Album C-View: All Saints - "All Saints"

[00:00:00] Here is the sexiness. You've got a bag. Sight. It's about a crappy friend. Like, not the The cloning at the end is hilarious to me. I remember that very vividly. Like, that's the scene that I remember the most from this music video is the cloning at the end.

[00:00:20] And I was like, girl, girl. Viewer discretion is advised. Your fave will be criticized. That's Shan. That's Chris. And welcome to CCTV, the nonstop pop show. And for today's episode, we are discussing All Saints debut album. Looking for an awesome global pop music podcast? Well,

[00:00:44] Shan and I have the inside scoop with extensive experience performing on stage and working at record labels. We review and deep dive into your favorite artists, songs and careers, and also interview music industry professionals. So you can join us on Patreon at patreon.com

[00:01:00] slash cctv pops and become a part of our awesome crew, which includes the set, Lily, Emily and Juliet. So subscribe now and let's explore the world of pop music together. Yes, together we can.

[00:01:15] All Saints. Now, some of the questions that we do this for our eternal under our eternal comments, someone did it and then someone else mentioned it under another Brit pop act.

[00:01:24] It's just people have been asking we have not been ignoring you. It's just that I had to learn. Chris has been trying to like give me the scoop. Yes. They're great. I like them. Yeah, I think during the pandemic, so just to give some context for everybody,

[00:01:42] during the pandemic, I gave Shan a huge crash course in British pop music. And I did basically what eventually turned into our pop one of ones where I kind of just went

[00:01:52] through the career and was kind of like, okay, this is their first single that this was their breakthrough hit. And yeah, and all says was one of the lists was one of the ones that we did.

[00:02:02] And I remember you liking them a lot actually. Oh yeah. I got some ads. And yeah, this definitely is our most requested artist, I think here on CCTV. Like it wasn't

[00:02:13] just on the sugar babes ones. It's also on the all the girls loud episodes. It's on the steps episodes. It's like on everything. So we're finally getting into it. And we're going to

[00:02:23] start with some album reviews and then they do have an interesting career as well. So eventually a 101 would be fine. But yes, I'm a big fan of all saints. They are they are up there in my

[00:02:33] like top 10 favorite girl groups, I would say. And they were a great counter to the Spice Girls at the time. They were the cool ones, they were more mature. And I actually have grown to appreciate

[00:02:45] their music a bit more actually as I've gotten older as well. So yeah, I'm excited to get into them. And I have no idea what you think of any of these songs really so This is true. Very excited for that as well.

[00:02:57] Let me giggle like maniacally like, but yeah, let's get into it with going through the technical track, my track and talk about the album. Oh, saints subtitle album, which is great. So released in November 1997, all Saints debut album is one of the most successful girl groups

[00:03:16] album of all time with over 5 million copies sold worldwide and reaching platinum status in countries including the US. Wow, look at us finally accepting some Brit pop with member Shazne at the creative helm and a slew of number one singles. This album remains as a

[00:03:33] treasured project for pop fans 25 years later. Okay, we will now go track by track and discuss the production of vocals and lyrics and give our ratings for each song. So starting with Never Ever, which was done by Shazne Lewis, Sean Maestro Mather, Robert S. Mel Jazzieri,

[00:03:53] Magnus Fiends and Cameron McVeigh. And this was released as the second single from the album and the song remains one of all Saints biggest hits and arguably their biggest hit worldwide as well, hitting number one in several countries including the UK and Australia

[00:04:10] and peaking in the top 10 in the US, Canada and all over Europe and Asia. Next to Spice Girls wannabe and Little Mixes shout out to my ex, the song is the third highest selling girl group single ever in the UK.

[00:04:24] So Shazne wrote the song after breaking up with her boyfriend and she interpolated the melody of Amazing Grace and the song won two Brit awards in 1998 for Best British Single and Best Music Video and speaking of The Music Video, there are two. There's the original version and then

[00:04:40] the second version primarily made for the US market. So what do you think of Never Ever? Oh man, what a long intro. You know the funny thing is I'm used to like speaking.

[00:04:54] Sounds like as soon as I said that, someone would be like, Jesus, I hate her. I'm not hating. It's iconic. Yeah, it's one of those very brave moments where there is not much going on except ooze and ooze.

[00:05:10] And you have somebody talking like, well, I don't know what happened. Like, why do we break up? And I just don't understand and I need you to talk to me. And personally, me, I am this kind of person where I'm like, I need to write things down. Like,

[00:05:22] I'm giving people letters. I'm a, I even said some of the video at one point. I was like, we need to talk. Can we talk about this? I don't like this whole like weirdness. Even if we don't reconcile, I'd like to know how to not make this

[00:05:33] mistake again. And that was expressed in this, the verse. And it's interesting because it's very relatable and realistic in terms of what people who want answers would do. Some people like, I don't need closure. Closure is a luxury. But this one is interesting because it's like

[00:05:47] writing in your diary or like a journal or even now in the notes app. Paragraph after paragraph about the person that hurts you. So yeah, I had no clue what the song was about as a kid. But I remember it oddly. I don't know. Because it was huge.

[00:06:01] Yeah, but I was little. So I was tired. Yeah, but they were still playing it after that, you know? The song has transcended. People remember this one, even the US. That's what I'm saying. But I don't know where like, like, I can tell you where I heard this

[00:06:13] one or this like, oh yeah, I heard Girls Aloud because of VH1. This one, I don't know, it was a movie or TV show. I don't know why. Cause when you played it, I was like,

[00:06:21] why do I know this song? And it could be because of the amazing Grace interpolation. But I do like it. I think once the vocals come in, you're like, oh, hang on, this group can sing.

[00:06:30] And they also don't sound like teenagers, which is a I can appreciate. But yeah, I think some parts like the part that really says out to me is the vocabulary runs through my head

[00:06:39] like A to Z. I was like Z. And I realized that everyone else says that except Americans. But um, but yeah, that stuck out to me. I love that. And I think this song is reminiscent

[00:06:49] of what was so interesting about 90s pop music. We talked about it before with Eternal How. There'd be inspirations of gospel and inquires and pop music. I was wearing a Mariah Carey shirt

[00:07:00] even yesterday and someone was like, I just miss her old stuff when she would like really go like take it to church. And it's true. A lot of people like that kind of feeling because it just,

[00:07:07] it transcends just regular pop music. It feels like something more. But yeah, no, this song is really something that is special. I can see why people liked it at the time. I too like this song. But I will say after listening to it, even like

[00:07:20] just taking away the whole like legacy of it, I had to listen to it and be like, actually like this song. And I would say yes. And I think what saves it for me is how

[00:07:30] swingy the verses are. It feels like they're writing the beat. So doesn't it feel like super poppy where it could have been cheesy? Like as we go on, like that kind of super cheesy love

[00:07:39] that song. But it's very pop. This has a little bit of a cooler kind of like R&B hip-hop headbop kind of feel to it. So you can appreciate a little bit more. Your heart broken, but

[00:07:50] you won't keep going. I'm gonna keep going. It hurts, I'm a cry-doh. You know? And I appreciate that. So yeah, I like it. Yes. I love this song. I think it's pretty perfect as a pop song.

[00:08:02] I do think the six minute version is a tad excessive. So I do listen more so to the radio at it sometimes. But yeah, I agree. I think the gospel inspiration here is really cool because

[00:08:12] it's relatively subtle. Like obviously you have an organ, but it is balanced very well with the piano, the electric guitar licks and has the kind of R&B drum loop that was very common at the

[00:08:23] time as well. So yeah, I think the production is really, really well done. Nicole's intro is awesome. Like I actually heard this song out at a bar once in London and literally everyone just stops

[00:08:37] talking and just recites the whole thing. Like it's kind of amazing. That's why I was like. And even watching like these later festival performances that they've done in the later years and stuff in more recent years, I should say. It's crazy how you just have the giant crowd.

[00:08:53] They know every single word. And it's beautiful. It's like a beautiful letter, like you said. And her delivery is so good. Like it's melancholic, but it's not overly dramatic. So yeah, I think she does a great job there. And then getting into the verses,

[00:09:06] Melanie and Chasney. I'm going to say this now because it's kind of true for the whole project. Like Melanie and Chasney balance each other vocally so well. Like they are meant to sing

[00:09:18] with each other. They both have very, very unique tones. So Chas has more of a nasal quality and there's kind of a natural sass tour of voice while Mel on the other hand is a little

[00:09:28] sweeter, more innocent. But then there's like an aloofness as well. And that aloofness is kind of also there for Chasney, which is why I think they blend so well together. But yeah, I just think these sounds so good together. Yeah, just very effortlessly cool.

