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Ten (Girls Aloud album)

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Ten is the second greatest hits album by British and Irish all-female pop group Girls Aloud, released in commemoration of the group's tenth anniversary. It was released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2012 by Fascination Records.[1][2] The album consists of fourteen of Girls Aloud's singles, including the number-one singles "Sound of the Underground", "I'll Stand by You" and "The Promise" and four new tracks.

The album was praised by contemporary music critics, who noted production team Xenomania's creativity and Girls Aloud's strong collection of hit singles. The album yielded two singles, "Something New" and "Beautiful Cause You Love Me".

Background

Ten is the first album release by the group since 2008's Out of Control. After singing a 3-album deal with Fascination Records in February 2009, the group announced in July of that year that they would be taking a year long hiatus to pursue solo projects, and returning in 2010 with a new studio album, which failed to happen. In August 2012, Cheryl Cole confirmed after months of speculation that Girls Aloud's reunion would occur in November.[3] A few days later on 31 August, Cole confirmed to BBC Radio 1 and Capital FM that the girls' new single would be released in November, teasing the lyrics "I just wanna dance".[4] Prior to the album's announcement the group's official website, a countdown appeared a week beforehand, fueling speculation started by Cole in August.[5] The album was officially announced on 19 October 2012, with all five members appearing at a press conference announcing the single to the public.[6]

Previous material

Eight tracks from Girls Aloud's first greatest hits album, The Sound of Girls Aloud: The Greatest Hits are included in this greatest hits album such as "Sound of the Underground", "No Good Advice", "Jump", "The Show, "Love Machine", "I'll Stand by You", "Biology" and "Something Kinda Ooooh". The singles after the group's first greatest hits album and before the group's second greatest hits album such as "Sexy! No No No...", "Call the Shots", "Can't Speak French", "The Promise", "The Loving Kind" and "Untouchable" made the tracklist of Ten. The only single after their first greatest hits album that was not included in the group's second greatest hits album is "Walk This Way". The tracklist of the deluxe edition's second disc was decided by the fans, voting for their choices on Girls Aloud's official website.[7]

New material

Four new songs appear on the album. Girls Aloud's longtime collaborator and producer Xenomania wrote "Something New" and "Every Now and Then". Girls Aloud member, Nicola Roberts co-wrote the track "On the Metro" alongside Jason Pebworth, George Astasio, Jon Shave and Dan Stein, and Rachel Moulden penned the track, "Beautiful Cause You Love Me". The inclusion of these two tracks makes Ten the first album since their debut, Sound of the Underground, not to be produced exclusively by Xenomania.

Promotion

In addition to performances of "Something New" on Children in Need 2012 and Strictly Come Dancing, Girls Aloud performed their 2008 single "The Promise" at the 2012 Royal Variety Performance in London in November 2012.[8][9] It was televised on 3 December 2012.

A documentary special entitled Girls Aloud: Ten Years at the Top will air on ITV1 on 15 December 2012.[10][11] The show will explore the band's history, their individual successes, and their tenth anniversary reunion. The documentary will also have behind-the-scenes access to their comeback preparations, culminating in their performance at the Royal Variety.[11]

In 2013, the group will embark on Ten - The Hits Tour 2013. The tour will be the group's first tour in four years and their first tour since they returned from a three-year hiatus.[12][13]

Release

Ten was released in the United Kingdom on 26 November 2012.[14] The album is available in three formats. The standard edition features one disc containing eighteen tracks, including four new songs.[15] The deluxe edition features a bonus disc with a track listing voted for by Girls Aloud fans.[16] The HMV release of the deluxe edition included exclusive badges.[17] A limited edition box set was made available on Girls Aloud's official website. The set is packaged inside a collector's box and includes the deluxe edition of the album with a gatefold cover, the never-before-released The Passions of Girls Aloud on a two-disc set, six exclusive art prints, and a golden ticket to win one of ten prizes.[18]

