Come and Get It

Everyone's favorite S Club 7 member is back with another attempt at stardom

Despite being little more than the S Club 7 pin-up Rachel Stevens has done a grand job carving out quality pop anthems since striking out solo, along with all the fabulous pictures of course. Her solo pop career got off to a quality start with a killer No.1 in the shape of Sweet Dreams My LA Ex and the girl hasn't looked back ever since. Now everyone's favorite S Club 7 member is back with another attempt at stardom. Swapping sugary pop for electro-pop, one thing you can be sure of: her new album is not going to be another Funky Dory. Bold, swaggering and accomplished – three words you would perhaps not expect to hear when talking about Rachel Stevens; but these are fair comment when describing her sophomore effort, Come And Get It, bursting with an electric mix of contemporary pop anthems. This is a hefty 13-track collection that again teams Rachel up with some of the industry's most respected producers and hitmakers. Working closely with Richard X, Rob Davis, former S Club 7 collaborators Jewels & Stone, and former Alisha's Attic members Karen and Shelley Poole, Rachel has made an album she can really be proud of.

Rachel may not have the best voice, but she's expressive and her phrasing is marvelous

You already know the singles are kiloton bombs of blissful pop, but the album tracks, lavishly produced and catchy enough, don't drag either. Some Girls is included as a merciful gesture to those who refused to fork out for the Funky Dory reissue, and the other Richard X-produced track, Crazy Boys, is nearly as good: stammering drum beats, heavenly oohs, and a delicious atmosphere of menace in Rachel's voice to match the strong yet submissive persona suggested by the lyrics. But it's not just dancefloor stompers that the Stevens can do so well, two of the most memorable songs are the uplifting, minimalist I Will Be There, with production values reminiscent of Kylie's I Believe in You, and the sultry Nothing Good About This Goodbye. Rachel revives the Alexis Strum composition, adding some harmonies and a tougher beat. She may not have the best voice, but she's expressive and her phrasing is marvelous, especially on the slightly-too-infrequent ice-queen spoken-word bits littered throughout. The contagious Funny How and Every Little Thing are much poppier affairs and all the better for it – after all, there’s only so much pure electro stuff an album can take. But the highlight is the fabulous I Said Never Again (But Here We Are), by far the most energetic track and beating off stiff competition for most catchy too, it’s an anthemic song that just cries out for love.

A rich mix of stylish, decadent and sophisticated sounds, Come And Get It is pure pop gold

Nearly every track on the album could be a single. The style and swagger of Rachel's new material oozes maturity and confidence, making this an album pop lovers everywhere will struggle to resist. A rich mix of stylish, decadent and sophisticated sounds, Come And Get It is pure pop gold and an album for anyone who appreciates pop music at its best. It is brimming with an exciting and eclectic selection of songs. Assembled by pop enthusiasts for pop enthusiasts, Come And Get It is exactly the kind of exhilarating, clever, brazen beast of a record that you'd expect from songwriters as talented as chart botherers Richard X, Xenomania and Rob Davis. It's a record littered with sly references to yesterday's charts, from the Pet Shop Boys to Wham! to The Cure, but wrapped up in the high tech sheen of 2005. Come And Get It could be the album Rachel Stevens will be remembered for.