| Sticks + Stones | ||
|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Cher Lloyd | ||
| Released | 7 November 2011 (UK), 2012 (US) | |
| Recorded | January–September 2011 | |
| Genre | Hip hop, R&B, pop | |
| Length | 33:41 | |
| Label | Syco Music, Epic | |
| Producer | Toby Gad, Jimmy Joker, Jukebox, Max Martin, The Monarch, Johnny Powers, RedOne, The Runners, Kevin Rudolf, Eric Sanicola, Shellback, Shakespears Sister, Chris Thomas | |
| Singles from Sticks + Stones | ||
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Sticks + Stones is the debut album by British singer and rapper Cher Lloyd. The album was released on 7 November 2011. The lead single from the album, "Swagger Jagger" peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart. The second single, "With Ur Love", was released on 30 October 2011. It features American singer Mike Posner, and peaked at #4 in the UK. The album will be released in 2012 through Epic Records in the United States.[1]
Contents |
After the final of the seventh series of The X Factor, it was announced that Cher Lloyd had been signed by Syco Music.[2] Songwriter Autumn Rowe[3] and producer RedOne[4] were soon rumoured to be working on Lloyd's debut album.[5] On 28 July 2011, Lloyd previewed five tracks from the album during a UStream session, including tracks featuring Busta Rhymes, Mike Posner, Ghetts, Mic Righteous and Dot Rotten.[6]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (47/100)[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Sun | (Positive)[8] |
| BBC Music | (Positive)[9] |
| Digital Spy | |
| 4Music | [10] |
| Trash Lounge | [11] |
| Virgin Media | [12] |
| Entertainment Focus | [13] |
| MSN Music | [14] |
| The Guardian | [15] |
Critical reception for the album has been mixed. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 47, based on 34 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[7] The Sun stated: "It's a real mixed bag of an album, with some solid pop songs on the tracklisting. But her rapping won't win over hip-hop purists who listen to her idol Nicki Minaj. Cher's sound works best when it's light and poppy on songs Grow Up, End Up Here and Superhero – which remind you of early Lily Allen."
Trash Lounge gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, claiming: "Cher can’t really get away with labelling ex-mentor Cheryl Cole’s Girls Aloud output “too cheesy” when the majority of Sticks + Stones makes Love Machine look suitable for inclusion in Kerrang", but adding "And yet, just as we suspected during her better X Factor moments, the girl’s on to something. Is this her critic-silencing breakthrough? No... But the signs of greatness are there, if you're willing to put your opinion of Cher The Character on hold long enough to judge Cher The Artist."
4Music gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, stating that: "Sticks + Stones is one of those rare albums that you can listen to all the way throughout skipping a track. "Want U Back" and "Dub On the Track" are two highlights." The Guardian: Obersever labelled the album "exhausting but loveable" and awarded it 3 out of 5 stars. BBC Music gave the album a positive review, they said: "Cher has a natural and charismatic vocal presence throughout" and ultimately called it "A sassy, splashy modern pop album that's much better than its dodgy lead single". Digital Spy awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, they said: "Want U Back", "With Ur Love", "Playa Boi" and "Grow Up" are all tracks worthy of downloading, and went on to praise "Dub on the Track" as "loaded with attitude that few could pull off".
Virgin Media gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, they said: "Sticks + Stones is a very pleasant shock. It's sparky and restless and sustains Lloyd's mini rapping firebrand/cute crooner aesthetic through a quickfire run of 10 top-notch songs. 'Swagger Jagger' is progressively likable but it's easily bettered by the sunny, rolling 'With Ur Love', and there's equal support from the jiving 'Superhero' and 'Want U Back's dynamic catchy bounce and weepy 'ballad Beautiful People' where Lloyd tries to convince us her heart breaks just like everyone else's. It almost sounds plausible but don't believe a word of it: this girl's granite-hard and fit to face all-comer."
Pop music critics Entertainment Focus gave the album four out of five stars, they said: Opening track 'Grow Up' features Busta Rhymes and finds Lloyd mixing singing and rapping. Channelling Nicki Minaj’s trademark rap growls, Lloyd sounds confident and holds her own against Busta. On the chorus Lloyd sounds like Lily Allen with her light, floaty vocal.In many ways it’s a shame that 'Swagger Jagger' was the first cut to be released from Sticks + Stones. The rest of the record is much stronger and not as love it/hate it as that track. The punchy 'Want U Back' is an early highlight with Lloyd growling throughout the track, 'End Up Here' is a Rihanna-eqsue ballad. 'Dub On The Track' mixes grime beats with pop sensibilities. The album’s most surprising moment comes on the Carolina Liar collaboration 'Beautiful People'. The track sits more in the pop/rock category and showcases Lloyd as a vocalist. People often forget that she’s a great little singer once she drops the attitude and swagger. Our favourite moment though is current single 'With Ur Love'. The track is Lloyd at her best; catchy, confident and fresh. Sticks + Stones is not the kind of record that any other X Factor contestant has released. Lloyd is definitely on a different level to most X Factor contestants and it’s going to be exciting to watch her grow as an artist.
