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It's already too easy to prepare an obituary for Girls Aloud even before the release of their debut, Sound of the Underground, what with the inevitable backlash against reality pop TV, a cancelled tour due to poor ticket sales and "that" arrest in a night club. Despite originating from the same television programme as Hear'Say, the girls seem to have learned at least one lesson from Myleene and co--you can't rush record a decent album in five minutes if you want to be in the public eye for more than two minutes.
Although unimaginatively named after their UK Christmas 2002 smash, the album is an enjoyable and surprising journey through the most popular styles of contemporary pop. Following Kylie's successful revisiting of electro-pop, many of the tracks make the most of this revitalised sound, particularly the Fuzzbox-inspired "No Good Advice" and the playfully titled "Girls Allowed". A hybrid of Sub Sub and Deee-Lite, "Love Bomb" pays homage to early-90s dance, while "Some Kind of Miracle" is a more conventional, ageless pop tune. With a title such as "Stop" many will make comparisons with the Spice Girls, however the Girls Aloud track is a rockier Transvision Vamp-style anthem. "Don't Want You Back" is another pop-rock track in the vein of those new millennium madams Madison. Top marks to the girls for coming up with an album that succeeds far more than anyone could have predicted. --John Galilee