Little Mix - Salute


They don't hang about do they?

Less than a year on from their debut after winning the X Factor in 2011, the show's first female act that has a feasible future in pop music (bye Amelia Lily) whilst displaying a semblance of personality (bye Leona) and remaining likeable (bye Cher) could've played it safe and rehashed a couple of quickfire hits and filled up the rest with dirge like they did on DNA. Here, though, the girls are taking risks and a lot of them pay off - just don't ask me which one is which because I'm sort-of over paying attention to these things unless they pop up on my Tumblr every day (which is my excuse, at least, for knowing all the One Direction boys' names). I may call them Fianzayn, Jesy (I only know her name because of the cruelty of Twitter), Scaryeyes and The Other One, but I can promise you they're all terms of affection.


Too few albums open with air raid sirens. Just putting out there. Their title track taps into that whole Destiny's Child military-theme they had going around 2004 and matches it with their united-women onslaught of 2001. It's just a shame that they had to go at it so forcefully, because it comes off as a kids-pop gimmick that'll inevitably find a release as a music video with marching heels and intense choreography. That actually sounds quite good. The song doesn't. 'Move', on the other hand, is a marvellous surprise. At first it seems that it's building into a storming chorus but then it just withdraws and lets more small sequences unfold, each a little subtle but strong enough to get feet tapping, singalong moments and an overall R&B sheen that's quite excellent. 'Little Me' is tipped to be the album's second single and that's something that baffles me: the use of Fauré's Pavane just reminds me of this pop treasure of yore. It doesn't really offer much else.

Vocally the girls are a great match for each other and their harmonies save ballads from being tawdry or dull: 'These Four Walls' is their most vulnerable moment although I can't help but observe that it's left rather vague as to what it is they mourn. On 'Good Enough' the pain is a little more pointed, scorning an unfaithful ex, and sees them all making showstopping contributions, but it's 'Towers' that just about stands out for me. Cowritten by the current reigning king of British sombrepop Jamie Scott (who's recently popped up on One Direction's Story of My Life, Matt Cardle's Loving You and Michael Kiwanuka's Home Again), it's a pretty straightforward structure but still manages to capture hearts and sound triumphant. Enough of the ballads though: they actually make for more engaging listens on the minimal R&B tracks; 'Boy' is an initially a capella vocal masterclass that's incredibly reminiscent of turn-of-the-century efforts by NSYNC (Gone), whilst 'Competition' could've quite comfortably slotted onto Christina Aguilera's Stripped album. That's high praise by my book.

Better production helps, too: MNEK (behind hits for Rudimental, Duke Dumont and their proper debut single Wings) returns for 'Nothing Feels Like You, a raucous clapping and thumping bit of happiness, whilst Ryan Williamson (whose history might read like a history of shit - Hanson, Cody Simpson and Keyshia Cole) brings a bright, fresh touch to 'Mr Loverboy'. The majority of work on Salute is done by TMS, who I've been critical of in the past (to be fair, they're responsible for Read All About It) but here, they've polished off a few coups: 'About the Boy' is a solid pop song that sees Fianzayn unleash a massive high note out of nowhere, whilst 'A Different Beat' sees the whole album's theme rounded off quite nicely with marching drums and an irresistable urge to dance.


Where their debut sounded like something that the Spice Girls (or, more accurately, Simon Fuller) might have put out, Salute sees them emulating All Saints, always the far cooler and far superior UK 90s girlband. There're still a few creases to be ironed out but the potential for singles and great pop here is exciting.

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: Towers; Move; Nothing Feels Like You; Competition; About the Boy
Avoid: Little Me; Salute

Artwork Watch: "Stop X Factor Outside-Sofa-Shoots Now" 2013
Up next: Mikal Cronin  

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