By STEPHANIE McGRATH
AllPop
Sugar Jones is, of course, the five-member girl-group formed on TV's "Popstars" series, the Canadian counterpart to Eden's Crush in the U.S. and Hear'Say in the U.K., and on Tuesday (June 26), they'll release their debut album.
The self-titled album meshes R&B, soul, and pop and, with its slinky flute loops and flirty harmonies, occasionally sounds like a grown-up Nelly Furtado serenading a large crowd at the Playboy mansion in the '70s.
When the girls get it right, the result is a pleasing mixture of smoky vocals and catchy choruses.
Tracks such as "How Much Longer," "It's Like Ice Cream", and "I Got U" (featuring Toya Alexis, a.k.a. Latoya for all you "Popstars" fanatics) manage to showcase each girl's vocal talent while also maintaining a cohesive group sound, complete with ear-pleasing harmonies and bouncy vocal extras that avoid falling into Christina Aguilera's melodramatic world of swooping scales.
Occasionally, Sugar Jones misses the mark and skips right over kitschy '70s funk appeal straight to '80s cheese (see "A Little Bit Of Heaven"), and some tracks simply lack energy or originality (see "If You" or "Baby Boo").
But the group gets bonus points for being willing to move in a different direction than their TV show's title once suggested, and for actually being able to sing.
It's hard to predict whether the album will please the young fans who followed "Popstars". It hasn't got the hyperactive energy of *Nsync's "Pop" or the familiar R&B thump that characterizes Destiny's Child's "Survivor".
On the other hand, "Sugar Jones" is a fun, summery album, and the inclusion of a French version of "How Much Longer" won't hurt, either.
Track Listing
Days Like That
How Much Longer
If You
Keep On Walking
Never Leave Hurt Alone
It's Like Ice Cream
Baby Boo
Get Yourself Together
I Got U (featuring Toya Alexis)
A Little Bit Of Heaven
Bonus Tracks:
Days Like That featuring Soltair (Baby Silver Remix)
How Much Longer (couplet en Francais)
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