The Cheetah Girls - TCG

Release Date: September 25, 2007
Tracks: 11
Length: 38 minutes
Rating: 2 out of 4 stars

Audio CD
1. Fuego
2. Uh Oh
3. Human
4. So Bring It On
5. Break Out Of This Box
6. Crash
7. Do No Wrong
8. All In Me
9. Off The Wall
10. Who We Are
11. Homesick

After two soundtracks, the Cheetahs finally get their chance to show their true colors. With recent songs like The Party's Just Begun and Strut, they had found a reputable place to some of their critics. What TCG delivers is a whole new sound that takes a stripped down musical approach that relies heavily on beats.

Kicking it off Fuego, gives a strong hint of the new sound and of course serves as a reminder that Adrienne Bailon is one of the most underated singers in their genre. The end result is a cross between the samples of Lionel Ritchie's All Night Long and Miami Sound Machine. Some more samples make their appearance on TCG as well such as Human featuring a variation of the music by Beethoven in the hymn Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee. The song is the first of many on the album that serve as an anthem for others to accept people as they are.

The cut, So Bring It On is by far the best effort on this release and you can bet this will either be the opening or closing number on their next tour. It features slick guitar riffs sure to rock you and plenty of funk on the bottom end. Layered harmonies is where the Cheetahs show their strength.

Break Out Of This Box highlights the collaboration of Adrienne, Sabrina and JC Chasez, which really comes together with lyrics of empowerment. While the quirky drumbeat is far from commercial, the strength of the chorus eventually overpowers it. Picking up the pace quite a bit, Do No Wrong brings the attitude along with some 80's rapping reminiscent of old school Run DMC.

Towards the end we find another familiar tune, this time it's a cover of Who We Are that winds up a little short of the original by Hope Partlow - although most Cheetah fans will probably have a differing opinion.

All in all a decent effort by the Cheetah Girls. Songs like So Bring It On are definitely worth the price of admission to TCG. There's good stuff, it may just take a few listens.

- T2