3 words isn't bad at all
B. Wade | NY, USA | 02/08/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Cheryl Cole is best known for being a member of Girls Aloud but here she is on her own and the result isn't nearly as bad as many think.
1.)3 Words(feat.Will.i.am)- Not a terrible song but not the best way to start off the album ethier. This song makes it easy to assume wrongly about the rest of the album.
2.)Parachute-One of the best if not the best on here(IMO)Many fans agree Cheryl's voice plus the millitary drums backing her up are a great combo. She really shines on this.
3.)Heaven(feat.will.i.am)-Another misstep(IMO)Could have been alot stronger and is ill placed on this album.
4.)Fight For This Love- Very good not nearly as bland or bad as people like to complain.
5.)Rain On Me- A fresh sounding song from CC very nice job.
6.)Make Me Cry- A very nice alomost somewhat disco-esque song. A bit repetative but very good non the less.
7.)Happy Hour- My second favorite on this and many fans fav as well. Mid-tempo and very nice with great backround and beat.
8.)Stand Up- Fun light but very dance heavy track another nice one.
9.)Don't Talk About This love- Some say this is about her much over publicised marital issues but that is left to opinion. Very good song if a little slow.
10.)Boy Like You(feat.will.i.am.)-Not bad but another one with potential that could have been better.
11.)Heartbreaker(Will.i.am feat Cheryl Cole)-Let's make this clear this is will.i.am's song with Cheryl just saying"Your a heartbreaker" the video is great and it is a very catchy, good song but should it have been on CC's first solo effort? I don't know. All in all don't listen to it just to bash it and don't listen to people who hate on it just becuase it is Cheryl Cole. Is this the best she could have done? no, is Cheryl the best singer out there?( or in GA) no but it is a very good decent album don't judge till' you've heard it for yourself. And try to be objective when/if you do."
VERY likeable but "3 Words" is no Girls Aloud record...
Larry Davis | NYC/Long Island, NY | 01/28/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"How do I put this??? Firstly, I received yesterday in the mail the "fan edition" of Cheryl's "3 Words", which is nice but kinda unnecessary really...the regular CD (no extra tracks, no bonus DVD, no special packaging like a digipack case), plus a 2010 calendar (the front cover on shiny cardboard stock), a black envelope with 2 postcards (the front cover and the pic of Cheryl on the "Fight For This Love" single...also at the end of the booklet), and an average-sized black totebag with the album's logo in white letters, all placed in a shiny long box, like a giftbox, with the album cover on the top and a black bottom. Like I said, nice, but really unnecessary...
Now onto the album itself...the original 11-track UK edition...the upcoming US version will probably be different...cover, tracklisting, etc...surprised it's in a regular jewelcase, not the sturdier curvy UK-specialty cases used on many Universal artists like Noisettes...this looks like a regular US CD pressing. Overall, at first, I was disappointed, but I love the 3 singles (4 if you count "Heartbreaker")..."Fight For This Love", "3 Words" and "Parachute"...it seemed like an undistinguishable mainstream American R&B record with no distinctive vocals that stand out...not unlike a Beyonce record with a Be wannabe on vocals, or a plain demo singer. Yikes!!! BUT, before you come to any conclusions, the more you listen to "3 Words" top-to-bottom, Cheryl's charms sloooooowly come to the forefront and the album really grows on you.
I like it a LOT now. But it's no match to a Girls Aloud record. Still, it's interesting to ponder what the album would have been like if Xenomania produced it, or if the Girls Aloud catalogue was tackled by American producers or if Will-I-Am got his paws on songs like "Call The Shots", "The Promise" or "Sound Of The Underground".
If you take the album for what it is, and Cheryl in solo mode, and you get used to it, "3 Words" has it's own slinky charm and Cheryl grows on you as a solo artist, with her own vocals falling somewhere between Beyonce, Mariah Carey and Rihanna...and I'm happy "3 Words" is not dominated by boring cliched ballads, as Cheryl has a voice that does not fit the belting balladeer...it's a "smaller" voice, which I prefer, things are more subtle here, a good thing. Her writing on 4 songs is decent too, room to grow. The album has a very prominent American R&B approach...let alone working with many US writers and producers...it feels tailormade for the US market, more than the UK market...for some reason the album's approach reminds me of Cher's 1996 album "It's A Man's World", with the American approach and UK appeal, but with original material, not covers.
Now for the songs themselves...