Singles

The lead single from the album, "Something New" was released on 18 November 2012. The song premiered on Capital FM on 16 October 2012. The song received generally positive views from critics, praising its unusual structure as well as the production.[19] The song was also the official single for Children in Need and it peaked at number-two on the UK Singles Chart.[20] The second single from the album, "Beautiful Cause You Love Me" will be released on 17 December 2012. Lyrically, the song was compared to Sugababes' "Ugly", TLC's "Unpretty" and Demi Lovato's "Skyscraper", while musically it was compared to the Spice Girls' "Too Much".[21][22]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
BBC Musicvery positive[23]
Daily Express4/5[24]
Daily Mail[25]
Digital Spy[26]
Drowned in Sound7/10[27]
omg!positive[28]
Pitchfork Media7.0/10[29]
So So Gay[30]
State[31]
The Times[32]

Upon its release, Ten was met with critical acclaim. Ian Wade of BBC Music hailed it as "incredible proof of how perfect pop can be in the right hands", placed it "up there with Gold, Substance and Discography in terms of greatest-hits sets" and concluded by stating that "if it’s the last long-player Girls Aloud put their name to, their legacy is assured."[23] Robert Copsey of Digital Spy awarded the album five stars out of five, praised the inclusion of the songs "Black Jacks" and "Memory of You" in the tracklist and called Ten "a carefully-balanced collection that should please both casual and dedicated fans."[26] Simon Gage of the Daily Express wrote that Girls Aloud are "celebrating their decade with an album that includes greatest hits [...] and [...] a number of new tracks that are in the main pumped-up crowd-pleasing pop" and noted that "you’d have to be mad not to go with it."[24] Adrian Thrills of the Daily Mail called Girls Aloud "the most vital all-female group since The Spice Girls" and wrote that the album "backs their fizzing vocals with fuzzed-up guitars and zany Euro-beats."[25] Lee Williscroft-Ferris of So So Gay noticed that "Girls Aloud’s success lies in having stuck with a winning formula to carve out a distinctive, instantly recognisable sound for themselves, while never becoming tedious or predictable", called Ten "an essential addition to anyone’s music collection" and described it as "a true testament to Girls Aloud’s prowess as a manufactured girlband, who have stood the test of time through a combination of clever marketing, wise adherence to a successful musical direction and the chemistry which binds the five individuals together as an act."[30]

David Edwards of Drowned in Sound praised the band's production team, Xenomania, for crafting "wondrous and weird, dirty and daunting, sexy and sublime songs" and noticed that Girls Aloud "for most of their career, [...] delivered blindingly good pop music." However, he criticized the choice of singles included in the album as well as the covers, while praising songs like "Call the Shots", which he described as "an impeccable piece of melodic layering and dynamic majesty" and "Biology", which he hailed as "their absolute masterpiece, [...] a beautiful Frankenstein’s monster of modern pop." He eventually called Girls Aloud "the greatest British pop band of the past ten years."[27] Douglas Wolk of Pitchfork Media compared them to The Supremes and described them as "a group whose presence is all about charm and restraint, and whose behind-the-scenes powerhouse is a brilliantly original writing and production team." He highly commended the complexity of the songs "Biology" and "Love Machine", but felt that the covers and the new tracks, particularly "Beautiful Cause You Love Me", "just drag the album down." He went on to suggest that "they may have a second wave in them" and concluded by writing that "the virtue of Girls Aloud's best songs [...] is that the next part is always even better than the one you're listening to until, suddenly, they're over."[29] Commenting on the new tracks, Phil Udell of State felt that "they have managed to maintain the quality" and noted that the singles "Love Machine", "The Show" and "Biology" "still prove the highlight of their career so far, fizzing with an excitement and joy that’s hard to beat."[31] Si Hawkins of The National wrote that Girls Aloud were "a breath of fresh air [...] back in 2002 [...] and have remained a guilty pleasure ever since", highlighted "On the Metro" as the standout new track and called Ten "a fine body of work."[33] Jon O'Brien of omg! praised the band's ability "to cram more hooks into each song than most of their rivals could manage in their entire career" and although he criticized all of the new tracks except "Something New", he eventually called Ten a "triumphant retrospective".[28]

Commercial performance

Ten entered the UK Albums Chart at number-nine on 2 December 2012.[34] The following week, the album dropped 17 spots to number twenty-six.

