Atomic Kitten
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After the rise and fall of Take That, Spice Girls, and Boyzone, the U.K. didn't hold back with churning out signature pop artists. British acts such as A1, Westlife, and the television spoof band, Hear'Say burned radio waves for the early part of the decade and the dance-pop trio Atomic Kitten joined the ranks of chart battles and tabloid hell. Fans loved it, for the story behind the group exudes a soap opera flair similar to their idols, the Spice Girls. Founded in 1999 by Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark's Andy McCluskey, Kerry Katona, Liz McLarnon, and Natasha Hamilton hailed from Liverpool and were in search of an outlet to fulfill their popstar dreams. And they were barely out of their teens when a quickie deal with Innocent Records in summer 1999 sealed the deal for Atomic Kitten. "Right Now" and "See Ya" were instant Top 10 hits in Europe and "Whole Again" reached number one in winter 2001. They were mainstays on MTV although such success did not go off without a hitch. Kerry Katona announced to the press in September 2000 that she and Westlife's Bryan McFaden were an item and had been for a year. They were also expecting a baby and an engagement soon followed. Katona's dislike for traveling led her to leave the group, a foolish move she regretted after Atomic Kitten earned whirlwind praise with their debut Right Now. Precious' Jenny Frost aimed to fill Katona's shoes and a cover of the Bangles' "Eternal Flame" was buzz in spring 2001. A cover of Blondie's "The Tide Is High" followed several months later while stateside attention began to heat up, placing Atomic Kitten next to the likes of The Supremes and The Spice Girls for having more than a dozen singles hit #1 on the charts. With the success of two more singles from their 2002 album Feels So Good -- "Be With You" and "The Last Goodbye" -- Atomic Kitten landed a US deal with Virgin before the year's end. As the club/dance cut "Love Doesn't Have to Hurt" burned up the UK charts, Atomic Kitten prepped for their self-titled American debut, which was released in April 2003.
© MacKenzie Wilson /TiVo
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Albums
8
albums sorted by Most acclaimed
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Rock - Released January 1, 2004 | Innocent
A European release, Greatest Hits should provide just about anyone with all the Atomic Kitten that's necessary, including big singles like "Be with U," "It's OK!," "See Ya," "Whole Again," and "Love Doesn't Have to Hurt." It touches on each of the group's studio albums -- 2001's Right Now, 2002's Feels So Good, and 2003's Ladies Night (the title track, included here, being a Kool & the Gang cover) -- with a strong emphasis placed on the singles. This set was timed peculiarly, since it came out just a few months after rumors of a group breakup began to float around. They denied they would be splitting and instead announced that they would be taking "a long break." Why the U.S. powers that be never gave this group (and Sugababes) more of a chance is anyone's guess.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Rock - Released January 1, 2003 | Innocent
Undeniably old-fashioned compared to the spiky pop sound of Girls Aloud and the edgy urban output of Sugababes, Liverpool trio Atomic Kitten don't appear to be in any hurry to keep up with their more credible girl band rivals, judging by their third studio album, Ladies Night. There are a few attempts to grace the dancefloor with the hen party-friendly reworking of Kool & the Gang's "Ladies Night," the string-soaked ELO-sampling disco of "Be with You" (arguably their best single since "Whole Again"), and the Gallic-tinged filtered house of "Loving You," but despite the presence of Kylie producer Rob Davis and Jenny Frost's DJ boyfriend Dominic Thrupp on board, the majority of its 15 tracks stick with the Stargate-esque watered-down R&B, breezy acoustic pop, and midtempo ballads of its predecessor, Feels So Good. Taking a more active role third time round, eight songs feature at least one of the girls' names on the credits, but while the gorgeous sparse McClarnon-penned piano ballad "Someone Like Me" hints at a previously untapped songwriting prowess, the bland flamenco-tinged "Never Get Over You," the anemic funk of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," and the forgettable "Everything Goes Around," which uses the same shuffling beats as all of their big hits, suggest it's a good thing that the likes of Take That's Gary Barlow (the gospel-inspired "I Won't Be There"), Alisha's Attic's Karen Poole (the melodic dream pop of "Nothing in the World"), and Madonna cohorts Billy Steinberg and Rick Nowels (the lush Bangles-esque "Believer") were on board to lend a hand. There are times on Ladies Night when the girls appear capable of losing their "female Westlife" tag, while the increased creative input is a promising progression from their manufactured early days, but frustratingly, it plays it too safe too often to be considered as anything other than a harmless and slightly forgettable piece of fluff.
© Jon O'Brien /TiVo
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Rock - Released January 1, 2002 | Innocent
Feels So Good maintained Atomic Kitten's status as one of the U.K.'s most successful pop groups, with a pair of number one singles and another that reached number three plucked from it. Their first album recorded with Jenny Frost is nearly as solid as Right Now, with more playful chemistry evident between the three members. (Frost replaced original member Kerry Katona, who departed after the debut became a success; oddly enough, once Frost settled in, Right Now was redone and re-released, with her vocals put in place of Katona's.) Though the three biggest hits -- "It's OK!," "The Last Goodbye," and a cover of Blondie's cover of "The Tide Is High" -- are well-executed, easygoing pop songs, the group is at its best when it takes on the role of a modern disco act (as heard on "Feels So Good," "Love Won't Wait," and "Softer the Touch"). Like the debut, this album wasn't issued in the U.S. Instead, Virgin combined highlights from the two albums for a self-titled quasi-compilation, released in 2003. Despite the fact that Atomic Kitten's singles are often as strong as the ones from the popular U.S. acts, the disc did nothing to establish them as a successful act in that country.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Pop - Released January 1, 2005 | Innocent
Access All Areas: Remixed and B-Sides is a CD/DVD set with Atomic Kitten's biggest fans in mind. The CD contains eight B-sides and nearly as many remixes, including covers of "Locomotion" and "Dancing in the Street," as well as Blacksmith's remix of "Eternal Flame" (yes, a Bangles cover) and Kurtis Mantronik's remix of "Ladies Night" (yes, a Kool & the Gang cover). The real attractive part of the package is the DVD, which features 18 of the group's videos and a greatest-hits set performed at Wembley Arena. This was released across Asia and received no distribution elsewhere, so fans outside the continent should be prepared to pay import prices.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
