MRS ROBINSON OBSESSION: FIRST ALBUM REVIEW (IN THE WORLD!)

Who are Mrs.Robinson: A new electro girlband snapping at the stiletto heels of the likes of Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Clea and er Stiletto. General opinion: STUNNING!


Track By Track Review:

1. Teacher: If the ubergirlband Shampoo ever decided to comeback this would be the song they'd produce. A bit like the Faders if they donned electro backbeats and even has a brilliant bridge which turns the song into a chant-a-long anthem. However the song is not as good as it thinks it is and no one likes a clever swot. Yet..a swell way to start the album off. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 7.9

2. I'm A Career Girl: If you felt abused and amused by the Girls Aloud dirty twins Wake Me Up/Graffiti My Soul you will adore this. It even has a little Slovakian language lesson as in the girls actually word bits in the said language throughout the course of this electropulse gem. The vocals at the end are stunning. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 10

3. Don't Ask Me: Starts with some stunning Jungian prose "Sometimes I dream of being myself".... Muscially you are transported a lonely town in China which is a territory we've not visited since Steps did their After The Love Has Gone. However this particular journey is a typical ballad and as its so early on in the album it certainly suffers. Consequently you get the feel Don't Ask Me is a filler which is a shame because as its good song. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 6.9

4. Beautiful World: This is just weird. Its a country song. You are thrown right into the Brokeback Mountain hills. I can almost hear the bulls rumping the cows while the cowboys hold hands with other cowboys. Nevertheless its a brilliant track and theres even a fiddle! A fucking fiddle! If B*witched aint here no more Mrs.Robinson for sure make good use of it. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 6.9

5. Touched: Woah..another ballad. At this stage you might be thinking that girls can't find their sound especially after the two stunning initial tracks and sadly track 5 doesnt help to ease those fears. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING 4.2

6. I'm A Little Obsessed: The single. You should know it. Or Maybe you won't as it wasnt released. Oh well. If you like your Anna Sahlenes you'd like this track. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 7.5

7. Don't Forget My Name: Now this is more like it!!!! THIS IS AN ANTI-GULF WAR SONG!!!!!!Whoever thought a whistle on a guitardisco track would be sooooooo effective. My sources tell me that the ARMED FORCES are using this song in their recruitment promos in a few weeks!!!!!!!!!! If Only! Lyrically its about war, soldiers and the Gulf problematics:

"and though soldiers do what they can to survive..they're just pawns in a game built on lies"

and

"they're living in darkness, they trusted their leaders words..."

and heres the dig against Bush and his usage of rhetorics:

"it's easy preaching freedom while another mother buries her son"

Who would have thought: an album with Electropop, girlpop AND hardhitting radical leftwing politics...This album is starting to nudge out Clea's claim to the title of Best British pop release of the year. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 10

8. Hollywood Film Star: So think Kylies Loveboat with the message of P!nk's Stupid Girl. Listen to the way they say "whatever" and you'll fall in total submission with this band. This is their way of replying to Pay-TV's hilarious Miss.Captilist. Musically its very summery. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 8.9

9. Survive: Starts off with "You won't take me down" and sounds quite electric but in a softly soft way. Very Tatu but with a hint of 80's Cher. Haunting, revolutionary and uplifting with some raw hardhitting guitar rifts. We love the line "I'll survive and drink another glass of wine". This is I'm A Career Girl Mark II. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 9.9

10. Falling Asleep: I wasnt sure of this at first. It begins like the Celine's My Heart Will Go On. However it builds and evolves into a huge "waive-ya-hands" softrock
anthem. It sounds like a well-known hit that hasnt been released. We can't actually describe it other than its a bit like the New Radicals You Get What You Give and the Mandy Moores version of Whole of the Moon. Also has the beautiful conclusion to Mrs.Robinsons survival tactics of drinking wine previously mentioned on track nine with the lyrics "Red Bull and Vodka...again i'm wasted..alcohol is no friend of mine...". Cute song. DONTSTOP THE RATING: 9.9

11. Faded: Another piano driven ballad with sounds of children in background. I think this could be about a sibling dying much like the Sugababes Maya which was also the last track on their album. Nice but they really should have made this an hidden track and kept Falling Asleep the last track. DONTSTOPTHEPOP RATING: 7.7

In conclusion:

A very strong debut album which better be released or else! My only sour point is that the ballads take up invaluable space which is a real shame. Don't Ask Me should be moved and swapped with Falling Asleep. Actually you can hear the first three tracks from their album here. Its pretty annoying that they've kept the best songs to the back end of LP. Irregardless of position-for we all have Ipods don't we-this album could have have everying: You'll have eastern european languages, songs in discopop, electropop, guitarpop and songs about politics and alcoholism.

Obsession is interesting, singalong pristine, carefree, educational, cute and funny. Vocally its quite a surprise as the end of I'm A Career Girl proves. Well done Paula, Shareen & Tayna, you could have just made the most diverse British pop album of the year!

Obsession is due for release on the 8th of May.