Tracklist

All tracks were produced by Xenomania except for "On the Metro", which was produced by The Invisible Men and DJ Fresh;[35] and "Beautiful Cause You Love Me", which was produced by Jim Elliot.[36]

Standard edition[37]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Something New"Brian Higgins, Wayne Hector, Tim Deal, Matt Gray, Carla Marie Williams, Nicola Roberts, Florrie, Xenomania3:20
2."The Promise" (Radio Edit)Miranda Cooper, Higgins, Jason Resch, Kieran Jones, Williams3:43
3."The Loving Kind" (Radio Mix)Cooper, Higgins, Tim Powell, Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe3:59
4."Untouchable" (Radio Mix)Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Gray3:48
5."Sexy! No No No..."Girls Aloud, Xenomania, Nazareth3:18
6."Call the Shots"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Giselle Sommerville, Lisa Cowling3:43
7."Can't Speak French" (Radio Edit)Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Nick Coler, Lei, Williams3:19
8."Something Kinda Ooooh"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Coler, Sommerville, Jody Lei3:20
9."Biology"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Cowling, Sommerville3:35
10."The Show"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Cowling, Jon Shave, Xenomania3:36
11."Love Machine"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Coler, Cowling, Myra Boyle, Shawn Lee3:25
12."I'll Stand by You"Chrissie Hynde, Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg3:43
13."Jump"Steve Mitchell, Marti Sharron, Gary Skardina3:39
14."No Good Advice"Cooper, Higgins, Coler, Cowling, Lene Nystrøm, Xenomania3:47
15."Sound of the Underground"Cooper, Higgins, Niara Scarlett, Xenomania3:41
16."On the Metro"Nicola Roberts, Jason Pebworth, George Astasio, Shave, Dan Stein3:12
17."Beautiful Cause You Love Me"Rachel 'Maiday' Moulden3:28
18."Every Now and Then"Cooper, Higgins, Wayne Hector, Deal, Gray, Annie Yuill, André Tegeler, Michael Bellina, Xenomania4:25
Deluxe edition bonus disc[38]
No.TitleWriter(s){{{extra_column}}}Length
1."Graffiti My Soul"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Cowling, PeplabWhat Will The Neighbours Say?3:14
2."Wake Me Up" (Performance Edit)Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Cowling, Lee, Paul Woods, Yusra Maru'e 3:10
3."Wild Horses"Cooper, Higgins, Coler, Cowling, Boyle, Shawn LeeChemistry3:23
4."Swinging London Town"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Matt GrayChemistry4:02
5."Whole Lotta History"Cooper, Higgins, Cowling, Sommervile, Larcombe, Xenomania 3:47
6."Crazy Fool"Girls Aloud, Cooper, Higgins, Jon ShaveB-Side3:34
7."Girl Overboard"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Coler, LeiTangled Up4:09
8."Black Jacks"Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Coler, CowlingTangled Up4:20
9."Hoxton Heroes"Girls Aloud, Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Owen ParkerB-Side3:00
10."Memory of You"Girls Aloud, Cooper, Higgins, Powell, Giselle SommervilleB-Side3:48
Deluxe edition box set, disc 3[39]
No.TitleLength
1."The Passions of Girls Aloud: Sarah"46:01
2."The Passions of Girls Aloud: Cheryl"47:30
Deluxe edition box set, disc 4
No.TitleLength
1."The Passions of Girls Aloud: Kimberley"48:13
2."The Passions of Girls Aloud: Nicola"45:46

Charts

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Irish Albums Chart 17
UK Albums Chart 9

