Review - Cher Lloyd - Sticks & Stones

In this review, I want two thoughts about Cher Lloyd and her debut album ‘Sticks & Stones’ to be made clear, so I will make them separately. Does that make me a great writer? No, but this is a blog, so none of that counts.

First, the album. I’d give it a B, B-. P!B!B! writer Harry says that may be generous, so take that to mean whatever you want. The album is full of pop-with-an-edge tunes, most of which are kind of subpar. Her edge doesn’t always fall flat, but the songs usually do. They’re not terrible – we’ve seen some stars try to do the whole badass bitch thing and flail – but they’re not great either.

The album was originally released back in her home country (the UK) last November, where it was proceeded by the single “Swagger Jagger” (yes, riding off the back of Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera’s hit). The song went straight to number one, obvs. It has it’s fun production moments, but lyrically it is one of the worst one the album. Next came a Mike Posner-assisted “With Ur Love” (which is on the US version, but curiously without Posner), and then we got “Want U Back”, the song that has led us here.

Most of the singles won’t do terribly well in the US, but that’s ok. She’s had her moment in the American sun, and soon it will set. The US version also features her new single “Oath” with up-and-coming rapper Becky G, whereas I assume that will be on some UK re-release or something.

The second major thing that I wanted to touch upon was that while I really didn’t fall in love with the album, I fear I have a crush on Lloyd. She’s everything we want in a popstar, and she’s doing it in a new(ish) and fun way. She’s young, cute, perky and peppy, and she’s got spunk. She plays the whole thing up to a crazy level, and I think she’s a good role model for young girls. She isn’t too sexy, and she isn’t too grown up. She isn’t afraid to be young and stay young, and she is showing girls everywhere that it’s ok to be funky and weird and themselves. You don’t need to swear and sell sex to have some swagger..

Listen to: “Want U Back”, “With Ur Love (ft. Mike Posner)”, “Swagger Jagger”, “Oath (ft. Becky G)”

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