A song sung by five women….
The Saturdays have always gotten by on selling addictive dance-oriented singles while their albums going largely unnoticed. They’re in their sixth year as a band, yet they’ve managed to accumulate a shockingly low number of rabid fans.
There’s just something about them that’s hard to stan for; they simply aren’t groundbreaking, original, or campy enough to get behind completely.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some of their singles on repeat for weeks, but still, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes when I learned of their plan to take on the American market with an E! reality series.
Just when I thought I was becoming overly cynical about the quintet they go and release their worst song to date, “What About Us.”
Predictable breakdowns and build ups aside there are some serious problems at hand. While the verses are semi-forgivable, it’s impossible to overlook the obnoxious chorus and the WTF worthy choice of Sean Paul as a featured rapper.
Are The Saturdays aware that he hasn’t had a hit since 879 AD?
However the worst offense may be the half-assed attempt at a dubstep bridge that reeks of desperation.
“What About Us” could literally be sung by anyone. The Saturdays are hoping to cash in on the fact that they’re a pretty girl band and nothing else.
They hope debuting in the American market first, when there are almost no successful girl groups at the moment, will be enough to launch them into superstardom territory. Who knows maybe it will, but it’d be a shame when there are other better girl groups (i.e. Girls Aloud, Girls’ Generation, 2NE1).
I have a bad feeling “What About Us” may grow on me – simply because any girl group song does – but my better judgment is telling me that these initial feelings are correct.
Grade: C-
