Nicola Roberts - Cinderella's Eyes

A credible member of Girls Aloud. Gosh. The thought of it sends shivers down my spine. Whilst two have already gone it alone to polarising degrees of success, neither really shook the musical press up beyond the occasional tabloid spat. Yet with production from the very-credible-indeed sorts of Metronomy and Diplo, Roberts has finally served up a worthy retort to all of the pundits that've been tearing into Girls Aloud since their inception (although why a group who've released Biology, The Loving Kind or The Show would need defending is, quite frankly, beyond me).

Beginning then with the Diplo-produced lead single 'Beat of My Drum', Cinderella's Eyes bursts onto the scene with an insanely-catchy chorus that at first irritates but then enraptures; a typically Major Lazer instrumental thuds and skids with about as much precision and sense as the lyrics, but I can't help but like it. 'Lucky Day' sees cowriting from the ever-underrated Dragonette, and is easily the album's highlight. Roberts' vocals howl and sigh with genuine suggestion, and the production values are untouchable."I want something more!" is cried with minimal diva tantrums.


The record sadly takes a bit of a stumble after the initial wave of singles. 'Yo-Yo' is a modest, sugary ballad that talks big ("All the other girls, they say you're full of it and talking shit") but is more Jessie J than M.I.A. (in my universe this is an insult. Keep up.) whilst the tune is never more than affable. The title track offers a shadow of Cheryl Cole nonsense-pop with a delicate brushing of fairytale romance lyrics, with a decent-enough 80s throwback tune throughout. The absurd twinkles and assertions of her own fragility begin to wear thin though - 'Porcelain Heart' may have a decent chorus but almost drowns in its own melodrama. 'I', the first of two Metronomy inclusions, is certainly interesting but there's a sense that the backing and Roberts just don't mesh well.

The shrillness finally subsides in 'Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime', a sweet electronic-ballad that's a lot easier to swallow. The Invisible Men, the aptly-titled production team behind an impressively vast collection of recent British pop, lend their hand to 'Say It Out Loud', a sure future gay anthem if ever there needed to be one. The unconvincing theatrics return in 'Gladiator' with a rather obvious metaphor, but are spared humiliation by an able instrumental. The same cannot be said for the bewildering 'Fish Out of Water', Metronomy's second offering. Either creatively spent from the excellent 'The English Riviera' earlier this year or just woefully misfiring, it's quite a good interpretation of drowning in a puddle.

The final end of the record prove its saving grace, however. "I wanna blow up, I'm gonna blow up!" she warns on 'Take A Bite', a joyful imitation of the likes of Lily Allen and M.I.A., that certainly only Roberts seems to show any signs of nailing (from the fivesome anyway) - indeed towards the end the middle finger to her sceptics (because solo females addressing their haters is still necessary):

Called me a rude ginger b*tch and say I bought bigger tits
They're gonna eat all their words, they're talking absolute shit

does well to colour in some personality that might've been masqueraded beforehand. We then close with the beautiful 'Sticks + Stones', subtly addressing her fragility and baffling us with the possibility that anyone could feasibly call her ugly.


So she's pinned down the tunes, has marketed herself with a distinctive image and has the underdog potential about her - all the ingredients for a successful breakthrough, right? As a debut though the record suffers at times from its own theatricality; those looking for a revelatory or personal album will probably walk away disappointed.

Rating: 7.5/10
Highlights: Lucky Day, Sticks + Stones, Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime, Say It Out Loud, Take A Bite
Avoid: I, Fish Out of Water

Artwork Watch: It has a feather duster, which is an immediate bonus, but ultimately the thought behind this was "Oi! Nicola! You're pretty, right? Stand in front of some ugly shit." How outré
For fans of: Lily Allen, Kate Nash, VV Brown