FEATURE:
Second Spin
N-Dubz - Love.Live.Life
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AS N-Dubz are back…
and experiencing this resurgence, I wanted to include their latest studio album in Second Spin. Back in May, they released their first single after eleven years. There is a reunion tour and, who knows, they may be back in the studio. An album I first heard when it came out on 29th November, 2010, Love.Live.Life received a lot of positive reviews from critics. There were also some mixed ones in the pack. Maybe not as revered as 2009’s Against All Odds, Love.Live.Life is n album that has its strengths. I have listened to it again recently and it is far finer than most critics gave it credit for. After Against All Odds became such a success, N-Dubz embarked on a trip to the United States in an attempt to secure a record deal for themselves there. That was hindered because of Visa issues. Eventually, they got a five-album, deal with Island Records. I guess the group will be back with a new album and a new label. In August 2011, it was reported N-Dubz parted ways with Island, feeling unhappy about the way the label was trying to change them for the worse (in their view). In addition, Tulisa was a judge for season eight of The X Factor. Dappy released a solo single, No Regrets, and an N-Dubz gig on 18th September, 2011 was their last before this hiatus. Some reunions have been talked about for as long time. That is the case with N-Dubz. Now, in 2022, it has happened!
There were some positive reviews for Love.Live.Life. I want to highlight one from AllMusic that, whilst constructive in some criticisms, also had some good things to say about N-Dubz’s third studio album. This is an album that I think more people should hear – even if they are not aware of Tulisa, Dappy and Fazer:
“Whereas U.K hip-hop artists previously struggled to compete with their American counterparts, the last few years has seen the likes of Tinie Tempah, Dizzee Rascal, and Tinchy Stryder more than hold their own. While they may not be able to match the glamor, super-expensive videos, and star-studded collaborations of Jay-Z, Kanye West, or Eminem, their unique home-grown sound has resonated with audiences able to relate to their tales of everyday British life. Three-piece R&B/rap trio N-Dubz have enjoyed a transformation in their fortunes perhaps more than anyone else, after breaking out of their underground London-centric roots to become one of the biggest and most controversial urban acts in the U.K., scoring several platinum albums, Top Ten singles, and MOBO Awards in the process. But following their slow-burning debut, Uncle B, and their breakthrough second album, Against All Odds, which included the aptly named chart-topper "Number One" and a track written by pop maestro Gary Barlow, 2010 has reversed their steady rise toward commercial and critical respectability, thanks to several tabloid scandals involving drugs, paintball guns, and a death threat sent to a radio listener by outspoken member Dappy.
Their third album in three years, Love.Live.Life, therefore, is their opportunity to wisely let the music do the talking. Having secured a five-album deal with influential label Def Jam, it's no surprise that several of its 15 tracks have one eye firmly on the U.S. market, with songs co-produced and co-penned with the likes of Jim Jonsin (Usher), Soundz (Ciara), and Salaam Remi (Nas). It's certainly their most polished offering to date, thanks to the likes of "Took It All Away," based around a Michael Jackson-esque rock guitar solo, their reworking of Compton rapper YG's "Toot It and Boot It," and the military-styled dancehall of "Love Sick." However, despite the slick production, much of Love.Live.Life is still quintessentially British. "Scream My Name" is a synth-led slice of grime which harks back to their street beginnings, "Skit" is a frenetic jargon-filled tale which is surely unintelligible by anyone outside their native North London, while "So Alive" is a squelchy, bass-driven collaboration with former Boy Better Know MC, Skepta. Thankfully, the unintentionally comedic Dappy doesn't dominate proceedings as much as he did on their previous two albums. His irritating "Na Na Niii" catch phrase is still ubiquitous throughout, but instead it's Tulisa, an undeniably gifted singer who's more than a match for any X-Factor warbler, who shines, particularly on the techno, dancefloor-filler title track and the bouncy, Dr. Dre-inspired "Living for the Moment." Of course, with their macho bravado, immature lyrical content, and occasional early-'90s console-game-soundtrack instrumentation (particularly on the dreadful "Girls"), Love.Live.Life is still undoubtedly an acquired taste, and despite its slightly more commercial leanings, it's difficult to see how it can possibly translate outside the U.K.. But its unrelenting upbeat and infectious nature, several potential hit singles, and uncompromising attitude make it impossible, however begrudgingly, not to admire”.
I leave N-Dubz in the midst of the private airfield in France. They clamber on and off the jet they've hired for this scene, in line with the director's instructions, hefting the Louis Vuitton luggage, singing the hook to "Best Behaviour". They wave me off and thank me for coming; they are a fantastically courteous bunch of celebrities, perhaps the most civil I've met. "You've got to be polite, in't you darling?" Dappy told me, back in London. "You've got to have manners."
You have, Dappy, I thought at the time. You really have. Now, I think: you wouldn't necessarily turn to N-Dubz first for life lessons. And yet N-Dubz are grafters and also dedicated, loyal, authentic, unspoiled by success, ingenuous, unexpectedly kind, inadvertently funny and, yes, really very polite. All in all, you could do a lot worse”.
I think we will see more albums from N-Dubz. Whether you are new to the group or have been a fan for a while, I would advise you spend a moment with 2010’s Love.Live.Life. I like the group’s performances throughout, but I always feel that Tulisa is the standout in terms of her talent and sheer command and strength. She released a solo album, The Female Boss, in 2012. It wasn’t overly well-received, and I feel she deserved more! There were a lot of collaborators and producers, muddling an overcrowding the album. Let’s hope she comes back with an album that is much more hers; one where she talks about her world now and the decade since her last solo album. Both a new Tulisa album and one from N-Dubz would be interesting! In the meantime, go and check out the London trio’s…
UNDERRATED Love.Live.Life.