Angels with Dirty Faces

by Sugababes

Overview

One of the best pop albums of 2002 wasn't released in the U.S. If that's not dropping the ball, then what is? An assured and durable follow-up to 2001's formative One Touch, which still packed a number of singles that gave the group a great deal of success overseas, Angels With Dirty Faces is a thoroughly convincing amalgamation of the artists they've been weaned on -- from Madonna to TLC to Aaliyah -- with a strong foothold in contemporary trends. A bootleg mash-up of Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" and Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric" led to the group's own spin on the trick, and it landed them the top spot on the U.K. chart. Using a beefed-up arrangement of Numan's robotic new-wave tune, the Sugababes lift Howard's forthright lyrics -- somewhat sheepishly, the "pump pump" that precedes "all through the night" is subsumed in the mix -- and weave the two elements together for a powerful and immensely catchy opening to the album. At no point during the remainder of the first half does the album lose steam. The verses of "Blue" are backed by jutting electronic beats that stutter and twist, while the chorus unwraps a tempo shift carrying an unexpectedly strummy quality. "Round Round," another hit that put the group on Top of the Pops, is something Garbage would no doubt love to have in their own catalog. Apart from a couple bum moments during the second half of the album -- see "Shape," a misguided re-configuration of Sting's "Shape of My Heart," replete with a literally patched-on appearance from the man himself -- this is a pop album that offers much more depth and excitement beyond the singles. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	11/01/2024
Label:	Universal Uk
UPC:	0602458909906

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sugababes   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Howard Jones   Composer
Mark Valentine   Composer
Robbie Bronnimann   Composer
Nick Coler   Composer
Michelle Bell   Composer
Robin Boult   Composer
Sting   Composer
George Clinton   Composer
Tim Powell   Composer
George S. Clinton   Composer
Nina Woodford   Composer
Christian Karlsson   Composer
Pontus Winnberg   Composer
Brian Higgins   Composer
Matt Gray   Composer
Miranda Cooper   Composer
Lucas Secon   Composer
Felix Stecher   Composer
Marius Vries   Composer
Thomas Christensen   Composer
Cornelius de Fries   Composer
Kevin Dodds   Composer
M. Valentine   Composer
Heidi Range   Composer
Felix Howard   Composer
Keisha Buchanan   Composer
Rino Spadavecchia   Composer
Craigie Dodds   Composer
Robin Hofmann   Composer
Lisa Cowling   Composer
Florian Pflueger   Composer
Bob Bradley   Composer
Gifford Noel   Composer
Mary Ann Morgan   Composer
Felix Starbuck Howard   Composer
Frederick Odesjo   Composer
Henrik Jonback   Composer
Bootsy Collins   Composer
Dominic Miller   Composer
Gary Numan   Composer
Mutya Buena   Composer
Eugene Hanes   Composer
Loren Hill   Composer
Johnny Rockstar   Composer