[00:09:43] Yeah. Yeah. You know who was it? I think it was like, you know, um, baby, baby, baby love. Diana Ross hated that song and there's a point to this. She hated the song, but Barry Gordy

[00:09:53] kept the take where she was like, baby, baby, baby love, they don't need me. But because she has like a great, she's a great soprano vocalist. She has a nice blend

[00:10:04] in her voice. Her head voice is very beautiful, is very airy. That's the kind of vibe I get. Is something she doesn't care? Am I saying that she doesn't like the song? But that same tone, that aloofness, that's what I hear too is very effortless because even Diana,

[00:10:17] she did not like that song. But that's the take that they kept because she's that good. And that's, I get that. That's cool. Because I hear it right. And I was like, I hear that. I totally

[00:10:26] hear that little, yes. Especially Melanie. Yeah. I love it. You're right. It does. Yeah, so I concur. Love that. I quit. I concur. Yeah. And this song's cool because it is kind of conversational in the

[00:10:39] way it's written as well. So it is very internal and it's kind of depressing, but then they're singing it so nonchalantly that that it balances out so well. So it's not too sappy. Yeah.

[00:10:48] Yeah. Yeah. For sure. So there actually is a lot of behind the scenes drama with this song. So we'll get into that with the eventual what a what, but just FYI.

[00:10:59] But yes. So we have two music videos. What do you think of the two? Which one do you like more? It may be a secret. Maybe not. I don't know. I don't say it a lot. I've noticed that when

[00:11:10] Americans get a hold of a song that already has a video instead of just, I don't know, just replaying the video. Maybe it's like a rights thing. I don't know. Maybe it could

[00:11:20] be a rights thing. I don't know how film stuff works like that. But why not use the same video? I don't understand. Yeah. I don't get it either. In the Brit version, it's very much like reminiscent

[00:11:30] of a breakup. Like I remember these memories with this person I was with. There's even a little chunky dog in there in the apartment like, oh who gets the dog? Like it just feels

[00:11:37] like a breakup. In the American version, these young ladies are in a church. Why? Because someone, her church organs and was like, go to the cathedral. Let's make it happen. Man. And the explosions? There was just a lot. There's explosions in both of them. So I think

[00:11:57] the explosions make more sense in the British video because it's kind of cool because it's a representation of how they're feeling. Like they're blowing up their apartments and stuff. Yes. What they make sense. In the US one, it's more just fireworks, right? Or not fireworks,

[00:12:10] but it's like, yeah, random things like the pipes and stuff explode. I don't know. That's what I'm saying. This is why I'm questioning why they were in the US version because it was

[00:12:20] just like, what the heck? But in the Brit version, I was like, I felt that even with the chunky dog, I was like who gets the dog? In a breakup, that's a very important conversation to have.

[00:12:30] You know what I'm saying? So I appreciated it. And the girls were emoting and you can kind of like, it was like the girls look super serious in the American version. In the Brit version, Shazmy even smirks a couple of times. There's a little bit of a

[00:12:45] her head, she's leaning her head in that head bop way. I feel like they just, I don't know what happened, but yeah, that's how I feel about that. How do you feel about it?

[00:12:53] So obviously the US video is the one that I know because that one was all over like BH1 and MTV and stuff at the time. But I agree with you. I don't really get why

[00:13:03] they needed to re-film this one because I thought the UK video was very effective and it fit the song perfectly. What I really don't get in the US one are the really random shots of like

[00:13:15] the flowers and the helicopter and the horse. And then they added sound effects to each of those things as well. And then I of course remember the end very well, the cloning. The cloning at

[00:13:26] the end is hilarious to me. I remember that very vividly. Like that's the scene that I remember the most from this music video is the cloning at the end. So yeah, the British

[00:13:35] one definitely wins there. Did you have a chance to watch any of the performances? What did you think? Oh my god, I love the, I remember I said this had like a cool little bop thing to it.

[00:13:44] Yeah. I forgot that this was the choreography had. And it's not interesting looking at like the way they were dressed. Like but back then dressing like that was all the rage back in

[00:13:53] the 90s, you know? So I think it was really cool to see them dressed like that because we had groups like that here in America. That was just their uniform. Like hey, SWV, XScape,

[00:14:02] all those groups like that dressed like that. So to have them do that over there was really cool, you know? So again, it just kind of adds that hip hop edge hands to this really

[00:14:14] sad little breakup song. Me saying little isn't pejorative but just a sad. I just like, you know, I feel so sad. But we're still cool bopping. So I liked it. And then their recent performance, like you said about like how the intro spoken part everyone knows it.

[00:14:28] Just watching them perform at festivals. Then I was going, like everyone's just like yelling it out. It's great. So yeah, this is one of those performances that I feel like at the time made sense for the choreography. It wasn't like this weird like them, you know,

[00:14:47] breaking it down. It just fit. And even how they perform it. They don't even have to bop. They can just let the audience sing the song. So kudos to them. Good. Yeah, it is interesting watching it over the years because the blend and the harmonies

[00:14:59] have gotten way stronger over the years as well. I mean, this calls back to some of the drama I was referring to. But yeah, they're much happier now or I guess in the more recent performances, right?

[00:15:10] So yeah, it's nice to see them performing it nowadays. But yeah, I find the choreography very funny like the step bop thing. It's fun. Break it back. The 90s were so extra with those bops.

[00:15:25] Absolutely. We make fun of it to these days. Oh man. All right, so that being said, what do you give the score? I know you're a score. I'm very obviously a 10. The song was amazing.

[00:15:39] How about you? Like I said, I had to kind of listen to this without the nostalgia attached to it and like the legacies left behind because it's super long. I'm going to give it a 9.5

[00:15:49] because it's not like, oh my God, to me because it's my sensibilities. I'll give it a 9.5. I'm sitting at a 9 for a minute. Okay, even lower. All right. Interesting. Isn't it a 9 right now? Yeah, yeah, yeah. The British people will be very mad at you and I'm

[00:16:01] kidding. Be mad then for the break. All right. Of next is Booty Call. And this was done by Shazne Lewis and Carl Gordon, aka KG. And this was released as the fourth single from the album.

[00:16:17] And Booty Call continued the number one streak for the group in the UK. Yeah, man. It's a fun stuff now. All right. Yeah, this one's always been a weird one for me honestly

[00:16:30] because I remember not thinking much of it as a kid, which makes sense. Right? I was like seven. And I was like, I don't know what they're singing about and like it's quite like a

[00:16:42] monotone song. And so I was kind of just like, I just didn't really get it as a kid. Now I do though. Now I think it's really cool. So it's one of those that has grown on me quite a

[00:16:53] lot. I do still think though it was kind of a risk as a single. Like it's kind of a weird one for a single but I'm glad it went to number one. That's awesome. Oh, interesting.

[00:17:03] Yeah, but the lyrics are super cheeky, very sassy. I do love the confidence of it all and it kind of reflects a lot of different aspects of a hookup too. Like it's not just about

[00:17:17] a one night stand or whatever. Like they talk about their emotions and stuff. I don't know, it gets like kind of deep which I appreciate. No it does. It's just so funny. There's layers to my...

[00:17:25] Yeah, there's layers to their Booty Calls. Yeah, there we go. Yeah. Yeah. So KG is known as the unofficial fifth member of All Saints because he was kind of a big part of them like creating

[00:17:36] their sound and in partnership with Chasney as well of course. And he has a really cool production style. Like there's a lot of tension in it. I love the little phone sounds and the beeps and the

[00:17:46] breaths. It just makes it all feel very dangerous. Yeah. I don't love the vocal loop of him. I think it's him doing the uh, you know. I'm crying. It's like it's out of here. The chorus

[00:17:59] is cool. It's very simple, you know bring it on, bring it, bring it on. But it builds nicely. It kind of starts with the low octave then they bring in the harmonies and the higher octave.

[00:18:08] And then with the verses you get the members switching in and out. There's some talky moments, there's some singing moments. So it's kind of conversational as well. So even though the melody

[00:18:17] is like kind of monotonous, they do a good job with the execution and all the verses are kind of different from each other as well. So yeah I just think it's a cool track. And when they sing it live there's even more harmonies as well which I love.

[00:18:29] Yeah so you love a little bit of elevation in it. It's interesting because when I heard it I was like oh okay, how's it going on here? And then I heard that little beatboxing rapid beatboxing things

[00:18:42] and it reminded me of Timbaland and I know obviously KT became before but that loop is also in all of these I miss you and she had recorded that before her passing so she was like around

[00:18:52] the same time. So it was interesting kind of like here she had recorded it like when she was 17, 19 around the 1 in the million era. So that kind of that loop I latched on to and I was like

[00:19:03] am I gonna like this song? And I do actually do like it. It made me tune in very keenly when I heard that and I think I like the way it is because it does sound like R&B. It sounds like

[00:19:14] TLC actually like the way it's delivered. It sounds like TLC like the first ish album. Like less hip hoppy well no it's just as hip hoppy but not as like New Jack Swingy. There we go

[00:19:25] as the debut TLC album and I appreciate the line distribution. I think because it has that 90s R&B vibe, the line distribution came as like a nice refreshing take because coming in and out with

[00:19:41] vocals and these little rap talky bits it just reminds me of what's going on with K-pop now. I think I texted you one night about all saints being the blueprint for K-pop songs.

