April 16, 2002
Sugababes : Freak Like Me
The sound of the underground hitting the mainstream with minimal compromise...
You know the story by now – Girls On Top bootleg gets covered by faltering girl band, provides storming comeback success – but you have to hear this record to appreciate its full genius. It’s the sound of the underground hitting the mainstream with minimal compromise – the changing of the title from ‘We Don’t Give A Damn About Our Friends’ and the addition of "horrible" (except they aren’t) drums. Oh, and it’s legal now ["like the Sugababes" – perverts everywhere]. Better still, the original idea of slapping Adina Howard’s ‘Freak Like Me’ onto Tubeway Army’s ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ still comes across like some kind of genius, even though we’re sure Basement Jaxx did it with Destiny's Child eighteen months ago. If this gets to number one, we’ll be grinning all summer. Yes, even The Critics.
Alex Needham
10
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