References

  1. ^ "Girls Aloud to make comeback". CBS News. CBSnews.com. 2012-10-19. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  2. ^ Savage, Mark (2012-10-19). "Girls Aloud reveal reunion plans". BBC News. BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  3. ^ "Cheryl Cole confirms Girls Aloud Reunion will be in November 2012". Music Eyz.
  4. ^ "Cheryl confirms new Girls Aloud single". josepvinaixa.com. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Something New: Girls Aloud unveil comeback track". independent.co.uk. October 16, 2012. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  6. ^ Ellie (October 19, 2012). "Girls Aloud announce tour and unveil Something New video, we faint from excitement". uk.omg.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  7. ^ "Girls Aloud 'Ten' fan-voted CD Two tracklisting confirmed - Music News". Digital Spy. 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  8. ^ Ingham, James (22 July 2012). "Girls Aloud to sing for Queen". Daily Star. Northern & Shell. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  9. ^ [Girls Aloud and One Direction at Royal Variety Show "Girls Aloud and One Direction at Royal Variety Show"]. BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat. BBC. Retrieved 1 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  10. ^ "10 Years of Girls Aloud". ITV Media. ITV. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  11. ^ a b "Girls Aloud: Ten Years At The Top". ITV Press Centre. ITV. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  12. ^ "Girls Aloud 2013 Tour Dates". girlsaloud.com. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  13. ^ "Girls Aloud Announce 2013 Tour Dates & Greatest Hits". MTV UK. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  14. ^ Jonze, Tim (19 October 2012). "Girls Aloud announce comeback tour and album". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Girls Aloud: Ten (2012)". HMV. HMV Group. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  16. ^ "Girls Aloud 'Ten' fan-voted CD Two tracklisting confirmed - Music News". Digital Spy. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  17. ^ "Girls Aloud Ten: 2cd: Deluxe Edition: Hmv Exclusive: Includes Badges (2012)". HMV. HMV Group. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  18. ^ "Girls Aloud TEN Greatest Hits Deluxe Box Set". Universal Music. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  19. ^ Susana Novo Vázquez (October 16, 2012). "Girls Aloud Are Back With Something New". huffingtonpost.co.uk. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  20. ^ "Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |acessdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "Girls Aloud - 'Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me'". NME. IPC Media. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  22. ^ Amy Sciarretto. "Girls Aloud, 'Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me'". PopCrush. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  23. ^ a b Wade, Ian (2012-11-23). "Girls Aloud Ten Review". BBC. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  24. ^ a b Gage, Simon (2012-11-23). "CD REVIEW: GIRLS ALOUD: TEN". Northern & Shell. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  25. ^ a b Thrills, Adrian (2012-11-22). "Girls Aloud: Ten (Polydor)". Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  26. ^ a b Copsey, Robert (2012-11-23). "Ten - Girls Aloud". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
  27. ^ a b Edwards, David (2012-11-28). "Girls Aloud - Ten". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  28. ^ a b O'Brien, Jon (2012-11-25). "Girls Aloud - Ten review". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  29. ^ a b Wolk, Douglas (2012-12-07). "Girls Aloud: Ten". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  30. ^ a b Williscroft-Ferris, Lee (2012-11-26). "Album review: Girls Aloud - Ten". So So Gay. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  31. ^ a b Udell, Phil (2012-11-30). "Girls Aloud – Ten". Roger Woolman. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  32. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (2012-11-23). "Girls Aloud: Ten". News Corporation. Retrieved 2012-11-27.
  33. ^ Hawkins, Si (2012-12-04). "Girls Aloud: Ten". Mubadala Development Company. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  34. ^ "Olly Murs scores a chart double, Girls Aloud beaten to the top spot yet again". Yahoo! OMG UK. 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  35. ^ Bradley Stern (23 November 2012). "The Unparalleled Amazingness of Girls Aloud's "On The Metro"". MuuMuse. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  36. ^ "Girls Aloud debut 'Beautiful 'Cause You Love Me'". MTV News. MTV. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  37. ^ "Girls Aloud / Girls Aloud Are Back!". Girlsaloud.com. 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2012-11-07.
  38. ^ Published Tuesday, Oct 23 2012, 12:52 BST (2012-10-23). "Girls Aloud 'Ten' fan-voted CD Two tracklisting confirmed - Music News". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2012-11-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  39. ^ "Girls Aloud TEN Greatest Hits Deluxe Box Set at Universal Music". {{cite web}}: Text "2012-12-05" ignored (help)
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