[00:19:51] I was like it wasn't this song but I was like oh my god she definitely is like an inspiration. But you know I mean totally like we joke about it but I mean K-pop is back in the day was known

[00:20:04] for like finding these random European tracks and like remaking them so I could see this being that and revamped in some K-pop way but this song is fun. I like it. It fits in my sensibilities of

[00:20:15] what I used to like when I was younger and it holds up for the most part and I like that it's not like six minutes long. Damn. That's what the radio edits for. I know I'm totally teasing.

[00:20:26] Okay so what do you think of the music video and the performances? So the music video was interesting because of like the color of it. I don't know why I sat here and was thinking like

[00:20:35] they're going to get really like oh yeah like ronzing with it. In my mind when I hear the title or see the title of the song I judge the book by the cover and help it but I

[00:20:46] appreciate that they did not do it. You know like my initial thought was oh they're going to do something with this but they kind of kept it really chill. It wasn't too like off-putting

[00:20:55] which makes things a lot more digestible because the song is already doing what it needs to do. The girls deliver the soul tree-ness very well. The black and white really just kind of makes

[00:21:03] it even more like almost like a film noir but not really you know I'm saying it gives like that dark kind of look to it so it was fun like that's the thing in the car is interesting.

[00:21:13] I mean people get to jigging in the backseat all the time but the wind is blowing in the backseat. It's just very much like everyone's out in the city trying to get whatever they're trying to get

[00:21:23] and the girls are kind of just making commentary about that's what it feels like they're kind of just like you know they just see what's going on. But yeah I think I think it's a simple video

[00:21:30] I do wish for like maybe like scenes of them all together and kind of like you know bopping. You know dancing you bopping yeah exactly. Not me doing it not seeing what I was

[00:21:41] doing but yeah a little bit of bopping would have been fun like a whole like group scene but it was okay. I like the whole like metropolis vibe but nothing like wow amazing.

[00:21:51] Yeah I think it's cool I think it is subtle but it does work. I do love how like the guys on the pay phones and stuff it does get a little sleazy because it's like what are they doing

[00:22:02] on those pay phones but it never kind of crosses the line there it's more just kind of a question mark there and then there are other random miscellaneous conversations happening on the phone too like you have people arguing and like you know other non sexy things and yeah

[00:22:19] just little things like even the random woman hitting the golf ball and stuff like yeah it was all just like kind of cool like it didn't really make sense but it was yeah it was cool and then

[00:22:29] performance wise so Mel was very pregnant during these promo performances so seeing her do like all those hip-hits and she's like pop. Yes. Like dang. That poor baby. They did do an unplugged

[00:22:43] version recently on radio or a few years ago now that is such a good version it sounds so good you would never think that this would work well acoustic but it does. I'm crying. You know it

[00:22:55] passed the Dolly Parton test that you were talking about. Which is surprising I'm gonna be honest with this one. That shows that you know it's has a good song all right but um but yeah

[00:23:05] no you're right the belly twerking was great um but yes no um that aside that aside what do you give this because I actually gave it a similar score it was close for me for um never ever. Oh wow.

[00:23:17] Yeah because it fits my personal like taste and stuff like what I used to be into right I gave this one like an 8.5 so okay yeah I will go an 8. Yes okay up next we have I know where it's at

[00:23:31] which was done by Shazne Lewis KG Magnus Viennes and Cameron McVeigh with a sample of The Fez by Steely Dan and this was released in August 1997 as All Saints debut single and it hit number

[00:23:44] four in the UK and number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100. What do you think? I remember you showed me this video and I was like I wish I was that cool.

[00:23:57] Oh my gosh oh man I don't I know I'm not talking about the video just yet but I'll get into it a little bit later but I like this no Tino shade to any group anybody but this group is super

[00:24:08] lucky that they had someone like competent enough to contribute to the musical composition and understand the sound of the group like I'm not sure what pre-debut was like for them but like

[00:24:20] it goes to show like once you have a member or you have a producer or someone that really knows the vocals of a group or as an artist it helps because like there's not going to be someone that sounds

[00:24:31] like them if you know what the heck you're doing oh my gosh and like the first harmony I know where I'm in San... I was in USA, USA but it's nice to hear and then the beat the the drum beat

[00:24:42] comes in you're like oh where is this going where is it at where is it going I want to go with you like it's nice and it's like again the beat is just this funky little thing like

[00:24:53] it's just pop personality with a G mentality you know I love it still live from Aliyah but you know it's just really cool and I remember showing you showed me the song and I heard

[00:25:03] Shazne's rap and I was like oh my god this is very much like left eye I think her adopting that American rap accent was smart too because I mean like when I heard it I was like

[00:25:13] hang on wait wait wait wait wait wait wait stop I think it's probably why I like them too they kind of sound like TLC not in a copy copy way but I hear Chili's voice in some of these chorus harmonies I

[00:25:24] hear left eye in the raps doesn't mean they were copying but it's one of those things where it's like oh I remember I hear I like and it's actually good enough to stand on its own where if I didn't

[00:25:33] know TLC I would probably still like this this is my own personal taste um but yeah it's interesting what you guys had to listen to like in the UK you know it's just like when we did

[00:25:41] the Eternal 101 video they had a couple songs that remind me of like Whitney Houston or like you know yeah like Power of Love sounded like emotions to me you know I'm saying so it's one of those

[00:25:49] things where it's like the Brits has something the US had something when you put them now we're listening to it like retrospectively it's like whoa this is pretty freaking tight so yeah I like

[00:26:00] it a lot I'm gonna stop because I can go on about the song for days but yeah it actually did hit the top 40 in the US too so some people do still remember this one too which is good

[00:26:11] but yeah I think this is classic like it's got so many great elements of a great 90s pop song yeah I do miss the self-referential pop songs as well where they call themselves out like I know

[00:26:24] it's cheesy but I do love it is it I mean I feel like if it's done right it's not too cheery yeah that's fair yeah but even the really cheesy ones are great S Club party anyone oh yes I do enjoy the whole structure of the track the

[00:26:38] intro is like a chant you know like a like a battle cry and it's instantly catchy starting immediately with the chorus it's just a great sing-along moment yeah the production is relatively

[00:26:50] simple it's kind of a more typical R&B drum loop again nothing too much going on in the instrumental it's got a nice bass line but it really does rely on the vocals and the harmonies and stuff to

[00:27:00] kind of give it the structure and give it the depth which is nice yeah so yeah I also love Chasney's rapping as well she actually doesn't rap that much throughout the whole discography

[00:27:13] this one might be one of the only singles really there's like one more on this album but yeah it is interesting because I do love it I feel like in I feel like she could use that more

[00:27:24] actually maybe maybe when we delve a little bit more but I think it was also it's like a shame but also smart because then I probably would have been like it sounds like TLC throughout if it

[00:27:32] would have been that's valid yeah yeah so it's like special choices yeah yeah yeah yeah that's fair so yeah they did not have to refilm this video for the US they did release the same one globally

[00:27:43] because it is a great video yeah what do you think now you can talk about it looks so hot like I wouldn't say I had friends like this I mean I mean my friends are very cool but like if I was

[00:27:53] like but like I would say I was in a girl group because of that that's my point I go she was in a girl group like they're literally just wearing freaking low-rise jeans and tank tops and I was like

[00:28:01] I want to wear a low-rise jeans and tank tops like it's very much like Rina Gina Jorra's were tank top of flip flops so I wore tank tops of flip flops and that's what these girls are doing like I looked

[00:28:10] at them and I want to wear the glasses on my head I want to wear Shazne's hair the wig I want to wear that I want to wear all of it I want to be part of this I think the color grading

[00:28:19] in this video is very interesting because it's weird yeah it's super weird it's almost I thought it was like over exposure but it's not it's just the colors are muted for the bodies and then it's

[00:28:30] set to one tone in the background so it kind of makes you focus on who's ever singing in the middle there's a lot of depth in it too because they're in a bunch of freaking hallways I don't

[00:28:37] know where they're going but they know where it's at wherever it is they're still going to it this whole video is where they're going like I was like they were walking the whole video

[00:28:46] and I'm like yo are you gonna get wherever this ad is like wherever it is the bedroom living on the bed I don't I don't know I feel about that they look hot which it doesn't make sense to me in

[00:28:55] terms I guess oh hang on they know where it's at maybe that's where it's at okay I stand corrected it is very much like where I want to be the zig a zig add you didn't know what it was until

[00:29:07] you got older now I'm older I'm looking at this video I'm like oh that's where it's at but get down get down sorry get down what did you think of this video when you were little Chris you

[00:29:17] know like I loved it they're so cool because it really is what I was saying before like they're like they were such a good opposite to the spice girls the spice girls were super colorful and