MSN Music gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, they said: "first single 'Swagger Jagger' seems like a deliberate invitation to ridicule. Thankfully, it's easily the worst thing here. Current single 'With Ur Love', a plaintive slice of R&B-infused pop with a big fat shiny chorus, plays to her strengths far better. 'Beautiful People', a collaboration with Swedish pop-rockers Carolina Liar, similarly showcases her strong vocals, while the trademark Cher-rapping comes out to great effect (if you like that sort of thing) on the Busta Rhymes-assisted 'Grow Up'. 'Dub On The Track', featuring underground Brit-rap stars Mic Righteous, Dot Rotten and Ghetts, is undoubtedly the edgiest thing ever put out by a former X Factor contestant; not that there's a great deal of competition. Cher Lloyd could yet emerge as a pop star with real longevity."
Reception from fans has been mixed to positive. The album has an average of 4.5/5 on Amazon.co.uk, but only 3.5/5 on iTunes, which is fairly low to average relative to other iTunes reviews, all based upon website users, rating the album.
The album debuted at number seven in Ireland.[16] In the United Kingdom, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number four behind new releases of Susan Boyle, Florence and the Machine and Michael Bublé. The album sold 55,668 copies in it's opening week.[17]
To promote Sticks and Stones, Lloyd will embark on her first concert tour, beginning in March 2012, visiting various venues across the UK.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Grow Up" (featuring Busta Rhymes) | Cher Lloyd, Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Savan Kotecha, Andrew Harr, Jermain Jackson, Trevor Smith | Kevin Rudolf, The Runners | 3:00 |
| 2. | "Want U Back" | Shellback, Kotecha | Shellback | 3:34 |
| 3. | "With Ur Love" (featuring Mike Posner) | Kotecha, Shellback, Max Martin, Mike Posner | Shellback | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Swagger Jagger" | Lloyd, Autumn Rowe, Jackson, Harr, Andre Davidson, Sean Davidson,The Strangerz. | The Runners, The Monarch | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Beautiful People" (featuring Carolina Liar) | Chad Wolfinbarger, Alexander Kronlund, Tom Hamilton | Shellback, Martin | 3:31 |
| 6. | "Playa Boi" | Nadir Khayat, AJ Junior, Bilal "The Chef", Johnny Powers, Neneh Marianne Karlsson Cherry, Cameron McVey, James Philip Morgan, Philip Geroge Ramocon | RedOne, Johnny Powers | 2:52 |
| 7. | "Superhero" | Priscilla Renea, Ronald Jackson, Gerald Martin, Formetta Gibson | Jukebox | 3:28 |
| 8. | "Over the Moon" | Lloyd, Kotecha, RedOne, Junior, Hajji, Eric Sanicola | RedOne, Eric Sanicola, Jimmy Joker | 2:58 |
| 9. | "Dub on the Track" (featuring Mic Righteous, Dot Rotten & Ghetts) | Lloyd, Livvi Franc, Toby Gad | Gad | 3:53 |
| 10. | "End Up Here" | Lloyd, Jackson | Jukebox | 3:30 |
|
Total length:
|
33:41 | |||
| MyPlay Direct Bonus Track[23] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |||||
| 11. | "Stay" | Siobhan Fahey, Marcella Detroit, Jean Guiot | Shakespears Sister, Chris Thomas | 3:10 | |||||
|
Total length:
|
36:49 | ||||||||
| Amazon.co.uk Bonus Track[24] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |||||
| 11. | "Talkin' That" | Lloyd, The Strangerz Shellback, Kotecha | Shellback | 3:20 | |||||
|
Total length:
|
37:01 | ||||||||
| iTunes Store Bonus Content[25] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 11. | "Behind the Scenes Photo Shoot" (Featurette) | 5:04 | |||||||
| 12. | "With Ur Love" (Music Video) | 3:48 | |||||||
| 13. | "Swagger Jagger" (Music Video) | 3:14 | |||||||