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''Taller in More Ways'' is the fourth studio album by British girl group
Sugababes Sugababes are a British girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011. Formed in 1998 by All Saints manager Ron Tom, Sugababes releas ...
, released by
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
on 10 October 2005. It was primarily produced by
Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events in ...
and Jony Rockstar, with additional production from
Cameron McVey Cameron Andrew McVey (born 11 March 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and music producer. He worked with the bands Massive Attack, Portishead, All Saints, Sugababes/Mutya Keisha Siobhan and his wife Neneh Cherry. He is the father of Ma ...
,
Xenomania Xenomania is an English songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed by Higgins with his Creative Director Miranda Cooper and Business Director Sarah Stennett of First Access Entertainment, Xenoman ...
and
Guy Sigsworth Guy Sigsworth is an English record producer and songwriter. During his career, he has worked with many artists, including Seal, Björk, Goldie, Madonna, Britney Spears, Kate Havnevik, Imogen Heap, Bebel Gilberto, Mozez, David Sylvian, Alanis M ...
. The title of the album was inspired by a line in the album's second single, " Ugly". The album was preceded by its lead single " Push the Button", which peaked atop the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, while its second single "Ugly" also achieving commercial success. Founding member
Mutya Buena Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group the Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-p ...
left the Sugababes in December 2005 and was replaced by
Amelle Berrabah Amelle Berrabah (born 22 April 1984), also known as Amelle, is a British singer, best known for being a former member of the girl group the Sugababes, replacing founding member Mutya Buena, who left the group in December 2005. She achieved a so ...
. As a result, ''Taller in More Ways'' was re-released in March 2006 with the addition of a new song, "Now You're Gone", and three re-recorded tracks featuring the vocals of Berrabah: "Gotta Be You", " Follow Me Home" and " Red Dress", with "Red Dress" and "Follow Me Home" becoming and third and fourth single off of ''Taller in More Ways'' respectively. Upon release, ''Taller in More Ways'' received generally favourable reviews from music critics. It topped the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
, becoming the group's first domestic number one album. It was certified 2× Platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
(BPI). Additionally, it reached the top ten in Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Austria. To promote the album, the group went on the Taller in More Ways Tour in 2006.


Background

"
Hole in the Head "Hole in the Head" is a song performed by British girl group Sugababes, released on 13 October 2003 as the lead single from their third studio album, ''Three (Sugababes album), Three''. It was written by Brian Higgins (producer), Brian Higgins, ...
", the number one single from the Sugababes' third studio album ''
Three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...
'' (2003), was released in the United States during July 2004. During this time, the Sugababes revealed that they would meet with producers in the US to work on their fourth studio album. In August 2004, the Sugababes released "
Caught in a Moment "Caught in a Moment" is a song by English girl group Sugababes from their third studio album ''Three'' (2003). It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 August 2004 as the album's fourth and final single. The song was written by the group's ...
", the fourth and final single from ''Three'', and also confirmed that recording for the group's fourth album had commenced. During their break between September 2004 and August 2005, speculation arose about the band's future, which included rumours of a
greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
album being released and that the group would later split. Band member
Heidi Range Heidi India Partakis ( Range; born 23 May 1983) is an English singer, best known as a former member of the girl group Sugababes. She was an original member of girl group Atomic Kitten, although she left the group before they released any materi ...
expressed her distaste with the media speculation, saying: "You know what? At first it would make us angry, then we'd laugh it off and now we don't even pay any attention to it. The tabloids have been saying we're about to split since I joined the band four years ago and I've no idea where it all comes from."


