From UK garage they may have come, but the Sugababes inexorable journey to the very heart of the mainstream is one of the most satisfying pop phenomenons. Difficult to see how they can again top the majesty of ‘Freak Like Me’ of course, but ‘Hole In The Head’ nonetheless showcases their twin strengths. For one, a great choice of material. For another, their talent for singing the most upbeat tune like a motorway service station cashier speaking through a perspex vent. It’s a trick that works excellently here: kind of an I will survive sort of song, ‘Hole In The Head’ taps into the driving guitar-led rhythm so popularised by Basement Jaxx, adapting it to their own ends, and doing so very well indeed. Will work even better, one would think, with a display of the trio’s inept Bananarama-esque dancing in big shoes.
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