[00:29:27] they were loud and they you know when they entered the room they like took it over all saints were the opposite where they're just like we don't care like we don't need to try that hard we

[00:29:38] know we're living our best lives you know so just a great yeah just great to kind of have the two as kind of the leading girl groups at the time and they're great it's very entertaining

[00:29:49] and there's nothing even really happening but they can't no but just I know if you I love the ripping as well it's great oh yeah very good at it yeah I like that too

[00:29:57] all right so I will give this one a 9.5 how about you I'm gonna give this one a 10 because again it's my sensibilities yeah fair fair up next is under the bridge and this is a cover

[00:30:08] of under the bridge by red hot chili peppers and it was written by Chad Smith, Antony Kitas, John Frusciante and Flea and for this version it was produced by Nelly Hooper and KG. This was

[00:30:20] released as a double A side with their cover of Lady Marmalade and the single became the group's second number one single in the UK and this version was inspired by member Natalie's love of rock music and interpreted with the group's R&B pop sound and this cover actually

[00:30:34] received a lot of mixed reviews including Antony from red hot chili peppers because he was not a fan you know what I'll go already I'll blame him because I actually knew this version first the

[00:30:47] the I know the red hot chili peppers version first excuse me yeah no offense still offense but the original meaning is about someone hitting rock bottom as an addict and I'm sorry for saying it

[00:30:56] was strangely I just don't want you to be getting funky with us guys sorry um but yeah as an addict and even though the girls sound good I can understand his disdain like you hit

[00:31:04] rock bottom you know people ever rock is ruined this drugas has ruined people's lives and and we wrote a song about it and yes it may be catchy but it's very personal but yeah it's almost like

[00:31:13] with girls allowed doing stay another day like someone's brother had passed away and you guys covered it like like it was meaningful for people so it's a little bit difficult and I'm not

[00:31:22] saying that you can't cover a song just because it has these deep meanings but there's other songs you can cover you know I'm saying in their defense though I think that they did a good job

[00:31:32] they sounded good and I'm not saying that the girls could not relate but it's just I don't know what the strong enough reason outside of being a fan was you know I'm saying so that's

[00:31:41] meant only kind of like to hang maybe maybe not this song but now on to some you know some compliments I do appreciate the way they made it all sanctified I think the mid-mid tempo hip hop approach may have not been the complete route to take with this

[00:32:01] but I will say that it kind of added to the storytelling of the lyrics and it made me think of like inner city and I hate that I thought that but it just helps because I know the meaning

[00:32:10] of the song and for them to kind of take this more quote-unquote urban approach it made me think of like poverty stricken areas and urban areas that's what this kind of does that because

[00:32:18] aside from that I really can't really correlate any other emotion with that except what I know about the song now objectively like thinking about it it sounds cool for them the harmonies are really

[00:32:30] nice because there's no harmonies in the original not not no harmony but not as prominent um in there in the original so I appreciated it it was definitely somber enough to really feel believable

[00:32:42] but yeah I mean they did a good job to me it just again I think with all those dynamics and the nuances and all those other layers kind of just it's a little weird yeah so for me obviously

[00:32:52] I was like seven or eight so I had not heard the red hot chili peppers one before the first time I heard the song was the all saints one so very different experience I guess so I have no emotional

[00:33:04] attachment to the original at all got it got it that makes sense so it's hard for me to like obviously looking at it retrospectively I understand the critique of it and I actually

[00:33:15] really like the red hot chili peppers version as well but I actually do think the all saints one is quite good they did truly make it their own they did at least keep the signature guitar riff there

[00:33:27] and the rest of the production I don't know I think it's cool it retains the darkness that is the original like it's not like stay another day in a sense where they're suddenly

[00:33:36] saying it like it's a disco right pop song about a relationship like this one still feels like it could be about the same subject matter really in the way they're emoting it and so I think they

[00:33:49] actually did a good job with that and the harmonies for sure are my favorite part of the song and it's all very low as well which Chasney is always really good about and then there's kind of the

[00:33:58] switch up for the final course is to where it kind of has its own melody it gets kind of like cicado and stuff so it's kind of cool and finally we get to hear Natalie do a full verse she

[00:34:07] sings the second verse and I have to say I love Natalie's tone as well she brings something very different from Melanie and Chassey but she balances them well it's thick a bit more rock stylistically

[00:34:22] a bit more belty yeah she sounds like Katie from a bardo to be a little bit in that sense oh interesting yeah yeah yeah and yeah the other two are a bit more icy and even Nicole as well Nicole can also

[00:34:32] be a bit more icy as well so Natalie brings a bit more of a warmth there that maybe the other three don't have so yeah I just think the four of them just have a really really cool blend and it's great

[00:34:43] that Natalie gets a little moment here for sure finally yeah yeah so the music video actually served as a part two to the music video for Lady Marmalade uh so in Lady Marmalade which we'll

[00:34:55] talk about later obviously they are at a party in an apartment building and then spoiler alert it collapses so then under the bridge is them like struggling on the remains of the building

[00:35:07] I do think it's a cool visual absolutely like it doesn't really go anywhere after the initial setup so once you kind of realize what's going on that it's kind of like okay like is anything

[00:35:15] else going to happen now but they look cool they all have like funky hair and stuff and they are styled pretty coolly I do have to say though the only complaint they couldn't get

[00:35:25] someone who at least can play the actual guitar riff in the beginning and the ending like they just have this random kid that's strumming and it's like it doesn't even look like the guitar

[00:35:35] the kid in the alleyway yeah that alleyway that hallway she's making yeah yeah yeah yeah I'm crying in the club but you know I agree I you know you mentioned um the second verse yeah I was

[00:35:45] like in my notes I said the vocal delivery she just floats on the song but yeah like this video definitely adds to what I was saying like it makes you think of the way their approach is

[00:35:53] makes me think of like inner city and this looks like an urban area that's been like dilapidated like a project I'm not saying who lives in the project I'm just saying it looks like a project

[00:36:01] but yeah it also reminds me of the evidence in music video because of like the looking down oh yeah yeah life I know like the chicken before the egg like one became one came before the other

[00:36:10] obviously but I just think of that but yeah I think the video does what it needs to do they still look super cool which is yeah crazy like if someone know I am like how do you guys

[00:36:18] do this so effortlessly but yeah I do appreciate the video being dark and still maintaining the thematic elements of the lyrics but also bringing that quote-unquote urban appeal that the beat actually has into it so again it's all in common it encompasses everything really well

[00:36:38] like this man's feelings though no offense to them at all to write out chili peppers it's not going to change my score they're still gonna get a really good score sorry man all right so

[00:36:46] what do you give it I'm gonna give this one a nine yeah I like this one I'm gonna go 9.5 I do really like it as well also just one quick shout out to the dance routine more bopping

[00:36:56] more hip-hop we're bopping oh man it's great listen the shiggle babes have a sway all right moving on to track five our first album track we have heaven and this one was written by all four members of all saints Shazne Lewis and Melanie Blatt Natalie Appleton and Nicole

[00:37:17] Appleton and they wrote it alongside Magnus Fiends and Cameron McVeigh what do you think Cameron McVeigh we talked about him earlier yes he eventually then worked with the sugar babes yeah yeah exactly look at him getting his start getting to start with a cool group and

[00:37:32] getting with another cool group he knows his bag yeah this one is interesting because we're this is the album track like you said but oh man that bass line the zippy zappy little buzzing in

[00:37:43] your ear oh man there was there was no I had no clue about where this song was going to go in my mind and then like there's a sound of bells I'm like okay I see the title I looked back because

[00:37:53] I try to listen to it without like looking at the titles too much because I'm like I want to see what's going to happen I don't want to come up with the conclusion on my own but that's

[00:37:59] almost interesting because I'm like why in the world is going on like there's something really lucid about this song like there's a structure obviously it's a very similar chorus but something about it also feels amorphous like there's like the emotions in the lyrics depict that

[00:38:15] like kind of lucidness it's very like all not all over the place but it just flows in this very like conversational ways there's time for the track to breathe and you to really appreciate what's

[00:38:26] happening with the production which is still singing in the verse like there's a two-part verse in the first verse and I was like wait what what's going on so that's why I felt like it was

[00:38:34] a little amorphous and it felt a little like strange and I think that the uncertainty that it feels like it's like an oxymoron but their uncertainty feels very sure like they know that they're

[00:38:44] uncertain about things they don't know where life is going to go and like this is out of my hands but I'm okay with that and I like that the lyrics kind of have that storyline even as it progresses

[00:38:53] like I don't know what's going on I still are always happening and then eventually like accepting that and I appreciate that when the song just vamps without the music I'm like what's going on

[00:39:03] and then the chorus comes in it just floats and like ah I don't I didn't know how to feel about it at first but I was like I like the song because I didn't listen to the lyrics

[00:39:13] I was just like wait that's that's not the verse that the chorus that was obviously questioning when I listened to it I was like oh it's a solid so I like this one I think it's definitely a good

