Upcoming Release - Cheryl

Cheryl - 'Call My Name'

The Artist formerly known as Cole is back with her first single from third album 'A Million Lights'.

It premiered on Radio 1 about an hour ago on the Scott Mills show, which I happened to catch after many a frantic tweet from Cheryl. I was intrigued to listen to the Calvin Harris-produced track and now feel I have started to digest my intial thoughts and have formed a well rounded opinion after a few listens.

Firstly, it is a change in direction for Cheryl, into the now well worn dance territory inhabited by Rihanna and the like. Now I have no issue with popstars adapting to the current sound of the charts, in fact I would expect it from artists whose main aim is to make hit songs. True innovation of sound happens so rarely that I can accept and enjoy a song in all its trend-chasing glory if it happens to be a good example of the genre, not a brainless rehash of what has gone before.

Thankfully, as was feared with Calvin producing, this is not just a brainless rehash of 'We Found Love'. It eschews the hit song trick du jour - the dance breakdown ala 'We Found Love' or 'Starships'. In its place is a proper melodic chorus that helps to shape this into a Cheryl song rather than a faceless Calvin Harris plus vocalist affair. Now this is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing for crafting a traditional pop song in the current sound, which could make it fit well both on radio and in clubs. However, what these dance breakdowns do is turn them into pure club monsters, which I'm not sure this is. The whole thing seems a bit flimsy and weak, it just doesn't GO HARD enough for a dance track, not to my taste anyway. However Cheryl is not a dance artist, so I can forgive her keeping this firmly footed in pop.

Vocals wise, I can't help but compare it to 'We Found Love' in which a usually weak and grating Rihanna sounds practically heavenly. This track has nowhere near the same effect. I would never criticise Cheryl's vocals because a) Her voice is distinctive and what it lacks in range it makes up for in tone and b) Being a popstar is about so much more than diva vocals, and Cheryl for me excels in almost every aspect of it. However, her voice here sounds thinner even than usual, and I wonder whether this song really caters to her particular vocal strengths.

Overall, it's not mind blowing, it's not a game changer. What it is a perfectly decent example of the recent dance pop trend, that avoids sounding like a copycat and instead delivers a brilliant, hooky chorus that sticks in your head after first listen and promises to grow. Nice work.