1- "3 Words" (with Will-I-Am), the 2nd single, an interesting and enjoyable song, to say the least...it has a guitar-dominated sound and approach that is kinda "alternative rock", not unlike Death Cab For Cutie, but mixed with a cool underground-ish beat & groove that would fit in an edgy club...the remixes are really good too...and Will & Cheryl's duet on meeting each other as soulmates in a club has a nice to & fro, give & take...it tells a story and turns a typical cliche of boy meets girl on its head...Will's "I met a girl at the bar" line reminded me of a line Tom Petty sings in the Traveling Wilburys for some reason...Cheryl's and Will's vocals blend in a nice harmony too...a real grower. 9/10
2- "Parachute"...an Ingrid Michaelson cover!!! The 3rd single and it's a really catchy tune with a charming vocal by Cheryl and a cool marching drum beat...I wonder if Ingrid recorded this song on any of her albums she recorded and released independently?? 10/10
3- "Heaven" (with Will-I-Am)...another catchy Will-I-Am collabo, with the 2 bonding and to-and-froing, with a courting duet...meeting, marrying, having babies...er, is he jealous or does he keep forgetting about Ashley??? It is fun to hear Cheryl try on some American clothes and sing "witchoo", really cute actually. 9/10
4- "Fight For This Love"...the first single & an instant classic of a pop tune if you ask me, with Cheryl here matching anything recorded with Girls Aloud...great New Order-ish intro and killer chorus...it's weird that this song was co-written and produced by one LA-based Steve Kipner...if I recall, he co-wrote Olivia Newton John's love-it-or-hate-it 1981 song "Physical", yikes!!! This song at least does not have that polarizing quality, it's one of the most perfect pop songs recorded in 2009 I think. 10/10
5- "Rain On Me"...in the wrong hands, this mainstream pop song would just be average, and it does resemble something that would be recorded by Natasha Bedingfield, but Cheryl raises it to a higher level and something more listenable and memorable. 8/10
6- "Make Me Cry"...the ballsiest song on the record, with the electro/reggae feel, Cheryl actually digging deeper & spilling actual bile...she even spews the s-word here with pure honesty...is this song about her husband and his infidelities??? If it is, it shows that Cheryl will stand strong...you go Cheryl!! Great song too. 10/10
7- "Happy Hour"...a catchy ditty with a cool hook about if her husband was a cocktail, she'd drink him all up cuz he is her happy hour...nice metaphor and a catchy dance tune... 9/10
8- "Stand Up"...the second clubbish banger in a row and it's just as good, maintaining the momentum...9/10
9- "Don't Talk About This Love"...the only actual ballad on the album, and it's really sweet, with a nice melody and beautiful chorus, and moving lyrics...being this is the only ballad here, it's a nice change of pace and is much appreciated & special...Cheryl is not a big-voiced balladeer at all, which is why I'm happy "3 Words" is not dominated by slowies...but one as nice as this is welcome because it's sweet and not overkill...most mainstream singers, writers and producers don't know when to lay off the ballad gas pedal...Cheryl does as she seems to know her strengths and weaknesses, this is very important, sometimes more than vocals themselves...10/10
10- "Boy Like You" (with Will-I-Am)...the 3rd collabo with Will on her album, this co-write has something in common with Madonna's "Hung Up" in that it samples an instrumental hookline from a major sorta-oldie and the sample becomes a rush of a hook that shapes the song...with Madonna it was ABBA's "Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)" and it was killer...with Cheryl's "Boy Like You", it's the intro keyboard hook on Fleetwood Mac's 1987 smash "Little Lies", written by Christine McVie, and boy if it doesn't work like gangbusters...at first it felt weird, but once that beat kicked in over that hook, and Cheryl does her thing and Will does his, and they blend on that catchy chorus, all sparks break loose, exhiliratingly...LOVE it. 10/10
11- "Heartbreaker" (Will-I-Am with Cheryl & Cee-Lo)...a big UK hit...not sure if it was big in the US...but this 2008 single is pretty dang good...Cheryl sings the hook and Cee-Lo Green (from Gnarls Barkley) does most of the vocals on this song, and it's pretty cool that it's included here, for Cheryl's hookline alone, but it sorta does not belong and I have a feeling it will not be included on the US edition. 9/10
There ya go...very good, very likeable first effort...is it her best work?? Not at all. Will she be doing better work down the pike?? Absolutely, both solo and hopefully Girls Aloud...they have 3 more albums in their new contract, but I still welcome more solo work, possible US success, and TV work on "The X Factor" & L'Oreal commercials, and I hope to meet you one day Cheryl, you seem genuine, sweet and good-hearted."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1