and given that it wasn't released in the U.S. anyway, you can probably do without it.

Anthony Rupert January 7, 2008

No Doubts - This is an Instant Pop Classic

How unfortunate that this gigantic flop by the All Saints turns out to be their greatest album ever. There is absolutely no justification for the dismal performance this scored on the charts, especially considering that this is by far their most musically diverse, and consistently engaging record since their two huge hit singles from 2000 ("Pure Shores" and "Black Coffee").

Chances are, that if you loved both those landmark singles, you will end up loving this album as a whole. They all have some of the same qualities these singles possessed, coupled with some excellent harmonizing from all four members. Shaznay, who is the most unusual of the four vocalists, continues to hog the limelight, though this isn't a bad thing - even though all the All Saints members are older and hopefully wiser, the songs are still as light and carefree as ever, with common themes such as love, life, dating and relationships taking center stage.

Lead single "Rock Steady" is probably what led this album to obscurity. It's a nice-enough track, but there is absolutely nothing special about it other than the sing-along chorus that you'll find yourself remembering after one listen. "Rock Steady" isn't the weakest track on the album - that award would go to "Chick Fit", a two-step number that sounds like it belongs on a totally different record. For reasons best known to the producers, this track was released as the official second single, and it disappeared the very week it was released.

Pity, because real stunners such as "On and On" (which is very reminiscent of "Pure Shores"), and "Fundamental" (which capsulates the best of their work in one three minute track), highlight what works on this album. "One Me and U" sounds very much like what their first record sounded like, while the rest of the tracks are a definite progress over much of what they used to churn out.

Whats pretty great is that every track here is a standout, and any one of these could be a radio single. Whats even more wondrous is that the girls actually sound better here than they did on their last record "Saints and Sinners" (which had about five great songs and a lot of filler).

Lets face it - this album is going to go down as a spectacular flop, and probably is the last thing the All Saints will ever release. Ironically, its also the best, most realized work they've recorded, and is a stupendous achievement any way you look at it. I mean, the quality of music is much better than what the Spice Girls did when they got together on "Forever" (their comeback CD).

If you like great girl-group harmonizing, sunny happy melodies, and choruses you won't soon forget, this is definitely the album for you. Don't read the other reviews, just get this!
June 27, 2007

Great new stuff!

All right, I have no real complaints here. At first listen, "Rock Steady" seemed to be the only worthwhile track. The following few tracks really disappointed me. I put the album on a playlist on my iPod and gave it a few random spins along with some other material. Some of the latter songs on the album began to creep into my ears ("Flashback", "Fundamental"), followed by some of the songs in the middle ("Scar", "Not Eazy", "Oh Hell No") and I was surprised how much I was digging them. "Chick Fit" was still bugging me, but the Kissy Sells Out Excellent Adventure mix took care of that, and now I am a huge fan of the entire album.

The reviewer who pointed out their inability to grow with the times has a valid point, but I would also like to say that as women, and as a pop group, they still are very much "young", and this is dealing with more mature issues than their previous albums. I feel this album has a whole lot more of a personal feel to it than their previous efforts, and while songs like "All Hooked Up" really made me love All Saints, Studio 1 has made them a staple on my future playlists.

This album will not disappoint, long term, is I guess where I am going with this. You may listen to it and go "WTF?", but keep in mind that it doesn't have to be pure pop to come from a pop group, and just because it is coming from a pop group doesn't mean it is bad. In fact, this is one of the most entertaining albums I've heard this year. February 14, 2007

Good Music from All Saints -- Sad About Their Generation

I really like the All Saints. My favorite singles are the three that they produced with William Orbit -- Black Coffee is one of the greatest recent pop productions ever.

This album is overall stronger maybe than their previous efforts, but then there are no super-strong standout singles. Chick Fit is very cute. One Me And U has a strong melody and arrangement. I like the sentiment of In It To Win It. In Fundamental, Shaznay is trying to stretch. She'll get there, she has great talent, but it was a little too obvious where this one was targeted, and she doesn't have the *richness* (yet?) for a serious soul/gospel track. But only a few do. Why listen to Joss Stone when you can listen to Aretha herself? In the opening, more quiet, parts of Fundamental, Shaznay points to where she might explore further.

But what is sad, and maybe an indication of what this generation is going through, is that there are only two poles in the range of love: adolescent adoration, or betrayal. It's one or the other in every song.

This reflects an age when "human institutions" are no longer trusted. There is no song in here about building a home, sticking with your lover through hard times, or children. The girls write all sorts of giggly liner notes about their respective discoveries of motherhood -- but none of that made it onto the album.

If the All Saints are now 30-somethings, they need to leave the bubble-gum behind and move on up like Madonna.

As a reunion album this is nice "additional material" for those of us who were disappointed when they broke up. Hope it leads to a real Grammy winner on their next effort. February 5, 2007

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