One Touch: the album that stood the test of time

One Touch (2000)

Line-up: Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan & Siobhan Donaghy

Label: London Records

Singles: Overload, New Year, Run For Cover & Soul Sound

B-Sides: Little Lady Love, Lush Life, Sugababes On The Run, Forever & Don't Wanna Wait

Tracklist

1) Overload

2) One Foot In

3) Same Old Story

4) Just Let It Go

5) Look At Me

6) Soul Sound

7) One Touch

8) Lush Life

9) Real Thing

10) New Year

11) Promises

12) Run For Cover

13) Don't Wanna Wait (Japanese bonus track)

If you go back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, the chart music was filled with cheesy bubblegum pop. Sugababes was one of the many bands that started in the late ’90s but unlike other songs about broken hearts, disco grooving and fantasies. Sugababes’s debut album, One Touch offered a funky alternative. The album is candid about teenage angst and the alledged lack of life experience. The Sugababes wrote a lot on the album with the guidance of London Records. What also helped is that the band were working with the same people who worked with All Saints who were the cooler alternative to the Spice Girls.

In an old blog post, where I ranked all the Sugababes albums from my least favourite to my personal favourite. I was stuck between Angels with Dirty Faces and One Touch for the top, but in the end, I think One Touch tops. I bought the Japanese edition and the vinyl edition for a lot of money, but I didn't care because it was one of my favourite albums and the record means a lot to me. The album on vinyl is now selling for over twice as much now. I think the single choices for this album were perfect and among the best tracks in the album. There were also some stellar b-side tracks.

"Overload", "Run For Cover", "New Year" and "Soul Sound" are my favourite tracks on this album. Alongside the others, they really helped me get over some bad stuff and helped me through my youth and teenage years. The harmonies were on point and they were very young here and now they've matured they sound even better together. Listening to One Touch makes me excited for what sort of music Mutya, Keisha and Siobhan will release next.

One Touch is a stand-out album in the band's catalogue. It's hard to believe that ten years after this record is released, their seventh album would feature no original members. Away from the alledged drama, there is music. One Touch plays well with the power of three. Keisha even refers to herself, Mutya and Siobhan as the three musketeers in the album booklet. At the time of its release, it only peaked at 26 on the official charts. The only reason London Records dropped them in the first place was because of poor sales. It did, however, fair better in other countries.

It has a strong London sound. Listening to this album makes me think of the city because of the multiple cultures layered in the album. It's a coming of age record that feasts upon nostalgic thoughts. The harsh reality of the line-up changes in the future makes this album more poignant. As the only album to feature the original line-up, it holds a special place in the fandom's heart.

This debut showed that the Sugababes were already on their way to greatness.

The late George Micheal even said that this was his favourite Sugababes album. He did a duet with Mutya Buena called This Is Not Real Love. And you know you are on to a winner of an album if you have the thumbs up from a legend.

It is true when they say this album was ahead of its time. It's still relevant. One Touch is the one Sugababes' album that stood the test of time. I still listen to it a lot and the singles they picked were amazing choices. Overload is a masterpiece. Because of this album, I became a part of an awesome community of friends.