Less sculpted than
Steps, not as gaudy as
Destiny's Child, and, if you can believe it, far more of an awkward, provocative outfit than just about any logical peer, the
Sugababes didn't so much usher in the suffused post-millennium market for myopic
pop as give it a much-needed kiss of nubile
soul. Clearly 16-year-olds
Keisha Buchanan,
Siobhan Donaghy, and
Mutya Buena have been weaned on
Madonna and
Aaliyah records, taking from them their feminist assurance and passion, but they remind us of a valuable lesson -- if you're going to hew melodious, structurally accessible songs out of cold
dub and
rock, it really helps to use actual feeling and sincerity, and hang on to every shaky personal trait that got you there in the first place. From the Reebok Matterhorn-rumble of
"Overload" to the petal-plucking
Bangles cheval glass of
"Soul Sound" and on to the nocturnal, string-doused
pop-wonderland-with-trenchant-
garage-middle-bit that's
"Run for Cover," the jitters of youth are here though tempered by shrewd ambition and a clever and unpredictable production aesthetic. As alarmingly undeveloped LPs go,
One Touch is everything a post-
Spice Girls teen pop debut should be -- discreet, adolescent, and as unstudied as a late-night phone call about boys. ~ Dean Carlson
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![Red [Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602537173143_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Red [Deluxe Edition]")
![Red [Taylor's Version][Japan-Only Edition][7-inch Paper Sleeve Package]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/4988031460504_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Red [Taylor's Version][Japan-Only Edition][7-inch Paper Sleeve Package]")
![Fearless [Taylor's Version]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602435845098_p0_v4_s90x140.jpg "Fearless [Taylor's Version]")
![Red: Taylor Swift Karaoke [CD/DVD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0843930008612_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Red: Taylor Swift Karaoke [CD/DVD]")
![Taylor Swift Karaoke: 1989 [CD/DVD]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0843930015429_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Taylor Swift Karaoke: 1989 [CD/DVD]")
![Yours Truly [Tenth Anniversary Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602537480821_p0_v3_s90x140.jpg "Yours Truly [Tenth Anniversary Edition]")
