It's hard to believe that this is Steps' third album. Have Claire, Faye, H, Lee and Lisa really been worming their way into the nation's lugholes for that long? Who'd have thought that those line-dancing fools who notched up their first hit in 1997 with '5-6-7-8' would still be around?
Well folks, the grim reality is that they are still here. And much to the chagrin of Bono, Damon and countless other anti-pop protestors who want to believe those impending split rumours, they'll at least be around long enough to plug 'Buzz'.
Spare a thought for these five troopers though boys and girls. It can't be easy dancing in formation for your entire working lives, wearing plastic smiles, matching outfits and peddling plastic pop largely written by other people- that said they've each written a song on this latest effort- when perhaps you harbour desires to be taken seriously as an 'artiste'.
Huge financial reward and world renown is barely compensation enough for trading in your freedom in favour of being nothing more than a handsomely packaged hamster in pop's big wheel.
That said, Steps do what they do very well. Whether it be the camp SAW dance rhythms of 'Better The Devil You Know', the 'Everybody Dance'-aping Number One hit 'Stomp' -apparently a tribute to Chic's Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers- or the grown-up sickly sweet balladry of 'Hand On Your Heart'. This is 'My First Album From Fisher Price' type fare. The stuff that junior school discos are made of. And there's nowt wrong with that is there ladies and gentlemen?
'Happy Go Lucky' is jaunty Euro-pop, cod-reggae that Aqua would be proud to call their own. Likewise 'Buzzz' not a million miles away from Ace Of Base's classic 'All That She Wants'. Elswhere 'Paradise Lost' is a lilting ABBA-style singalong, 'Turn Around' is HI-NRG bounce with flamenco flourishes and album closer 'If You Believe' co-writing credits going to Faye and Cyndi Lauper among others- is a Cher style gooey ballad which wouldn't sound out of place in a West End musical.
Not much change then and plenty here for the avid Steps fanatic. Hardly 'Steptacular' stuff though. Here's to album number four.
