Tangled Up (Girls Aloud album)

In April 2007, the group announced that they would release a new studio album in November of that year.[2] Initial ideas started in March of that year where each member met with British producer Brian Higgins, who had worked with them together on their previously released albums. Each singer visited Higgins at his home in England and discussed their experiences and life endeavours after the release of Girls Aloud's third studio album Chemistry (2005). To his advantage, he decided to take inspiration from those discussions and work further on the new record, along with his production team Xenomania. Group member Nicola Roberts reaffirmed that it was important for Higgins to be "up to date with where [Girls Aloud are] at," and further commented, "Our songs have to reflect us so that's why we do it."[3] Moreover, when asked in an interview with Fascination Records about what fans and critics could expect from the album, group member Cheryl said they were heading for a "more mature direction." She also believed that the ideal focus for the record was not to sing "about things that we would have when we were 16. Now we're singing about things that you talk about in your early 20s."[4]

In late March 2007, Higgins and Xenomania started crafting demo songs for the girl group to record, which commenced the following month. However, Higgins only provided the demo to member Nadine Coyle to sing to choose which sections of the song will work.[5] Subsequently, she recorded the tracks in Los Angeles once Higgins mastered the final versions.[5] According to member Kimberley Walsh, it took Girls Aloud six months to finish recording the album, which she found "unusual" for the group. Furthermore, she noted that sessions for their previous albums would take a "matter of weeks", but took longer because the members wanted to experiment more with the production. Moreover, recording had to be halted due to the group embarking on The Greatest Hits Tour and promotion of Tangled Up's lead single "Sexy! No No No...".[3] The album was finished in October 2007 and was mastered by Higgins himself, with the help of Dick Beetham of 360 Masterings.[6]

Unlike the group's previous records, Tangled Up is a pop album that consistently incorporates elements of electropop, dance music, Europop and various EDM sub-genres.[1][7] Regarding the sound and production, Alexis Petridis of the Guardian found the material to be "witty, diverse and experimental", whilst Digital Spy contributor Nick Levine believed it to be "their most danceable album to date".[8][9] Tangled Up was the group's first album to not include cover songs or traditional ballads.[10][11] Group member Nadine Coyle said that the tracks from Tangled Up were "all in the same vein," contrary to their previous releases, of which she described the song selection as "quite random".[3] There are several themes discussed throughout the record, including melancholy, love, relationships, sex and femeninity.[9][10] Girls Aloud co-wrote two of the twelve tracks on the album: "Sexy! No No No..." and "Crocodile Tears". They also co-wrote and recorded a song titled "Hoxton Heroes", which pokes fun at indie bands. The song was deemed too controversial for Tangled Up and therefore omitted from the album;[5] however, the song was released as a B-side to the third single off the album "Can't Speak French". Cheryl Cole stated that whilst they never intended to enter the industry as "brilliant lyricists", they felt "comfortable with writing bits and pieces".[3]

Tangled Up was first released in Ireland on 16 November 2007, and then throughout Europe on 19 November 2007.[6][18] It was distributed by Fascination in two physical formats—a standard compact disc and a special jewelcase packaging— and was available for digital consumption through Polydor.[6][19] The record was issued through the iTunes Store and Amazon Music worldwide the following year by Polydor, and on 7 October 2015, Tangled Up, along with various other musical releases by Girls Aloud, were released in North America.[20] The artwork has the group's name and the album title hung on several long black rods in front of a purple background. The lyrics for each song were not featured in the accompanying booklet.[6] The title of the album, Tangled Up, derives from a sentence of the album track "Close to Love".[6] It is the only Girls Aloud album cover art not to feature the members; it received negative remarks from commentators for its "boring" context and imagery.[21]

A fan edition of Tangled Up was also available through Girls Aloud's official website; the artwork incorporates each of the members holding onto long thick metal wires covered in rubber, while the original photos were placed inside the booklet. Additionally, the CD came with the lyrics and signed postcards.[11][22] Despite the change, which was positively received, the artwork was noted by critics for its slightly uneven display of member Nicola Roberts, whose photo occupies marginally less space than those of the remaining four members, as described by Fraser McAlphine of BBC Music.[11]

