Yay! Yippee! Wahey! For any of you that don’t already know I am going to see Blue in concert on 17th December, the end of this year with my aunt. I can’t wait and no Tasha I am NOT, I repeat NOT actually meeting them in person just watching them in concert, so don’t be getting all jealous. I have bought Blue’s album ‘All Rise’ all ready for the concert and as an appetiser to keep me going through the wait.

First a bit about Blue: - Blue are one of the biggest boy bands to have emerged in the last twelve months. The group has four members Duncan James, Simon Webbe, Antony Costa and Lee Ryan. They have released four singles altogether and this album.

I bought the album from Sainsbury’s at the lower price of £9.99. There are twelve tracks on the CD, which are listed below: -

 1. ALL RISE (3.43)

All Rise is the first single that Blue released and it was out in the shops to buy on the 21st May 2001 and it reached number four in the charts. The song is a typical pop boy-band tune and it includes a bit of rapping from Simon which gives the song a sort of r ‘n’ b hint. All Rise is one of my favourite songs from the album and my rating is ***** 5/5. Here’s the chorus…

“One for the money and the free rides it's
Two for the lie that you denied
All rise - all rise
Three for the calls you've been - making it's
Four all the times you've been - faking
All rise - all rise
I'm gonna tell it to your face
I rest my case.”

 2. TOO CLOSE (3.45)

Too Close is the second single that Blue released and also the song that they used as their audition piece for Virgin. Blue asked if they could record it, which they did, then released it on the 27th August 2001 and it went to number one in the charts. This song doesn’t include any rapping from Simon and it is a soft ballad, but quite dancey, one of my least favourite songs and my rating is *** 3/5. Here’s the chorus…

“Baby when we're grinding
I get so excited
Oh, how I like it
I try but I can't fight it
Oh you're dancing real close
Plus it's real, real slow
You're making it hard for me.”

 3. THIS TEMPTATION (3.35)

This song hasn’t been released in the charts, but is one of my favourites. It’s tune is like a mixture of the two rhythms from ‘Fly By’ and ‘Too Close’. The song is basically about a couple that can’t resist each other and they want to ‘get it on’ (if you know what I mean ;)), but they aren’t sure and can’t resist ‘this temptation’. A real catchy tune and I find myself singing along to this every time I listen, there is also some rapping from Simon which I think is fantastic, my rating is *****/5. Here is the chorus (why am I repeating myself, oh never mind)…

“You wanna get it on right now I see
I just wanna say that's cool with me
Won't you take your time
Leave it just a little to imagination
I've been waiting for this night so long
It's really hard just holding on
And now the moment's come
I've never been good at this temptation.”

 4. IF YOU COME BACK (3.27)

This is the third single that Blue released from the album on the 12th November 2001 and it went straight to number one in the charts. Antony has also revealed that it is the first single that they recorded and has always been a favourite of theirs. I really like this song as it is a slow one that you can sing-a-long to, yet again it’s about a girl and the guy is trying to get her to come back to him and he’ll prove to her that he really loves her and they can make a future out of their relationship. I rate this song ***/5. Chorus…

“I swear If you come back in my life I'll be there till the end of time, Oh yeah
(Back to me, back to me, back into my life)
And I swear, I'll keep you right by my side 'cos baby you're the one I want,
Oh yes you are. (Back to me, back to me, back into my life).”

 5. FLY BY (3.48)

Oh my God! The best track on the album! This is the tune that Blue most recently released into the charts, 18th March 2002, and it went to number 6 in the charts. They all look absolutely gorgeous in the video, especially Duncan, yes he’s my fave (sorry Solex). The album version is slightly different to the version that they released as it has some different instruments which gives it a slightly different tune. I’d definitely give it a *****/5 rating any day of the week, you know what comes next…

“What a night (night) so far (far)
Pullin' up curb side in your car (your car)
What a sight (sight) you are (are)
Think I know somewhere we can park
After dark.

System up with the top down
Got the city on lockdown
Drive by in the low ride
Hands high when we fly by.”