[00:39:22] example of like having a strong freaking album track instead of just being a filler when did you first hear the song by the way did you buy the album or is this like something that you my sister bought

[00:39:31] the album that oh my god okay but I'm pretty sure I listened to it more than she did someone ruined this album when I was being player go off yeah yeah I think this one again it's really cool I'm probably gonna use that word for everything

[00:39:44] but to have a song called heaven that is not super cheesy and to have the lyrics be like kind of hopeful but then confusing and also kind of sad as well like it's just a really

[00:39:59] interesting balance and very poetic and they all emote that very well I think the melody is super super pretty again the build of the harmonies keeps the song growing I absolutely love chasney's

[00:40:13] bridge with meld's responses as well just a really really cool moment and then you get this kind of like whirling bass as well that's that's kind of awesome I do have a question though for the fans

[00:40:21] because I have always found it sometimes tough to tell natalie and nicole apart and I know natalie is saying the second verse but is it nicole leading the chorus here so yeah let me know

[00:40:36] I can't fully tell natalie's usually a bit huskier a little thicker no I don't you mean they do kind of sound very similar so can't fully tell so let me know what you think no that's valid that's so bad

[00:40:48] because sometimes like I'll get like certain locals mix them they're like relate like me and my sister I'm obviously the better singer but like sometimes I'll hit note and it should be like oh my god

[00:40:57] no I'll have to you know like it just totally related but yeah no this this song is sad that's I think the the bridge was definitely like it's like a bridge outro thingy it was very wonky I like that

[00:41:08] one yeah so okay I'm like 8.5 because I like it a lot I like it a lot okay I'm going to give it an eight all right y'all let's hop into that next track and up next we have alone is done by chasney

[00:41:25] lewis once again and kg whoo kg yes kg again coming through with those interesting sounds that fart noise at the start of the song is so odd and it shows up at kind of select moments

[00:41:40] throughout the song as well but that was definitely a choice yeah I will say though production wise I do appreciate that the instrumental plays a role in the melodies actually as well in here yeah this

[00:41:51] song is not my favorite I'm going to be honest I think the vocal production is probably the most interesting part of the song because you kind of have the leads where they're kind of like

[00:42:00] it sounds like they're on a phone on the other end of the phone line oh yeah but then the harmonies are very clear so it's just a cool listening experience to have the harmonies be the ones that

[00:42:10] are not the distorted ones and the harmonies are super tight in this one as well I have to say yes they are tight yeah melodically yeah again it's like very nonchalant although the lyrics

[00:42:22] actually kind of deep as well you know they're like kind of questioning their partners thoughts and feelings but then like they don't want to end up alone so there's kind of like what do I need to do

[00:42:32] to not be alone so yeah just an interesting angle I guess to that subject yes but yeah I mean I think the song is like just okay like it doesn't really go anywhere uh and among the album it's not a very

[00:42:45] memorable one for me yeah I believe it was a B side to I know where it's at maybe and so I find it odd that then it ended up on the album as well because actually some of the B sides from this

[00:42:55] album you're are great so anyway I don't know what do you think you know this one sonic choices were a little grading for me especially that high-pitched whistle that appears I can't hear it now but it's

[00:43:07] a very high pitch like that that I'm singing down several octaves but I almost I almost turned my computer off I almost put my headphones out and I was listening to my car I just don't

[00:43:19] like it I don't mind a little beatboxing the sound because it's a beatbox that's a guy think of you far so that's a happy week you said little parts out but

[00:43:29] I don't mind that at first but yeah that that whistle throughout the course I don't care for it um the filter that voice effect that radio and it's meant to make it sound a radio filter

[00:43:38] makes it meant to make it sound like a phone call I guess it was there to add that cool effect I actually don't mind it but the effortless approach on the album at this point is starting

[00:43:49] to feel a little more just uninspired slash bored not saying that they didn't we weren't feeling inspired but now it's starting to kind of be a little like too cool for school like after a while like it's okay

[00:43:59] to start kind of introducing a little bit more energetic you know tones and the verses but yeah I just I'm at this point I'm getting to the point where I'm like okay I wanted a little bit

[00:44:07] of a switch in the vocal approach the sonic approach is it laid back and cool absolutely but sure after the umpteenth track being this way what is the charm of this song right and

[00:44:18] that's where I'm like okay the fatigue was starting to set in a little bit for me yeah yeah yeah but yeah so I agree with you in terms of like this ain't do it all the way for me you know so I gave like an

[00:44:30] average score of like a 66 okay I'll go slightly higher I'll do a 6.5 yeah oh all right moving on to if you want to party I found love in which was done by Michael Walker Johnny Flippin and Johnny

[00:44:45] Douglas and this samples I found love in by the fatback band okay so this one has quite a story so it was originally recorded in 1995 under the name let's get started by the group's first iteration

[00:45:00] all saints 1975 when Chasney and Mel were duo there was a third member named Simone who had just quit right before the release of the song so then it was rewritten re-recorded and retitled for the

[00:45:16] album after the Appleton sisters joined and the song was then released as a single exclusively only in Japan with an exclusive Japanese music video as well you know I get the whole territories

[00:45:28] thing but the the the Japanese thing I don't get why Japanese people love their pop songs no no but why is it specifically to appeal to Japanese like listeners they're so interesting because like

[00:45:39] I guess at the time like even like Prince songs my friends a huge Prince fans she gets all these illegal downloads from Japan because she has hookups and stuff like that and I'm like

[00:45:47] why was this the Japanese it would have been crying out here like like this right here do you know how many black Americans would love I found love like their their original

[00:45:57] that's what I said I like I love this song when you're like talking I love the original song since I found you and loving you I just want to sing it now I love the freaking song you know

[00:46:06] how many black Americans would have loved this so I just don't understand why the Japanese got it first I mean got it solely excuse me but you know I like this song the original is so freaking good

[00:46:19] but yeah it definitely picks up the energy of the album in an authentic way in an authentic way and that's what matters it wasn't just like well here it is here we go and I appreciate that

[00:46:30] and I think they kind of made them the the original track of I found loving was very much like there's like this weird why are we something the original one because of like the time with

[00:46:43] the technology that they had so I like that they kind of spruced it up a little bit because it was a little as mildly grading the original because there's like a weird high-pitched whistle as

[00:46:53] well in that song but you know this one is falling in a little rap again she's back and it makes sense and it feels authentic because we already got the rap and I know where is that

[00:47:03] so again it just feels super authentic and this one I love the way that the vocals are mixed in the chorus like that one voice made of several harmonies totally appreciate it I mean like

[00:47:13] they're really focused on the blend in the studio and I appreciate them the mix on that and again the the rap makes everything feel like a kickback like this song is very much like black barbecue

[00:47:24] for sure and it's fun it adds to the song's vocal dynamic which I wanted from before and interestingly enough I heard this song like the whole song throughout and I was like oh man I

[00:47:33] can hear like like an SM band the SM group doing this like our red velvet is a k-pop group that does a lot of like r&b songs like with this kind of way this way everything's mixed and even the

[00:47:42] structure of the song I was like you know in all saints I think high-key low-key may have had an influence but again like I said k-pop is definitely influenced by like early British and

[00:47:52] like Swedish writers and stuff like that too but like this song is fun it does what it needs to do which is revamp the regalvanize me as a listener so yeah I appreciate it as a track for sure

[00:48:03] nice did you have a chance to listen to the original duo version as well it's kind of interesting to hear kind of like how the song grew because there's definitely a chillness in the duo version

[00:48:14] where they kind of definitely made it more poppy for the final kind of refined version for the four of them it's kind of it's kind of an interesting show of also just the transition of music from

[00:48:25] like the mid 90s to the late 90s as well because it's like a three or four year difference there so yeah it's kind of interesting absolutely now you're right it does have a little bit more of

[00:48:33] like uh this is for the urban market sound yeah I thought it'd be funny but it does totally even the original video just looks like a looks like how 90s videos were like when Alia came

[00:48:43] out with um back and forth that overexposure or like the oversaturation the block part like very much like that yeah and everyone's dress is very like real love the dancing of the water

[00:48:55] very black american music video just fine yeah yeah but yeah I do really like the song it's got such a happy melody which I do agree it's kind of needed on this album because it was getting a

[00:49:07] little dark and salt fur up until now uh so yeah it was good to have a song that's just fun to sing along into and though the two appleton sisters don't get lead vocals on this song

[00:49:19] because you get this progression because you get to hear like the version of the duo then the version with all four you can see how important the two of them actually were to the blend they

[00:49:28] add so much to the chorus and to those backing vocals it sounds so much more powerful and the way they rewrote all the choices they made to rewrite the song were all really good as well

[00:49:37] the second verse is much stronger uh so yeah just kind of fun to hear a song kind of grow in that way but yeah I think this totally could have been an international single I mean they released

[00:49:47] like seven singles from this album so you know yeah I guess maybe I know where it's at kind of fulfilled this kind of type of sound so they kind of wanted to show everything else because to be fair

