Five may have been assembled by the svengali's behind the Spice Girls but they've consistently bucked the pop code of conduct from day one. For starters they've been getting more successful (not as obvious as it sounds) and, in contrast to the plastic gestures of their contemporaries, Abs, Sean, J, Ritchie and Scott have always come across as a genuine gang albeit united in the face of adversity.
So Five's third album, cheekily titled 'Kingsize', should be a whopper. We're looking for a celebration of Five's career to take them to the next level. Sadly, 'Kingsize' is anything but. We're not comparing it to most pop albums. It's far superior to your usual paper-thin pop offering but didn't they promise more? We certainly expected a lot more. It's incredible hits and dreadful misses.
Aside from the music, Five are a band enduring serious turmoil in a will-they-won't-they split saga. Ritchie and J's bedroom antics have hit the tabloids; Scott's started a family, and Sean's gone AWOL. Check out the album inlay and compare Sean's measly 'thank you' notes with Ritchie's gushing essay on how he's secured fame. In the run up to the release they've cancelled numerous appearances to "take a break." Read into this what you will.
In terms of singles you can count at least four No.1 smash hits in addition to the already victorious 'Let's Dance'. The AC DC 'Back In Black' sampling 'Lay All Your Lovin' On Me' and 'Rock The Party' (built around the Grease theme) are choons of the first degree. This is raunchy Five at their funkiest. Nobody does it better! The Westlife pastiche 'Closer To Me' (minus J's East 17 rap) must count as Five's best ballad and the arm-waving 'Feel The Love' sounds like a Christmas chart topper but sadly it's downhill from here.
'We're Going All Night' is a weak imitation of 'Let's Dance', 'Take Your Chances On Me' is a unashamed carbon copy of 'Keep On Movin' and the Craig David wannabe 'Something In The Air' is ill-advised. The rest are bearable at best.
The only question is can Five ride this storm out to take advantage of these potential hits? Here's hoping.
