The Sugababes’ soulful pop sounds finally make their Stateside debut via One Touch, which finds the London-based teen trio effortlessly merging musical genres, including R&B/hip-hop, alternative rock, and contemporary dance. The set’s lead single, “Overload,” has already made noise on the international charts. Backed by a funky, yet simplistic bass-driven track (reminiscent of Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is in the Heart”), “Overload” is a happy, upbeat song that wonderfully showcases the trio’s vocal abilities. On “Same Old Story,” a delicious tale of an unfaithful lover, the trio dabbles in 2-step, the British sound du jour. What truly separates this trio from other teen groups, though, is that in addition to singing, the members also handle the bulk of the songwriting—something they do admirably on the title track. A beautifully lush song, “One Touch” is enriched only by silky acoustic guitar strummings. —RH
