Sticks + Stones

シェール・ロイドがUKの人気オーディション番組『X-Factor』に登場したのは彼女が16歳の時。この時のシーズン7は、1位Matt Cardle、2位レベッカ・ファーガソン、3位One Directionと大豊作のシーズンで、シェール・ロイドは優勝こそ逃したものの4位に。そしてオーディション後ほどなくしてサイモン・コーウェルが契約を決め、すぐにデビューに向けて準備が始まった。センスが光るファスト・ファッションを着こなし、大きなダーク・ブラウンの瞳が印象的。オーディション中もJay-Zからアヴリル・ラヴィーンまで幅広いポップスを歌ってきたが、デビューに当たってはグウェン・ステファニー、ニッキー・ミナージュ、ファーギーのようなパワーポップな中にもアンダーグラウンドなテイストも備えたポップ・スターになりたいという彼女の夢を実現させる形で、個性的で伸びやかな歌声が映えるポップ・ソングやバラードから、カンの良さがよく伝わってくるラップまで、まるで彼女の歌声ショーケースのようなアルバムが仕上がった。プロデューサー陣にも、Max Martin (Britney, Katy Perry, Usher), Red One (Lady Gaga, JLo), Shellback (Pink, Maroon 5,), Savan Kotecha (Britney, Usher), Kevin Rudolph (Lil Wayne) 等を迎え、全編通して豪華なサウンドプロダクションとなっている。シェール・ロイドもそれぞれの曲作りに参加し、彼女自身の同世代へのメッセージも強く込めた。そして2011年夏のデビュー・シングル「Swagger Jagger」は見事UK1位に!ファスト・ファッションをさらりと着こなしてしまうセンスにも注目が集まり、もはやファッション誌では常連!音楽性もキャラクターも、はつらつとしてキュートで個性的。UKティーン・エイジャーの憧れの的、シェール・ロイド登場!

Forget Jedward, Chico, Wagner, or the several other novelty acts that The X Factor has foisted upon unsuspecting viewers across the years, fourth-place finalist Cher Lloyd appeared to polarize audiences like no one else in the show's short history. Where some saw a confident demeanor, others saw a brattish attitude; where some viewed her as a voice of the streets, others believed she encapsulated everything that was wrong about today's youth; and where some marveled at her rap/singing versatility, others argued she was a jack of all trades but a master of none. It was always unlikely, therefore, that her debut album, Sticks + Stones, was going to be a shy and retiring MOR affair designed to appeal to the masses à la series winner Matt Cardle. However, there are times throughout its ten tracks when Lloyd does appear to be testing the patience of even her most ardent fans, none more so than on "Swagger Jagger," which may have hit the number one spot (albeit in a slow sales week) but is still a contrived mess, chaotically shifting from sub-Nicki Minaj hip-hop to nursery rhyme pop (its chorus samples "Oh My Darling Clementine") to Swedish House Mafia-esque trance, while its social media-baiting lyrics suggest her "haterz" are just jealous, completely discounting the fact that perhaps she just might not be everyone's cup of tea. Elsewhere, "Playa Boi" is an obnoxious slice of industrial R&B that should hang its head in shame for destroying the legacy of Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" ("He got a lean in the gangsta stance/He needs to rock the sickest brands"), while "Dub on the Track," a collaboration with grime artists Mic Righteous, Dot Rotten, and Ghetts, is a rather unconvincing attempt to prove her street credentials, complete with the now ubiquitous gigantic dirty wobble bass drops. However, when Lloyd stops trying so hard, she's actually a pretty compelling pop star. "Want You Back" and "End Up Here" are both infectious examples of cutesy pure pop that recall Britney before she lost her innocence; "Beautiful People," a duet with U.S. teen drama staples Carolina Liar, is a sweet Ryan Tedder-style ballad; and the closest the album gets to showcasing the impressive vocals she displayed on her famous "Stay" X Factor performance; while "With Ur Love" is a charming M.I.A.-inspired ditty that fuses a lolloping childlike bassline with bouncy beats and some surprisingly sugary-sweet melodies, although Mike Posner's guest rap is the pure definition of "phoned-in." At times, Sticks + Stones sounds like such a calculated effort to copy everything that's hot in 2011 that it's likely to feel utterly irrelevant by the time the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve. But it's by no means the car crash its lead single suggested, and if Lloyd can tone down the whole "in yer face" schtick, she might begin to win over some of those "haterz" who apparently can't stop "clicking, writing, or tweeting" about her. ~ Jon O'Brien|

ウスターシャー生まれの18歳、昨今の〈The X Factor〉出身者でもズバ抜けておもしろい逸材が超待望のアルバム・デビュー! 何と言ってもランナーズの制作した全英No.1ヒット“Swagger Jagger"を聴けば彼女の魅力はすぐにわかると思うけど、リリー・アレンとM.I.A.が合体したような……ニッキー・ミナージュを意識した複数の声色使いでキャラを立てたような……もっと単純に言えばケシャの“Tik Tok"路線を発展させたような……あるいは彼女らの先達にあたるミッシー・エリオットが天真爛漫なティーンに転生したような……という感じで、達者な小悪魔ラップとコクのある歌がベース系のブーティー・ポップやダブステップでブリブリ全開なのです。UKならではのハイブリッド感が超キャッチーな痛快作! キテる!
bounce (C)出嶌孝次