Feels So Good

by: peter naldrett - uk correspondent

Nobody has truly taken over the girl-band pedestal since All Saints called it a day, but out in front by a neck is Atomic Kitten. Their brilliant and sensitive cover of "The Tide Is High" justifiably smashed into the charts in the number one position, and this week their new studio album is unleashed.

Feels So Good won’t get such an easy ride with the record-breaking Coldplay album selling like hot cakes at the moment, but there is plenty on it to make sure they retain the high ground over the Sugababes. Having said that, the new CD from Natasha, Jenny and Liz is a pleasure/pain experience and many moments of delightful pop are cancelled out by shallow, thoughtless tunes.

"The Tide Is High" and "It’s OK!" have already been notable singles that will push sales of the album, while "Love Won’t Wait" and "Feels So Good" (penned by a certain Kylie Minogue) also get the release off to a triumphant start. But after that things really start to lose their way and return to the stereotypical, uninventive image of a girl-band that Atomic Kitten had almost managed to navigate clear of.

"The Moment You Leave Me," "The Last Goodbye" and "The Way That You Are" then start to drain on your listening abilities and when it’s compounded with the very poor "Softer The Touch" and "Love Doesn’t Have To Hurt" the early promise falls away quicker than a Brazilian rain forest. There are songs on Feels So Good that are worth their weight in gold, but you will be able to pick them up on compilations this year – or even wait until a greatest hits CD. The rest of Feels So Good is not worth getting excited about at all. 09-Sep-2002 9:25 PM