The first single from Tangled Up was "Sexy! No No No...", which was released on 3 September 2007.[27][28] A critical success, the single reached number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on both the Billboard Euro Digital Songs Chart and Irish Singles Chart.[29][30][31] The accompanying music video was directed by Trudy Bellinger and features the group sporting futuristic-looking skintight PVC catsuits with peep-toe high heels as they dance through wires stretched across the set. "Call the Shots", the second single from the album, was released on 26 November.[32][33] It achieved critical acclaim from critics and was awarded the Popjustice £20 Music Prize, Girls Aloud's fourth win in that category.[34] It was also a commercial success, peaking at number three in the UK and number nine in Ireland.[29][35] The accompanying music video was directed by Sean de Sparengo, and features the members in purple dresses performing on Malibu Beach at night with flames and white fabric surrounding them. Each member of the band is also shown in other locations, following several story lines.[36] Although they were in discussion, "Control of the Knife" and "Close to Love" were scrapped from being the third single in favour of "Can't Speak French", which was released 17 March 2008. This was during the same time Girls Aloud were working on the material to their fifth studio album Out of Control (2008).[37][38] Critically and commercially successful,[29] a music video was shot by Petro that features Girls Aloud in elaborate costumes inspired by Marie Antoinette and 18th century French fashions.[39]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
BBC Music	(positive)[40]
Digital Spy	[9]
DIY	8/10[12]
Daily Star	(positive)[15]
The Guardian	[8]
The List	[41]
MusicOMH	[1]
NME	7/10[18]
Virgin Media	[16]

Upon its release, Tangled Up received universal acclaim from music critics. In an article from The List, Camilla Pia awarded the album a five-star rating, praising the mixture of genres, "witty lyrics, insanely infectious melodies and soaring choruses that explode out of nowhere". However, Pia noted Xenomania's "genius" production and concluded that Tangled Up "is a standout example of some of the best British songwriting in years".[41] Talia Kraines of BBC Music agreed, labelling it another "unrelenting pop masterpiece" by the group, made "without ever losing their sense of fun", while complimenting the "challenging" production.[40] AllMusic writer John Lucas awarded the album four stars, considering it a "short, sharp and tight collection of some of the most exciting music in a particularly exciting career". Lucas also commended the album's maturity and its heavy use of electropop music.[10] Similarly, Matt O'Leary of Virgin Media rated Tangled Up four and a half stars out of five, describing the album as "ballsy pop with moments of eclecticism which […] results in hair-curlingly exciting music" and enjoyed the group's ability to grow creatively.[16] James Cabooter from The Daily Star listed it as their "Album of the Week".[15]

Although Alexis Petridis, a contributor to The Guardian, felt that the opening half of Tangled Up was "disappointing", he commended the melodies, songwriting and variety of music elements; for that, he awarded the record four stars.[8] Nick Levine from Digital Spy found the songs to be "fun, frivolous, catchy, sexy and innovative" and called it their most "danceable album to date".[9] John Murphy of MusicOMH examined how Tangled Up proved to show how Girls Aloud had managed to move on creatively since their time on reality TV and commended the album's pop and electronic aspects. He called the album "original, inventive and sometimes exhilarating", and the only aspect of criticism in his review was aimed towards the album cover.[1] A reviewer for NME rated the album 7 out of 10, saying that the group's career "has been marked by genre-hopping," and felt that Tangled Up "will continue the trend".[18] The reviewer also highlighted the songs "Fling" and "Can't Speak French" as "unbeatable future pop hits".[18] Although criticizing the choices of certain songs and member Nadine Coyle's overemphasized vocal deliveries, Stuart McCaighy from DIY awarded it 8 points and commended the production and quality of songs.[12]

Conversely, Tangled Up received mixed opinions by commentators who felt divided by the content and production. Nick Butler from Sputnikmusic gave it two and a half points out of five, labelling it "average". Butler criticized Xenomania's input for making the record sound inconsistent and "wild", whilst also noting that the production overlapped the girl group. Citing the album track "What You Waiting For" as the album's only "tuneful thing here", he went on to conclude it as "Girls Aloud's worst album yet".[13] The Times writer Steve Jelbert awarded the album three stars and gave it a mixed review, calling it as "predictable as a motorway, but fun".[42] Similarly, Dom Passantino at Drowned in Sound awarded it four points out of ten, highlighting the lack of originality and "stupid" themes as core reasons for the rating. He also criticized the "boring" vocal performances and only recommended "Black Jacks" for its "acceptable" quality.[7]

