The way Sugababes tell it, their former member Siobhan Donaghy left them one day to go to the bathroom and never came back. So far, Donaghy hasn’t revealed much of anything about what happened between her and her two ex-bandmates, except – tellingly – that she hopes “karma bites them in the arse”.
Right now, though, karma seems to have other plans for the ’babes – and it’s Donaghy who’s under pressure to come up with the goods. Unfortunately, with this first solo outing, she doesn’t quite manage it, creating an album filled with interesting elements, but dangerously low on decent tunes.
Many of these twelve tracks sound like they’ve been written to order rather than coming direct from the heart. Too often, the tunes are characterised by awkward shifts of tone, unnecessary flourishes and a tendency to avoid focusing on the kernel of the song. Overall, the album lacks urgency; Donaghy regularly gives the impression that she has something to say, but ducks out of actually saying it.
Thankfully, the sheer quality of her voice often makes up for such weaknesses. Further, on the strident, angsty tracks ‘Dialect’ and first single ‘Overrated’, there are welcome hints of the future direction Donaghy may take. Both songs sound like they actually matter to her – and they come across all the better for it. It’s just a shame there aren’t more like them.
Insubstantial.