 6. BOUNCE (3.52)

I thought that this song at the beginning had a sort of Britney Spears feel to it, with all the ‘Oh, yeah’ and ‘Woo!’ parts in it, just like our lovely Britney does. So irritating. Anyway I really like this song despite all the wooing etc., it has a really catchy tune and all the lyrics are sung really beaty. They are singing about when they are in a club, met a hot girl who is the one they’ve been looking for and is she ‘gonna get down with them like that.’ You’d see what I’m talking about if you listen to the lyrics. My rating is ***/5. Chorus…

“Give, give me more, step on the floor
You're the type of girl that I've been looking for
All the fellas in the house tonight
Are you gonna bounce, bounce with us tonight?

Give, give me more, step on the floor
You're the type of girl that I've been looking for
Doing it right
Are you gonna bounce, bounce with us tonight?”

 7. LONG TIME (4.14)

Argh I hate this song so much! It sounds so much like a Will Young single, with all the ‘yeahing’, yuck, yuck. I mean don’t get me wrong I still LOVE Blue but Will Young is so irritating I don’t want his sound to come out in Blue. This is one of those slow dance songs but it does occasionally have a ‘woo’ from Simon, towards the end there is also some piano playing that you can hear too. Chorus…

“It's gonna be a long, long, long time,
till I can be with you again, and see your smile.
It's gonna be a long, long, long time,
till I hold you in my arms all through the night,
it's gonna be a long, long time.”

 8. MAKE IT HAPPEN (3.04)

This song hasn’t been released yet, but I think that it should be because it is a really good song and would do well in the charts. It sounds a bit like a five song and is catchy and seems to show off their great voices really well. Another one of my favourites, so I rate it ****/5. There is a lot of singing from Lee and you can hear Simon in the background occasionally going ‘yeah’, ‘woo’ etc. Chorus…

“Don't just talk, make it happen
Don't make me wait for you
Do what you came to do
Keep me up
Don't stop, make it happen
It's got the best of me
This curiosity
Kills me every time.”

 9. BACK TO YOU (3.04)

Yay! Go Blue, this song has a real r ‘n’ b introduction, with guitars and disco like sounds running in the background. Lee really shows off his voice and how strong it can be while he sings the beginning of the song. There is also rapping from Simon half way through which sounds great, yet again another great song. My rating ****/5. Chorus…

“You know I'm coming back to you (every time you call my name).
I¹m coming back to you
You know I'm coming back to you (every time I see your face)
Just wanna be with you, I'm comin' back!”

 10. GIRL I’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND (3.26)

Another slow, sloppy song that is about another girl (noticing a connection here). The song is basically telling the girl that she is a complete mystery to him and he can never understand her and was she glad that they were history. The song has a great ballad and the chorus sounds like a sort of song that Boyzone would have sung. Not one of my favourites, I prefer the faster ones, my rating **/5. Chorus…

“I could never believe and never understand
How you could do this to me.
Enough is enough, done all I can
Now you're gonna lose me
Throwing away our yesterdays
Everything we planned
Cause you're a girl, I'll never understand.”

 11. BACK SOME DAY (4.00)

Yet again another slow song and the Blue boys voices in some places sound just like Ricky Martin! I actually quite like this song even though it’s a typical boy band song, it just has something different about it. The introduction of it is cool too, sounds sort of echoing and different change for Blue’s sound. My rating is ***/5. Chorus…

“If you're alone, I want you to know
I'll be back someday, don't you ever let go
Baby, hold tight through the cold lonely night
Just wait for me till I get home
When you're on your own, I want you to know
I'll be there for you, I could never let go
I realise that you want me to stay
But hold on, I'll be back someday.”

 12. BEST IN ME (3.11)

The final track on the album, yet another slow ballad. The song is soft and gentle by the way it is sung, about relationships between the boy and girl and how this girl has brought out the best of his personality. The best out of all the slow ballads, showing off the entire groups great voices. My rating
****/5. Chorus…

“'Cos you bring out the best in me, like no-one else can do
That's why I'm by your side,
'Cos you bring out the best in me, like no-one else can do
That's why I'm by your side, and that's why I love you
'Cos you bring out the best in me, like no-one else can do
That's why I'm by your side, and that's why I love you.”

With all these great songs from Blue I am really looking forward to listening to them in concert. I recommend this album and it is more for teenage girls, like me and maybe older woman too, my mom and aunt like it so I’m sure there are loads of others that do too!

Thanks for reading,
KB/happeninbabe xxx