The 2011 winners of Britain's The X Factor TV show, four-piece girl group
Little Mix
deliver a slick, high-energy mix of dance-oriented pop music with their debut full-length album, 2012's
DNA
. Showcased here are the soulful vocals (and various British accents) of
Jade Thirlwall
and
Perrie Edwards
from the coastal town of South Shields,
Jesy Nelson
from the East London neighborhood of Romford, and
Leigh-Anne Pinnock
from the High Wycombe area of Buckinghamshire. Working with a bevy of big-name producer/songwriters including
Steve Mac
(
the Wanted
,
the Saturdays
JLS
) and
TMS
Professor Green
Emeli Sande
) as well as
Jon Levine
Nelly Furtado
Selena Gomez
),
Diplo
, and others,
deliver a fun, catchy mix of pop songs that showcases the slight differences in each member's personality and vocal style while never detracting from the overall girl group aesthetic. To these ends, we get a handful of truly catchy, infectious cuts including the pounding, electronic-infused title track, the yearning,
Rihanna
-esque ballad "Always Be Together," and the flirty female empowerment anthem "How Ya Doin'?," which sounds a lot like
Beyonce
fronting the '90s acid-jazz R&B ensemble
the Brand New Heavies
. Ultimately, while
certainly makes good on
's promise of updating the '90s sound of
En Vogue
TLC
, it's also just a solidly enjoyable, radio-ready pop album. [A Deluxe Edition added four tracks.] ~ Matt Collar