Commercially, Tangled Up experienced success in the United Kingdom. The record debut at number four and five on the UK Albums Chart and the physical component chart, making it the group's first studio album to enter the top ten since What Will the Neighbours Say? (2004) and their highest record since their debut in 2003.[43][44] That same week—dated 25 November 2007—it managed to peak one position higher on the downloads chart, their highest peak since its establishment.[45] Tangled Up appeared only once inside the top ten of the album chart, descending to number 12 the following week.[46] The record stayed inside the top 40 for another 17 weeks, tallying it up to 36 appearances.[29] After the release of Girls Aloud's fifth and final studio album, Out of Control (2008), Tangled Up re-entered the top 100 chart at number 79 and spent eight weeks outside the top 70.[47] Then in November 2008, the album re-charted at number 53 while Out of Control was still inside the top 100 and charted for a total of three weeks.[48]

To date, Tangled Up has spent 47 weeks in the UK Albums Chart, making it their longest-charting studio album.[29] It was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments of 300,000 units, and has sold 505,000 copies as of March 2013.[49][50] In Ireland, Tangled Up experienced moderate success and entered at number 25, their second record after Chemistry (2005) not to enter the top 20.[51] It dropped to number 33 in the following chart, but spent another ten weeks steadily inside the top 60.[52][53] Nevertheless, Tangled Up was certified Gold by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) for shipments of 7,500 units.[54] The album entered at number four on the Scottish Albums Chart, and experienced a similar run as on the UK Albums Chart.[55]

Tangled Up and its songs have earned several mentions by commentators and critics as the group's best works.[70] In a readers' column at The Guardian, Laurence Green and Patrick Devine openly commended the appeal of the singles "Sexy! No No No..." and "Call the Shots", identifying it amongst the group's best work. On their poll, the former and latter track placed second and third on their "Girls Aloud's finest moments"—behind 2005's "Biology"—, and were the only inclusions that featured more than one single over 10% of the votes from a single studio album.[71] Similarly, an editor at Metro valued both singles as some of their most "daring" and "critically acclaimed" singles, and some of the "best work in the 21st century".[72] "Call the Shots", in particular, has been cited as one of the greatest songs in pop history, as claimed by publications such as AllMusic, Popjustice, amongst others. Furthermore, the single won the Popjustice £20 Music Prize, Girls Aloud's fourth consecutive win in that category, of eight nominations in total.[10][34] Kathy Iandoli from Billboard cited "Can't Speak French" and "Call the Shots" as the 10th and top underrated tracks by underrated girl groups in North America, stating that the final song was an "incredible" number".[73] Andy Kellman of AllMusic highlighted Tangled Up as one of their best albums, the others being What Will The Neighbours Say? (2004) and The Sound of Girls Aloud (2006); while an editor at Capital FM labelled it one of the best releases in their career.[70]

The success of Tangled Up brought several nominations and accolades to Girls Aloud. In 2007, the group were nominated for five categories, eventually winning Album of the Year, Video of the Year for "Sexy! No No No..." and an individual record for member Cheryl.[74] The group were also nominated at the 2008 Brit Awards for Best Group, which was the group's first nomination since 2005 in that category, and were recognized by the Capital FM Awards as the favorite London-based group, and by the News of the World Fabulous award.[75][76] Glamour magazine voted them the best band in the UK, marking their second consecutive accolade.[76] In 2009, Tangled Up won the Best Live Album of the Year award at the Music Producers Guild Awards, their first and only win from the organization.[77]

All tracks were produced by Brian Higgins and Xenomania. Credits adapted from the liner notes.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tangled Up.[6]

Recording

• Recorded in London, United Kingdom by members Cheryl, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. Recorded in Los Angeles, California by member Nadine Coyle.

Music credits

• Girls Aloud discography at the official Girls Aloud website (archived)