The Noisettes - Wild Young Hearts Album Review

Review of The Noisettes' album 'Wild Young Hearts'

London trio The Noisettes are back, and if you've seen the adverts you'll know they've been tarted up like the proverbial dog's dinner. Not that Shangai Shoniwa, their undeniably gorgeous front woman, needed any artificial enhancement. Her magnetism has always been the major selling point for the band, but on 'Wild Young Hearts', it seems that the focus on her has intensified further: try and spot her band mates on the cover, for instance - it's a bit like playing Where's Wally?
The Donna Summer-esque makeover mirrors the change in musical direction; the punky guitar of their previous album has been glossed over with a thick coating of disco-pop. A few traces of their past inclinations remain, like 'Beat Of My Heart,' which cranks the distortion back up once more, but for the most part they've quietened down. Fortunately for the listener, this unearths Shoniwa's lovely, silky voice, which carries a sometimes good, sometimes average album.

Lead single 'Don't Upset the Rhythm' is already all over the airwaves and will be for some time as it's already been used on an advertising campaign. It's passable as catchy, but it suffers from the complaints of the album's weaker songs: lyrically clumsy, a little repetitive - perhaps hoping to ride on the back of the Ting Tings? A better choice would have been '24 Hours,' a shimmering pop heartbreaker, or 'Saturday Night,' which could as easily belong in Girls Aloud's repertoire. But splitting hairs aside, there is plenty of good pop to be had at on 'Wild Young Hearts,' providing you skip the filler.

Natalie Kaye