4. The Sound & Voices
Even in 2013 it's hard not get up and dance when a Spice Girls track comes on. Their back catalogue is filled with global number ones, pop smashes and beautiful ballads. For mainstream music lovers of the late 1990's, its hard to find someone who doesn't at least like one of the Spice Girls tracks. But we're not looking at individual songs here, we're looking at how the non-fan would recognise a Saturdays track. Where their label mates Girls Aloud pushed the envelope of pop production, The Saturdays took a noticeably more reserved approach that comes across as risk free. The best word to describe The Saturday's sound would be generic. There is nothing unbelievably original or timeless about what they have churned out so far and unfortunately it seems that they are heading into even more general waters. Infectious mainstream pop, girly hooks and carefree melodies are staples to every track that Saturday's have released. Vanessa and Una are stand out vocalists, particularly Vanessa who has been exalted as the lead singer. In fact, The Sats probably have better voices and much tighter harmonies than the Spice Girls, but it is disappointing to seem them failing to use them to their full potential. The last album have seen the girls move away from pop hits into dance music territory, with much of the material sounding like club bangers. In the American market, the girls are geared towards dance radio, which makes charting on the Billboard Hot 100 even more difficult, because American's tend to prefer RnB and country tunes. The Spice Girls had a brand new sound, that upon listening to today fills you with nostalgia and that lovely warm familiar fuzzy feeling. Their tracks were mainstream pop hits, that everyone could love. The Saturdays are headed towards a specific niche, that means they have already narrowed their sound away from global potential. Synth electro-dance beats that are layered into Euro inspired choruses, make the songs initially difficult to turn off. But like so many forgettable pop creations, the sounds aren't unique nor revolutionary enough for The Saturdays to have a global legacy. Unless they start working with some super talented, up and coming producers, they will fade into obscurity just as quick as ratings fall on "Chasing the Saturdays".