[00:49:56] every single single they released are completely different from this album but yeah this one's a great one they did actually sing it on their more recent tours it's kind of like a band

[00:50:06] introduction song so that was kind of cool uh so yeah I'm glad they're still referencing it for solid song yeah all right so what are you rated then I'm gonna give it a 8.5 I mean I'm not to be too

[00:50:18] generous okay I'm going to eight I'm going eight the sample got me I think I love the original they did it just like hey remakes of like old old songs when I don't do it well but back in the 90s

[00:50:27] they actually put effort when they sampled in so shade them up next we have trap by member Melanie Blatt Neville Henry Karen Gibbs and John Benson okay we're back to the chill

[00:50:43] back to the cool but there's a little brightness in the vocal delivery I would say now this is the first time we're seeing Melanie's name on a credit right like this is the first time we've

[00:50:54] like um without shaz yeah without shaz yeah it's interesting them being influenced by R&B really separates them sonically from other groups we've discussed on the show like the sugar

[00:51:05] babes had the coolness but it did lean a little bit more like pop and like soul even with like like the lost tapes it feels a little more soulful girls allow were super poplicious

[00:51:14] and an eternal one for like diva pop but like all saints really feels like 90s r&b groups like tlc shah ne j like that kind of thing and um that being said I thought that this song was

[00:51:27] gonna go in a sexy direction like what an american r&b pop group if you listen to this just like the production without the lyrics yeah yeah I'm like okay hang on I'm about to get some snaps

[00:51:38] and some body rolls and stuff you know some lip bites now this is more about like existential lism and mental health which I appreciate yes which I appreciate because it definitely makes

[00:51:51] you kind of listen twice words like I'm feeling this is nice okay I'm feeling this what's going on oh she's feeling sad she literally said she feels a little bit sad okay um you can appreciate that it

[00:52:02] creates like this dissonance in terms of the mood of the production and the words being said because no one really thinks my dog is that cool this song is like kind of making it almost

[00:52:11] approachable to discuss like I feel this way too shoot put that track on real quick why will I drink something or whatever you were doing at the time or now like this is depression but

[00:52:20] like depression you know I'm saying like it's a little like not fancy but it sounds a little bit more like again approachable and I think the mix and match of the beat in the vocals definitely

[00:52:30] draws me to the song I do wish that the bridge would have gone some somewhere other than trap oh um trap like come on like uh it kind of fell by the wayside the bridge fell by the wayside

[00:52:39] for me but I'll let it go and maybe deduct the duct like some points just a little bit oh interesting I actually don't mind the bridge actually yeah so I actually really like this

[00:52:48] song uh I think it fits well sonically but it does stand out from the on the album in a good way I think yeah and I do love songs that are told as like third person stories oh yeah that's

[00:53:00] that's a relatively rare in pop music so that's always refreshing and yeah these lyrics are definitely dark and it's interesting because I remember loving this one as a kid too more so

[00:53:10] just because more melodically I think I was about to say it's like a very like yeah because I'm like oh this is like really sad story like this poor woman has no idea where her life is going you know

[00:53:20] it's like oh god yeah and I think the whole structure is really interesting like you do have some little spoken moments there's a lot of call and response as well uh so it's kind of like I don't know

[00:53:33] depending on how you want to view it like if one of them represents the character in this that's like calling it for help and it could even be seen as kind of spiritual as well or

[00:53:42] or it could be seen as an internal conversation yeah as well like yeah there's just like a lot of layers to it which I appreciate and I think the melody is very very pretty I think Melanie for the songs that she

[00:53:54] writes for all saints there's always a really beautiful melody so she's really good at that and yeah I think the production has some cool elements there's some dreamy synth stabs in there some subtle vocal loops as well and again it showcases all the different tones in the group

[00:54:10] yes very well so yeah we love a deep pop song I'm into it I like this one I give it a nine no I'm laughing because I'm just thinking about how when I first heard the beat coming I was like

[00:54:20] yes give me that because we don't have a sexy song like booty call on this album yet you know but again it did not make me just deduct to much points that bridge that

[00:54:30] I give it an 8.5 not that not that much I still like it it's just lazy to me all right okay moving on to beg we have Shazne Lewis Johnny Douglas and John Benson this was a fun one what do you think

[00:54:47] there's a lot of bass in that bag that was that was very radio friendly voice of you I tried to emulate how they do it no that was perfect like that was very radio

[00:54:55] friendly wow good range good range um you know what just when I thought here is the sexiness you got a bag psych is about a crappy friend like okay hang on wait this could have been the song

[00:55:12] that that could have leaned into an unfaithful lover or something because like telling your friends to get on their knees to beg and that karma will come around and get them as a top line waste

[00:55:21] this is one of those times I'm here for it I'm here for it no hang on I'm gonna spend you gonna get on your knees like I get the sentiment where it's just like you know what

[00:55:33] we you get those dusty old men a chance why not give your friends that chance the same energy you know I'm saying I get that mentality but it's just so funny because I was like

[00:55:46] it's like about a friend I was like bruh bruh don't do this oh wait like this is a moment it's okay though doesn't make me like the song any less but it did throw me off um but again I do

[00:55:57] enjoy the song the harmonies are tight again jazz personality gene mentality I'm here for it it's cool very cool but again I just wish they would have just gone for the you know

[00:56:11] it's different but again I just fall into that fall into the trap of like oh yeah an unfaithful guy I do appreciate like the the stacks of the vocals of the harmonies like especially in that

[00:56:22] pre hook it's it's fun I like it it's um or the post is it the chorus in the post course you got it you got it yeah yeah I like it and it's like this little quirky kind of scent in there

[00:56:34] so this the song just keeps giving it's fun the second verse yeah the harmonies where they're kind of belting like I won't let no bad I like it's fun there's a lot of parts of this song

[00:56:44] where I'm like this is a solid stinking song it's just thematically it just threw me off again I can appreciate it but I would have appreciated a little bit more if they would have just kind of

[00:56:55] gone for the whole you ain't ish I would have appreciated best more of an American approach yeah but you can tell your friend that they aren't ish absolutely I said like you the

[00:57:03] same energy you give these dusty men you need to get to your friends okay but I'm just saying I think the American in me was just like you can give me he ain't ish come on girl come on

[00:57:12] but again I appreciate the difference but it's just so funny because I was like yes I especially love though because it's like you screwed me over you better get on your knees but

[00:57:22] even after you get on your knees I will still not forgive you that's the best part to me I think that's hilarious I think it's hilarious yeah I mean this is great it's great to see a sass

[00:57:32] your side to them it's got a bit more of a funk influence in there as well I agree I love how the chorus is mixed with the group moments then there's a lead vocal it's just really really

[00:57:42] really fun mel and shaz bring very different energies to the song as well so the way they execute their choruses are very very different so that also keeps it all very interesting and

[00:57:54] Nicole coming through with those talky bits big baby so good and there is a live performance as well with Jules Holland with all the horns and stuff which was awesome like hearing it with the big orchestra and everything is very very cool and again that performance reminded

[00:58:10] me of how messy this era was for them behind the scenes so just teasing that 101 again but yes this was a highlight for sure I enjoy it all right so you like the thematicness of the lyrics

[00:58:23] so but what is your score okay I will give it an eight solid album track how about you I'm gonna give it an eight as well it's not bad I I just want to say I did not deduct points

[00:58:32] because of the lyrical content I still appreciate it but it's not it's not up there with the other songs I gave a higher score up next is lady marmalade and this is a cover and reinterpretation

[00:58:45] of labelle's 1974 hit lady marmalade and it was written by kenny nolyn and bob crew and reproduced by neville henry karen gibbs johnny douglas and john benson and this was released as a double eight side with under the bridge as we previously mentioned and the groups took the original

[00:59:03] and added new rap verses the number one single had a brand new single mix and also had a remix done by tim linn that was included on the dr. do little soundtrack yes so lady marmalade so actually

[00:59:17] I'm pretty sure this is the first version of lady marmalade I had ever heard before the before the labelle one and then before obviously the moulin rouge one and I'm pretty sure all saints's version was inspiration for what would become the moulin rouge one

[00:59:36] I feel like this song became part of pop music again and that the americans were like oh that's a great idea for moulin rouge that checks out yeah I think their interpretation is fine I think it's

[00:59:48] creative I think it has some interesting elements to it I think chasne's rap verses are cool yeah you know all saints are not very soulful in their vocal style so it's kind of interesting to remove

[01:00:01] all of that from the original and turn it into something that's just a bit darker I guess yeah but the harmonies are kind of interesting especially the way that they're mixed and everything's

[01:00:11] just kind of a bit icy which makes it a bit more intimidating as well which is kind of their thing right like as a group they're like kind of intimidating yes so if that's kind of the

[01:00:21] angle that they're going for like even when they sing like where you think you're sleeping tonight it's like a demand you know it's not like a cheeky like sexy thing it's like you yeah i'm crying

