The Wanted Word of Mouth (Island) ⋆⋆⋆
Word of mouth has been mightily unhelpful for The Wanted recently. Touted as One Direction’s major rivals after some impressive US chart success, the British quintet were rumoured to be working with several superstars on their third album – Chris Brown, Justin Bieber – but none ultimately materialised. Then, after several delays, ominous stories emerged that the band may soon be dropped by their record label. Which would be a shame, as this record is anything but troubled. Bursting free of their worthy, old we-play-proper-instruments persona they gleefully rattle through the full gamut of modern boy-band styles, from grand ballads – the intriguingly titled Show Me Love (America) – to the trance-dance closing track, Chasing the Sun, written by the one celebrity collaborator here, Example. Generally charming but harmless, Word of Mouth boasts some admirable departures too, notably the cheeky Walks Like Rihanna (“She can’t sing. She can’t dance…”), a Scissor Sisters-style falsetto on the Klezmer-fuelled I Found You, while Glow in the Dark is a decent stab at Daft Punk’s sci-fi disco. Do spread the word.
