Killer bore

Disclaimer: this article was originally written for publication in the University of Manchester Students' Union's newspaper, The Mancunion. As its author also writes for this fabulous blog, it's also on here, however regular readers may note a change in style and voice. Just go with it, pretend you're reading a paper.

As any Guns’n’Roses fans reading this review (will any Guns’n’Roses fans read this review!?) will know, expectations are rather high for any album in production for several years. While Nicole Scherzinger may not carry the musical legacy or devoted fan base of aforementioned band, the ever-increasing troubles and setbacks surrounding the album inevitably created a moderately raucous hype. After finally admitting the rest of the Pussycat Dolls did jack shit, she’s dropped the backing dancers and hit the studio with producer du jour RedOne.

As far as electro-pop albums in 2011 go, Killer Love is one of the better ones. While RedOne”s finest work has been with Lady Gaga, his touch is unmistakeably that of someone with a finger on what makes an extremely danceable piece of music. The album’s songwriter list reads like a Who’s Who of in-demand hit makers; Ester Dean, Keri Hilson, Stargate – even veteran hairbrush song-manufacturer Billy Steinberg makes an appearance. Who the hell’s Billy Steinberg, you ask? Only the man behind “Like a Virgin”, “True Colors”, “Eternal Flame”, “Alone”, “I Touch Myself”... oh, and Jojo”s “Too Little, Too Late”. Scherzinger may be a typical ‘tofu’ pop star (a voice and an image for songwriters and producers to channel their work through, otherwise entirely bland and flavourless on their own. Get the tofu thing now?) but even her greatest detractors cannot deny the sheer strength and magnitude behind her voice.

So, what’s good? Singles “Poison” and “Don’t Hold Your Breath” are perfect fodder for the Canal Street crowd while “Power’s Out” – a duet with STING – is a guitar-driven ballad in the same vein as the best of the eighties. “You Will Be Loved” is a tad naff, as is complete filler “Wet” but for what it is, I can’t complain too much. We didn't think it was going to be that great.