To say Alesha Dixon has had a mixed last few years would be an understatement. Both her personal and professional life have seen more ups and downs than you’d experience at Disney world. In fact, you could call her the British Britney Spears, just without the whole insane haircutting escapades.
Originally in the girl group Mis-Teeq, kind of like a better looking version of TLC, she then tried to forge a solo career when they split up. Unfortunately, after a year of working on her début album Polydor dropped her due to a poor chart performance for the first single.
While all of this was going on, she married MC Harvey from So Solid Crew, until splitting up when he decided he preferred her friend Javine Hylton (silly boy). She then won Strictly Come Dancing, although she was already a brilliant dancer (look out for her in the N.E.R.D video for She Wants To Move).
And now she’s back, having reinvented herself, and sporting a new look and a new sound. She has a new record deal with Asylum Records and her album is due for release on November 17th. Before that is the first single from it, The Boy Does Nothing. Video and review after the cut.
When I first heard this, it was one of those songs I liked but didn’t know why. Having heard it a few more times, I love it. It’s catchy and addictive. It’s 100% pop, with Alesha moving away from the r’n'b sound she’s more associated with. Her voice also seems to have risen an octave or two.
The video sees Dixon sensibly concentrate on her strengths, and what she is now known for: being a brilliant dancer. I do wonder if the whole album will be in the same style or not, but this single certainly owes a lot to Alesha’s experiences on Strictly Come Dancing.
The Boy Does Nothing sounds a little like Mambo No. 5, but with a modern twist. This won’t win any awards for song writing, and it is cheesy, but for a happy pop record, it works extremely well. Alesha Dixon is back doing what she does best, and this song should rip the charts up when it’s released on November 10th.
Song: 8/10
Video: 9/10
[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]