[01:00:37] production wise I think the bass line combined with all the dj scratches is fun um I have heard this out when I was in the UK before and it does go off

[01:00:46] quite well and that they always see get into like the moulin rouge version so it always works well so yeah you know I appreciate the uniqueness of their interpretation um I don't really I need to

[01:00:55] go back and look exactly why they covered lady marmalade and under the bridge I remember I think there was a reason they did those two I think there's like a larger story behind it but I don't

[01:01:06] remember it right now but I you know I think it's cool I think it's a memorable moment in their discography I think it's creative is it my favorite all saint single though not at all

[01:01:16] but yeah what do you think you know I agree with you a lot of it and speaking of like the soul that the you can tell the soulfulness you can tell like what influences people have like me I'm not a

[01:01:29] soul singer or like a very melismic kind of singer that's because of my influences right I'm learning that now with them I don't hear the funk soul kind of influences like even in the second verse I

[01:01:41] think it's melanie right a second verse yeah she's singing like this and I was like girl girl there's a lot of there's a lot of this going on and I don't know what accent that is

[01:01:55] and I was just like we're me she spreads because I was like what is that because it almost made me turn off the track I was like why is she's who is that I because I did not know the names of

[01:02:05] the group and I could not tell them apart yet I'm still still getting it together I even asked you just now who was that but I know it's melanie but it just didn't it wasn't it's sorry guys

[01:02:16] that's my biggest critique of this is she came in the track singing and dance like that and I was like girl what's happening on a positive note I do like the um the reduction in certain points

[01:02:27] like in the beginning I was listening with my headphones and the panning of the I liked that was fun it was a fun little engineering move I love the harmonies with

[01:02:35] the lows you can hear those low tones and it makes a lot more rich which makes me appreciate it a little bit in a different way than I do the one that came here to the west and honestly if timbaland made

[01:02:46] a remix of this for the dr. do little track and he in missy or like bosom buddies it only makes sense because I mean hello but yeah I know I mean this is this thing it was okay it doesn't

[01:02:57] do you prefer the timbaland one oh you know no I don't um same you know I just I hate when like r&b rap producers try to make pop and then like vice

[01:03:12] versa because then they try too hard to make it sound I'm like just do what you would normally do but just keep in mind that you're doing it for like a girl group or something or like

[01:03:21] just listen to their other stuff and like kind of keep that into consideration it just doesn't sound like a timbaland track even back then he was doing way better thing but he will do it now when

[01:03:30] I listen to it like even the way chas and a was rapping rapping the way she was rapping at her verses are so fun and like his version is kind of stripped that away it was not cool anymore

[01:03:40] but yeah no I totally think they were like yo we gotta do this for marm uh for mula I like the video though yes so it is the part one of the under the bridge duo there so it's the party

[01:03:53] they finally went to where it's at I'm in tears oh my god yes combine it make it all make sense to me they look amazing oh yes honestly back in the day the way they used to like do the makeup and

[01:04:05] stuff and it's trendy now but like I've always liked it I don't have the face for the thin eyebrows on the lip liner but I've always liked it because my sister's like that much older than me and always

[01:04:14] kind of rocked that look they looked amazing oh my god I love the color grading I love it it's fun um it looked like this weird little like vampire situation though I'm not gonna hold you

[01:04:25] like that way the party was it was just like they're looking in the camera but that works though that works with how like kind of sinister feels that totally works yeah like I'm sorry for those who aren't watching it's all good if you're not watching but if you're

[01:04:41] watching as you see my it's just a lot of forehead and eyes you know like an hairline that was a 90s for you now all that being said Timbaland remix excluded this song is just okay as a remake and even with Shazne's rap it's not

[01:04:56] strong enough for me to give it anything higher than a seven seven okay I will go slightly higher I'll do a 7.5 okay moving on to take the key okay this one was done by Shazne, Nat, Robinson,

[01:05:16] and KG and they've noted that this is actually one of their favorite album tracks actually from like across their distography like they keep singing it too which is cool so yeah this one this one's interesting it's kind of more adult contemporary

[01:05:30] R&B sexy nice to hear something a bit more intimate on this album finally I guess for you yeah I enjoy the instrumental I think the cicado of the guitar the keyboard hits give the song

[01:05:44] like an interesting energy and a lot of like cool syncopated bass drum hits too and again just really beautiful harmonies and relatively subtle as well and I think the lyrics

[01:05:56] they do a good job of not making them too cheesy they're kind of cheesy if you read them but again because they're singing them all kind of quietly and and breathily it's more understated

[01:06:07] so there's a nice balance there and especially in that in the live performances they do an awesome four-part harmony as well which adds to that and we get a little Shazne

[01:06:17] rapping the bridge which kind of breaks everything up kind of nicely as well I do wish there were some ad libs at the end just to kind of give it a bit more of a climax because this is one of those

[01:06:27] R&B songs where the chorus just goes over and over and over again the 90s were just yeah they loved that they loved that fade out but yeah I enjoyed this one I think this is

[01:06:39] another one of those songs that grew on me a lot as I got older I did not really appreciate this as a kid so you know I hear you man you know um listen to everyone listening all saints all sinners

[01:06:50] oh new fan name all sinners um listen y'all I noticed I wanted some intimacy and I'm so god we got it I'm not saying that every single R&B has to do it but it's nice to hear because

[01:07:00] they're of age first of all and they have the chops for it like there's the subtlety in which they sing with the harm in the harmonies is whisper-esque very intimate very like red light

[01:07:12] special we're in the room together club performance is very close encounter of the sexual kind and that's what I like me myself you don't have to always do it I get it but this song was just

[01:07:25] asking for a little something the album was asking for a little bit less confrontational as it is in later monologue and actually happening unlike beg and I'm teasing I'm teasing but they didn't have this on the album so there's some b-sides actually so

[01:07:43] what are we getting to those I make sure that you guys leave those comments with a b-side or if you want priority be sure to join us on patreon at patreon.com so I see cctv pops to prioritize the

[01:07:53] b-sides so I think we can get nasty all right um but you know I mean I listened to this and I was like oh yeah this is cool the hip hop it feels like a hip hop sample there's a vocal loop I've

[01:08:03] heard a lot in American r&b high-pipe up songs and I was actually expecting a rap feature but it's cool I mean Shaznay handled it I do that myself when I write my own songs like I can't

[01:08:14] find a rapper to do it I'll do it myself but that's what's so cool about having someone who knows her group vocally but also understand what a song might be calling for it didn't have to be a male

[01:08:24] rapper it can be a female rapper to add to the dynamism of the track so I appreciate that she is she understands that kind of thing and you know it's nice to bring back the edgy sound not even edgy

[01:08:38] it's nice to bring back the that laid-back kind of feel the tight harmonies but you have sentimental lyrics so again you're gonna you're gonna appreciate it and we haven't had a song that

[01:08:50] was like super intimate on this album it's like come to the party we might be any windowing towards you know a hookup booty call ball heaven get all these and now you have like a romantic track

[01:09:00] and the only thing I don't like though is the strings and the chorus they're not my favorite only because like I would prefer live strings but I can tell someone was just holding a keyboard

[01:09:10] on a freaking like oh god I hate that but it's not their fault obviously but I get what they're trying to do but I love the theme of like real love true love you know the key to my heart

[01:09:20] the sentiment is very clear and it's not but it's not cheesy and I probably would have liked this group as a kid like if I was cognizant of them I mean just hearing Shazne's rap reminds me now like

[01:09:30] like oh wow this is my influences are come very 90s hip-hop rapping like I have to update my rap skills but this is definitely something that I probably would have liked as a kid. Nice so what do you rate it? Hey I gave it an 8.

[01:09:42] Okay I will do a 7.5. Oh okay it's tough for me because I know kind of where they went sonically after this. Yeah it's exciting. So I'm kind of grading it like knowing the rest of their discography as well so I'm being a little harder on it.

[01:09:59] No I love that you know on our show Chris and I have a range of experiences with music like he knows these Brit Pop groups like what more than I do so it's interesting that you

[01:10:09] know the whole thing I mean I'm just like I like this one this time at the best day I'm ever gonna hear you're like nah it gets better so it's exciting. Well I'm very curious actually because there sound changes quite a bit but yeah okay wait

[01:10:17] we have one more song to talk about we'll get into that. Okay all right finally we have the last song on the album War of Nerds this was done by Shazne and members Natalie and Nicole Appleton, Magnus and Cameron McVeigh again.

