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“Blue, Guilty - The morning of Saturday 8th November...”

written by t4mof on 01/11/2004

Good Points
Some new and different sounds from the band

Bad Points
Disappointing opening and closing tracks

General Comments
Blue, Guilty - The morning of Saturday 8th November 2003 was an exciting one. One week after being informed by CDWOW that the new Blue CD, Guilty, was winging its way to me, the thud through the letterbox told me it was here. I immediately got Paul to work, taping it for my car as I was travelling to and from Manchester and I have no CD player in my car. I was hoping that the trip would give me ample opportunity to listen to the album a few times - what I wasn't banking on was Jacob chattering on for 2 hours solid and expecting replies to his every question and statement. Unfortunately, not much listening took place.



But a year on, this album has been listened to many times.



Blue have been around for a couple of years and this was their third album. They regularly hit the top 5 with their single releases and are considered to be one of the biggest boy bands around at the moment. They hit the scene just as another boy band, Five, announced their split and many fans of Five - me included - immediately swapped allegiances and started taking notice of Blue. It's a fickle world this pop business.



Stand Up is the opening track and reminded me of something Justin Timberlake might record, which wasn't the best start because I'm not a big fan of Justin Timberlake. My first thoughts are that I couldn't imagine this being a single. The tempo is quite upbeat and Simon's vocals are prevalent throughout. I can see it growing on me with more listens but it didn't capture me right away.



Continuing the upbeat mood is Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours and this was the second single to be released from the album. Following on from the success of Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word with Elton John, Blue then teamed up with Stevie Wonder and it is an immediately catchy version with strong vocals from Duncan and Stevie Wonder himself. I like this song but there will no doubt be fans of the original version who think it has been crucified.



Probably the most risqu track in terms of lyrics is Taste It, another energetic tune with a strong party vibe. Considering the age range Blue are marketed at, lines such as "Don't you think it's time we got naked" could be seen as quite adult, or maybe that's just me getting old! Taste It has a very catchy melody and it's one I turn up in the car to sing along to regularly.



Following on from three lively tracks is the first single to be released from this album, Guilty. This is a ballad that recently reached number 2 in charts and was only kept off the top spot by some almighty noise claiming to be music (Fatman Scoop for those of you who are interested). It was co-written by ex-Take That star Gary Barlow and it wouldn't have been far out of place as a Take That single. It is a strong song on the album and comes complete with the obligatory Lee screeches and high pitched warbles at the end.



Back to the more upbeat tempo set by the first three songs is Bubblin'. According to the lyrics, the boys passion is "bubblin'" and they are trying to persuade the girl of their dreams to go up to the penthouse suite of their hotel. This is what I would call an album track, quite listenable but not the most compelling on the album.



Rock The Night, begins in much the same vain as Bubblin' and my first thoughts was that it was going to be a fairly forgettable album track but once it hits the chorus, it redeems itself very quickly and I ended up really enjoying it. It has quite a typical "Blue" sound with lots of "c'mons" and "a-has" thrown in from Simon. It is pure pop with inoffensive lyrics and a good tune. Not quite strong enough for a single but a likeable album track.



Slowing the general pace down slightly is When Summer's Gone. It wouldn't be classed as a ballad but it has a more leisurely feel to it. It was one of the few songs I found myself humming along to during the second listen of the album, so something must have stuck from the first listen through. Here, we are told how the boys want to keep a relationship going after summer's over, again innocent enough. There are some strong vocal performances from all four band members but by the end the chorus is getting a little repetitive and one or two less refrains would be good.



Alive is a further track that caught my attention on that first listen, mainly because the simple chorus makes it very easy to sing along to. Lyrically, there is lots of repetition but some vocal gymnastics from each of the lads keep the song ticking over to the end.



Continuing the theme of most boy band songs, that of trying to win a girl's heart, is I Wanna Know. I immediately liked the chorus and for some reason I can imagine this being one of the tracks they'll be singing live on their tour. It's quite a "dancey" number that could be remixed for the clubbers.



One of my original favourites on the CD is Back It Up. It firmly wedged itself into my mind after just one listen and is instantly catchy. There is quite a lot of Simon's rapping (or talking if you enjoy proper rap music!) and this adds to its funk sound. One downside is the annoying car horn sounds which beep twice near the end - not good when you're listening to it for the first time on the M6. They made me jump and I kept looking in my mirror to see who I'd upset!



Breathe Easy sends us back to the ballads and disaster! After all that impressing the laydees in previous songs, they've now split up with their beloved. The track starts with the good combination of a piano and Duncan's lilting vocals. The beat is introduced with the first chorus and before too long we are treated to further Lee warbles. It has a power ballad feel to it, the kind which would go down well in a movie but I think Blue should be careful not to release too many singles like this or they could turn into Westlife!



What's this? Electric guitars during the introduction of a Blue song? Yes, that's definitely what we have. This is a really strong song in my opinion. It's a very different sound to what we're used to from the band, moving away from their trademark R'n'B/pop sound to something slightly more rocky. I could actually imagine this being on a later Bon Jovi album to give you some idea of what I mean. Definitely not what you would call heavy but with a lighter rock sound behind it. I think it really suits Blue's voices and after only a couple of listens of the album, this was one of my favourites.



Back to the usual Blue sound is Where You Want Me. This is one I belt out while driving but it's not one of the instantly memorable tracks on the album. It's probably what would be called mid-tempo - not clubby and not a ballad.



How's A Man Supposed To Change? is another mid-tempo song with an easy to pick up chorus. The vocals are quite prominent on this track due to the softer sound in the background and we are treated to a few harmonies here and there. And yes, you've guessed it, yet more warbling from Lee.



A song about a long distance relationship slows things right down for the final number. No Goodbyes is probably not the strongest song they could have ended with but is still worthy of its inclusion. I'm expecting this to be the final song (before the encore) during their live sets, just because of the lyrics talk about not saying goodbye, they will always be there for us, blah, blah, blah. Again a typical pop song but I can't say it leaves you wanting more which I think classic albums should always do. Having said that the melody does replay itself in your mind once the CD finishes.



OVERALL OPINION



All the signs are there for us to be told that this is a more "mature" sound for Blue and although that is the case, don't pick up this album expecting to hear sophisticated lyrics and perfectly crafted songmanship. Their sound has progressed in a way as to not alienate their main fan base and I suppose their younger fans from a couple of years ago are growing up with them.



The tracks that are still my favourite after a year are: Taste It, Guilty, When Summer's Gone, Back It Up, Breathe Easy and Walk Away and my only criticism would be the selection of first and last tracks. I think these choices are really important for any CD and I don't think either do the album justice.



I would recommend the album to the die-hard Blue fans who are going to enjoy the majority of the new stuff anyway and even if you are caught in two minds, it's certainly worth a listen as there are bound to be some songs you would find enjoyable. If you don't enjoy the music of Blue, then this is unlikely to change your mind as overall, it is what I would call a typical Blue sound.



The album was released in 2003 so it can probably be found in the bargain basements of the high street stores now, especially as the Greatest Hits is about to be released in time for Christmas. My copy cost £8.99 from CDWOW but if you look hard enough I'm sure it can now be found cheaper.



Album Rating - 8/10