Thought you’d rid yourself of cheesy 90s pop? Think again.
Having already attempted one comeback, Steps are yet again trying to infiltrate
the charts by entering the dreaded Christmas market. Yes, they are releasing
their own Christmas album… sorry. As much as they are a guilty pleasure for me,
being a fan of them however many years ago, I think a Christmas album may prove
to just be a cheese overload.
This, their first studio album in twelve years, mixes their unapologetically cheesy pop sound with some Christmas classics, although I’m not sure how many are recognisable at first listen. The album opens with History is Made at Night, complete with seasonal saxophone and standard Christmas beat. Perhaps an attempt to secure a more mature audience, they have chosen an album opener that compares a romantic night scene with a school-based scenario. I’ll quickly gloss over the error over ruining a Stevie Wonder song, and talk about the one original song on the album, Light up the World, conveniently also the title track. Not exactly encompassing the Christmas theme, this is where the cheese really hits, and messages of encouragement are showered upon us. “Imagination will set you free/just gotta work it out” is the height of this, encouraging us, I assume, to be creative and achieve our dreams. Only at Christmas I suppose.
If you recognise When She Loved Me, it’s probably from Toy Story 2, as Sarah McLachlan performs it beautifully as Jessie (the cowgirl, if you can’t remember). Although Steps’ vocals aren’t tragic, they can’t match Sarah’s voice, and if you’re anything like me, you may fast forward the song pretty quickly so as not to ruin the film. From Christmas [Baby Please Come Home]¸ the idea of this being a Christmas album really starts, and it’s from here that you can really imagine this being on in the background on Christmas day. Ok, their vocals aren’t great, but they’re not the worst… and there’s always the option of minimal volume. The album ends on the classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a relaxed, pleasant end with a lot of instrumental, to an album that you’re probably sick of by now.
I’m in two minds about this album. The child in me loves the cheese, which you can’t slate Steps for, as their bubblegum pop is still loved by many around the world. The vocals aren’t completely tragic (note: completely), but this album brings an amount of cheese and an element of boredom that doesn’t quite click. I’d love to love this, but for some reason, it just doesn’t work. Sorry Steps.
2/5
This, their first studio album in twelve years, mixes their unapologetically cheesy pop sound with some Christmas classics, although I’m not sure how many are recognisable at first listen. The album opens with History is Made at Night, complete with seasonal saxophone and standard Christmas beat. Perhaps an attempt to secure a more mature audience, they have chosen an album opener that compares a romantic night scene with a school-based scenario. I’ll quickly gloss over the error over ruining a Stevie Wonder song, and talk about the one original song on the album, Light up the World, conveniently also the title track. Not exactly encompassing the Christmas theme, this is where the cheese really hits, and messages of encouragement are showered upon us. “Imagination will set you free/just gotta work it out” is the height of this, encouraging us, I assume, to be creative and achieve our dreams. Only at Christmas I suppose.
If you recognise When She Loved Me, it’s probably from Toy Story 2, as Sarah McLachlan performs it beautifully as Jessie (the cowgirl, if you can’t remember). Although Steps’ vocals aren’t tragic, they can’t match Sarah’s voice, and if you’re anything like me, you may fast forward the song pretty quickly so as not to ruin the film. From Christmas [Baby Please Come Home]¸ the idea of this being a Christmas album really starts, and it’s from here that you can really imagine this being on in the background on Christmas day. Ok, their vocals aren’t great, but they’re not the worst… and there’s always the option of minimal volume. The album ends on the classic Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, a relaxed, pleasant end with a lot of instrumental, to an album that you’re probably sick of by now.
I’m in two minds about this album. The child in me loves the cheese, which you can’t slate Steps for, as their bubblegum pop is still loved by many around the world. The vocals aren’t completely tragic (note: completely), but this album brings an amount of cheese and an element of boredom that doesn’t quite click. I’d love to love this, but for some reason, it just doesn’t work. Sorry Steps.
2/5