Composition and lyrics

''Taller in More Ways'' is predominantly a pop record, but also draws influences from
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
and R&B. Priya Elan of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' described the album as a "titanic pop experimentation". Buena stated during an interview that each track on the album is different and diverse. The mood of the album ranges from
uptempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
pop numbers to slower,
downtempo Downtempo (or downbeat) is a broad label for electronic music that features an atmospheric sound and slower beats than would typically be found in dance music. Closely related to ambient music but with greater emphasis on rhythm, the style may ...
ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
. The album opens with "Push the Button", an
uptempo A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mus ...
pop,
electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
and
electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...
song.
Instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...
consists of computer beats and electronics. The song was inspired by a limerance between Buchanan and an artist who collaborated with Austin, and is lyrically about a woman's sexual frustration of being unnoticed by a man. The next track is "Gotta Be You", a
crunk Crunk is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more dance and club oriented subgenres. An archetypal crunk track freq ...
and R&B number that runs through a "monotonal crunk-influenced synthesised honking". The song is lyrically interpreted as reacting to judgements created by the press. It received several comparisons to " Try Again" by
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
. Following this is "Follow Me Home", a downtempo and romantic R&B ballad, instrumentatally accompanied by of keyboards, a guitar, beats and bass. The romantic song was inspired by Buena's daughter and is lyrically about protecting your loved one. The fourth track on the album is "Joy Division", which draws influences from dub and
nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
. K. Ross Hoffman of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
described it as a "breezy, ska-punk-tinged" track. The song's is accompanied by keyboards, a guitar, beats and bass, and features the Sugababes singing lines such as "Boy do I turn you round / Isn't this profound". Lyrically, "Joy Division" is about sleazy men; according to Range, "My verse is about a guy who tries to chat you up and conveniently forgets the fact that he's got a wife and kids". "Red Dress" serves as the fifth track on the album; it is an uptempo pop song that features two choruses. Its instrumentation is composed of keyboards, bass and guitars, while the main
riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
samples the Northern soul song "Landslide" by
Tony Clarke Anthony or Tony Clarke may refer to: * Tony Clarke (British politician) (born 1963), English Labour Party politician, MP for Northampton South from 1997 to 2005 * Anthony Clarke (judoka) (born 1961), Australian athlete *Tony Clarke (activist) (born ...
. "Red Dress" features a theme of
girl power Girl power is a slogan that encourages and celebrates women's empowerment, independence, confidence and strength. The slogan's invention is credited to the US punk band Bikini Kill, who published a zine called ''Bikini Kill #2: Girl Power'' i ...
, and is lyrically about a woman who uses her sexuality to gain power over men. The sixth track of ''Taller in More Ways'' is the midtempo pop rock ballad "Ugly", consisting of acoustic guitars "buoyed by peripheral detail". Its lyrical content is related to self-esteem and body-image concerns; the song received comparisons to "
Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...
" by American recording artist
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
and "
Unpretty "Unpretty" is a song by American group TLC, released on May 17, 1999, through LaFace and Arista Records as the second single from the band's third studio album, ''FanMail''. It was written by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and the producer Dallas Austi ...
" by American girl group
TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...
. "It Ain't Easy", the album's seventh track, is an electro and R&B song backed by a guitar riff, drums and keys. It is reminiscent of that heard on "
Personal Jesus "Personal Jesus" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990), in 1989. It reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the ''Billbo ...
" by
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...
. Lyrically, "It Ain't Easy" is about the Sugababes as people and balancing their lives with their careers. The album's eighth track, "Bruised", contains a repetitive "ta-na-na" backing vocal and is lyrically about a tempestuous relationship. Buchanan revealed that the song is about being in an unhealthy relationship, saying: "Every time they come close to you, you get bruised". The ninth track of the album is a cover of
Animotion Animotion is an American synth-pop band from Los Angeles, California, best known for the songs " Obsession", "Let Him Go", "I Engineer", and " Room to Move". Formed in 1983 from the remnants of a retro science-fiction band called Red Zone, th ...
's new wave single, "Obsession". Hoffman described it as "sugary synth pop". The song contains "glittering" chord progressions of a 1980s nightclub. According to Talia Kraines of
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, the cover is an "almost exact reworking" of the original. This is followed by the progressive electropop track "Ace Reject", lyrically inspired by dysfunctional relationships. Buchanan spoke of the song's concept and meaning, saying: "It's about the fact that we break up and make up and we don't know why." The UK bonus track, "Better", features an "ooh-ooh-ooh" backing vocal and is lyrically about overcoming one's problems. The song was compared to "
Thank You "''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...
" by
Jamelia ' Jamelia Niela Davis (born 11 January 1981) is an English singer, songwriter and television presenter. She has released three studio albums, each of which has reached the Top 40 in the UK, which collectively have spawned eight UK top-ten singl ...
. The album's twelfth and closing track is "2 Hearts", an acoustic-driven pop ballad that incorporates European electropop. The song's instrumentation consists of guitars, horns, beats, bass, percussion and strings. It also features a string grandeur similar to that of
Hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...
. The song is reminiscent of "Grace Under Pressure" by
Elbow The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the media ...
.