[01:10:34] Oh we got the old band back together but yes this was released as the final single from the album and the track was also the last song recorded for the album and it was inspired

[01:10:44] by the death of Princess Diana and the theme of mortality and this has been noted as Natalie's favorite song across the group's back catalog and this track hit number seven on the UK Singles

[01:10:56] Church. This song I'm not gonna lie I'm not gonna lie it's a little slow for me it was one for the snails but that doesn't mean doesn't mean that it's a bad song I don't know now when I

[01:11:08] say it's for the snails if you are new here Forever by Spice Girls was the album that I said that for they have a track that's very slow and I just didn't like it but with this one

[01:11:19] the pace in which it you know progresses is understandable it kind of reminds me of like a procession for like you know someone's passing so I understand it it was just a little slow

[01:11:31] and I feel like it change in pace would have just shortened it a bit for me that's it doesn't mean it's bad it's just five minutes of just very slow singing it's just it's a lot for me sometimes

[01:11:41] but yeah I was trying to figure out what the lyrics were about like you know I was like is it about the first time is it about first love because like the line like the stage fright in my own bed

[01:11:51] like it raised questions and I was like I don't get it I used to think that too yeah right so it I was listening to it kind of like you know just like not trying to be critique critiquing it at

[01:12:02] the time that'd be critical so I just listened to it like okay whatever but then I looked again I was like oh it is about someone passing like this is their last breath and maybe they don't want

[01:12:10] to go painfully the kind of thing so that's when it started making a little bit more sense to me and that's why I was able to kind the tie the thematic element with the pacing of the song but still

[01:12:22] I do feel like it's a little just a little too slow for me because I did to speed up to like 1.25 I did I didn't speed it up that much I'm not not two times but I sped it up to his

[01:12:33] sorry guys listen here listen all all sinners I'm so sorry but I'm not at the same time the song is a little slow five minutes a long time I've heard songs that were 12 minutes long walk on by my

[01:12:45] Isaac Hayes is 12 minutes long I get that but this one was just a little dry because it was slow doesn't mean it's bad so yeah that's that's what I have to say about it I do like the song

[01:12:55] I do like what it represents but it was just slow the song is very very pretty and I think the BPM makes sense for what it is I think I think the slowness adds to how

[01:13:08] deep it is I guess and how sad it is because it feels extra vulnerable by being that slow and then I think their vocal delivery also is very very vulnerable and I love the way

[01:13:23] it's all written and the way that it builds I think all the harmonies are really pretty and the song kind of starts off kind of cold and very dark and then actually ends a bit more warm

[01:13:33] because once you kind of get into the second verse you get Nicole's harmony on top of Melanie which is really really beautiful then you have Natalie's bridge which I for sure think is the

[01:13:42] best moment it's super impactful and yeah I just think it has a really really nice build to it so it never feels long to me I don't remember what I was thinking about it as a kid but I do

[01:13:54] remember really liking it like melodically so yeah I do think it was a risk as a single but I think they had been so successful up to that point that they were allowed to kind of just release their

[01:14:06] favorite song basically from this album yeah what did you think of the video this is another example of like getting it right in terms of like the feeling of it like the video was a lot

[01:14:17] more warmer and like color grading for me and I wasn't expecting that like a lot of like oranges and like yellows like the hues were interesting but yeah the video did help me like

[01:14:28] get through the song because I wanted to know what the story was about there were some interesting b-rolls like you know like like with a cigarette them just kind of like not chilling with them being alone standing by like with their silhouette standing by like populated areas

[01:14:42] but being alone and walking away from everything and it's it's an interesting video where it makes you kind of feel a little like it kind of makes you question what's going on a lot because it's like you're surrounded by all these people and yet you feel really lonely

[01:14:55] and there's also like a little bit of an element of like sensuality to it only because of the dancing I guess it's one of those things where it's like I need to be free I want to be like

[01:15:04] you know and just you dance your dance your pain away in this weird way but it's just you know once the party's over you're still alone it's kind of the vibe I got from it

[01:15:12] I do like some of the the mirror images on the table again it's just like a lot of like not is it metaphor yet metaphors for like loneliness and yeah I like I liked how strange it was it was weird and the fighting scene was kind of like

[01:15:31] kind of like shocking a bit because everything looks super fun not glamorous but like ever having a good time and then crap got real yeah it got real so I think I think it balances things well

[01:15:42] like I feel like if it was done in America would be like weird crappy video but this actually did what I need to do it just feels very like isolated even though they're surrounded by a

[01:15:51] bunch you know I keep saying the same thing but that's all I got from it was just like you could have a bunch of people around you and still feel alone like your last moments

[01:15:57] you're alone it's very pensive yeah there was something very eerie about it yeah it's weird I didn't really understand what was going on like there are they involved in crimes I don't really know like there definitely is like an interesting

[01:16:11] like if you take the idea of death into account as this kind of overarching theme I don't know it's just a bit I guess you could interpret it kind of however you want which is

[01:16:22] interesting yeah yeah I think the tour bus was weird but oh yeah it plays into like I guess their fame where it's like you know they're alone it's not my bunch of people and maybe

[01:16:32] like the infighting that might be happening or may have happened with two sisters instead of everyone else you know like so yeah I mean I thought also with kind of Princess Diana kind of

[01:16:43] inspiration as well all the vehicles also I wasn't really sure if that was a thing yeah very interesting video yeah it's weird like a funeral almost I will say the performances were very

[01:16:58] boring get out of here is it the chairs yeah they're just sitting there it is funny there is that there is that when we're Natalie's wearing like sunglasses she's clearly hung over yes and they're all lip syncing because they couldn't be bothered to soundcheck or something yeah which

[01:17:15] is just interesting I remember you showing me that and you were like I think she's hung over you're like I should be like I was like yeah I can see that I can see that but then you know now

[01:17:26] that they when they perform it now actually Natalie sings lead on it which is very interesting because I think as you noted like she's always saying it's her favorite so yeah

[01:17:35] she kind of makes her moment in the shows now which is interesting let's see a little bit for her a little bit for us that's that's a satisfying moment all right so I will give this one a nine

[01:17:46] how about you as long as it is Isaac Hayes has a 12 minute song walk on by and I too think that takes forever that does man don't like the song so I will give this one an eight point five okay yeah

[01:18:01] it's slow as hell but all right I do like it I do like him a lot at least great okay so we finished with the album we're now at our cutter keep section so if I had to cut a song off the album

[01:18:13] it would be alone I knew it yeah always has been even since I was a kid that's always my least favorite one dang it you know what honestly honestly that's the one I'm gonna

[01:18:23] cut to because it's just yeah it's like I that's the answer yeah as a track that I would keep oh you know I probably would keep the I found love if you want to party because I would love

[01:18:34] to show this on one and be like yo this is like a British pop girl group like again a lot of black Americans we our parents Sunday morning Saturday Saturday whatever you clean up to this

[01:18:44] song the original you know say so it's just the nostalgia brings me back in for sure nice which one do you keep it has to be never ever I think it's one of the best British pop songs ever

[01:18:54] it's solid yeah solid yeah so I will stick with that one all right so yeah I think this is a solid debut album like it's very mature very refined they defined their sound already as well which is

[01:19:09] really cool and her and yeah it really lays a foundation for where their career would eventually go it's kind of interesting listening to it back because it's very hard for me to process like

[01:19:20] what I thought of how why I like this so much as a young kid because it's very mature actually but yeah I love it is it my favorite all saints album though no copy that yeah that's the beauty of

[01:19:34] our of our show like I was saying earlier because you have that experience with it you have a broader scope me I'm like I believe you I just don't know what's going to come next

[01:19:45] so I think it's a pretty solid album so all all centers whatever I've said now the old thing is me or not but you know it does what it needs to do as an album but yeah and I think it's

[01:19:56] I think it's pretty solid I don't and also tying in with like what I used to like as a kid and like the r&b groups like how I even write my songs now like I appreciate something like this

[01:20:06] for sure so yeah I think it's pretty solid and based on my scores I think I'm sitting around like a eight overall you know yeah yeah yeah I think I'll give it an eight as well maybe 8.5 yeah okay nice yeah

[01:20:19] yeah yeah yes all right y'all listen come a long way have we done all the great pop groups we've we've people have requested no no not even close we will never run out of that topic

[01:20:32] which is why we need your help help us prioritize please oh my gosh yes but um yeah so so now we're we're we're looking back on all saints I think we started this journey now so we're gonna have to

[01:20:43] just keep going about going on with it right next album after next album but yeah what's up with them now are they been like yeah I believe they're on a bit of a hate us now but they were active

[01:20:51] for quite a few years kind of pre-covid maybe right after COVID as well they released a couple albums and yeah I guess they're on a break now again okay well I mean it's exciting it's

[01:21:01] definitely exciting to see what's going to happen next but yes if you're an all saints fan let us know in the comments what you all think let us know your ratings what songs you were cut you would keep all

[01:21:10] that good stuff and let us know what other albums you like to hear us review and if you'd like to hang out with us and the crew on patreon to get priority choice you can ask to comment below

[01:21:20] or message us at cctv pops on all social media don't forget to like subscribe and turn on all the notifications for our youtube channel and if you're enjoying the show on a podcast

[01:21:29] platform please give us a follow rating and a review until next time that's chris that's shan signing off from cctv the non-stop pop show