Songs

According to Simon Price of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', "It Ain't Easy" is reminiscent of " Rock Is Dead" by
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
. Alex Roginski of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' wrote that the song "utilises electro clash for a grinding foray into R&B." K. Ross Hoffman of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
noted that the song "pits a menacingly swung, twangy guitar riff", which according to him is "lifted so blatantly" from
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...
's song, "
Personal Jesus "Personal Jesus" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990), in 1989. It reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the ''Billbo ...
". Buchanan spoke of the song's lyrical content and meaning, saying: "It's basically about us as people. It's not easy being where we are now, trying to keep a balance between normality and doing this. When you're content within yourself, you should know how you are, and people around us know what we're like." Alexis Petridis of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' named it better than the album's lead single, " Push the Button", while also describing it as "Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus' rewritten with its existential angst replaced by the travails of teen romance." ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
s Peter Robinson also noted a similarity between the two songs, writing that the track "breezily pays homage to Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus. He suggested it was one of the album's best tracks. Hoffman wrote that "it's a wonder
Martin Gore Martin Lee Gore (born 23 July 1961) is an English songwriter, musician, singer, record producer and DJ. He is one of the founding members of the electronic rock band Depeche Mode and is the band's main songwriter. He is the band's guitarist a ...
doesn't get a writing credit" in the song, "against a martial strut and agitated double-time group vocals." Rick Fulton of '' Daily Record'' regarded it as one of the album's highlights. However, Ben Hogwood of
musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
acknowledged that although the song features "nervy vocals" from Buchanan, it takes "much of its source material" from
Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...
's song "
Train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...
", which according to him is "complete with an unsuccessful bridge passage." Sugababes performed the song at the
Clyde Auditorium The SEC Armadillo (originally known as the Clyde Auditorium) is an auditorium located near the River Clyde, in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of three venues on the Scottish Event Campus, which includes the SEC Centre and the OVO Hydro.
in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
on 20 March 2006, as part of their UK tour to promote ''Taller in More Ways''. An editor for ''
The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...
'' described the song as a "Goldfrapp-matching" track to "Obsession", and named the performance one of the "best points" of the gig. "Gotta Be You" is a
crunk&B Crunk is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more dance and club oriented subgenres. An archetypal crunk track fre ...
song. Ben Hogwood of
musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...
described it as an "electric piece of club R&B". According to group member
Keisha Buchanan Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan (; born 30 September 1984) is an English singer and a founding member of the girl group Sugababes alongside Mutya Buena and Siobhán Donaghy. With the Sugababes, she had six number one singles and two number ...
, the Sugababes are the first British band to incorporate the American sound in their music. Kitty Empire of ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' called it "brooding R&B" and noted its reminiscence of " Try Again" by American R&B singer,
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
. Similarly, K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic wrote that "Gotta Be You" "treads melodically close to the song", in which he described the latter as "majestic". Another critic, Nick Southall from ''
Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...
'', wrote that it is "disarmingly close" to "Try Again". Buchanan explained the song's concept and lyrical interpretation during a track by track analysis of the album on the group's official website, saying: "This song is about reacting to the press when they slag you off, about how they judge you. When we heard the song we loved it. To be honest, any publicity is good publicity whether it's positive or negative, and it's taken us a while to get that. When the press write something negative and something that's untrue, it's hard to look at that in a positive way. We could really relate to the song." According to Alexis Petridis of ''The Guardian'', Austin "adds a light, but none the less thrilling dusting of monotonal crunk-influenced synthesised honking" to the song. Petridis elaborated that this is "about as far as the album ventures into the realms of hos and playas, fuckin' the atmosphere or otherwise." Ben Hogwood of musicOMH gave a favorable review; he described it as a "dancefloor anthem in the making and surely a future single". Talia Kraines of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
was critical of "Gotta Be You", calling it an "annoying" and "dull r'n'b-lite" track. Hoffman of AllMusic was also unfavorable of the song, writing that it "pillages less successfully" compared to other tracks from the album. He elaborated that despite a "passable foundation of synth-fuzz R&B with trendy tabla-esque skittering", the song "can't help but pale by comparison" to "Try Again". Alex Roginski of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' criticised the songwriting as "flat". According to Joe Muggs of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'', "Gotta Be You" "feels like a deliberate attempt to woo the US market".


Critical reception

''Taller in More Ways'' received generally favourable reviews from music critics. K. Ross Hoffman of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, labelling it "among their strongest" and favouring "the simple yet effective electro-pop club ditty 'Push The Button' ndeven better in that category hemonstrously funky 'Red Dress'", as well as 'Follow Me Home' and 'Ugly', calling them two "aptly pitched inspirational mini-epics". The review was less favourable about the final three cuts saying they "fail to leave much of an impression". He described "Gotta Be You" as " song thatcan't help but pale by comparison
ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...
's majestic ' Try Again'." Alexis Petridis of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', however, was favourable of 'Gotta Be You', referring to
Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
as " omeone whoclearly knows where Sugababes' strengths lie", further stating " ustinadds a light, but nonetheless thrilling dusting of monotonal crunk-influenced synthesised honking to 'Gotta Be You'." He was less favourable about their cover of 'Obsession', stating, "sadly, Sugababes' version sands off the edges rather than amps up the lunacy: what's left is like 1980s night at karaoke". He also remarks that "you get the impression that they would be happier making R&B". In conclusion, however, he states that "the album's strike rate is far higher than you might expect from a manufactured pop act's fourth album; it avoids the obvious pitfalls and its highpoints are genuinely high", giving the album 3 out of 5 stars. Peter Robinson of ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'', gave the album 5 out of 5 stars, summarising it as "the cool yet commercial pop queens put a spring in Peter Robinson's step", although saying "only occasionally do the band drop the ball: 'Better' is an excellent song but sounds too much like Jamelia's 'Thank You'". Nick Southall from ''
Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...
'' gave the album a B+, also noting similarities with Aaliyah's single, stating "'Gotta Be You' is disarmingly close to 'Try Again'", further concluding it as "not the best album in the world or even of the year, not obscurantist schizeclecto meta-pop like Annie or M.I.A. or loaded down with po-mo pop.cult. signifiers like Girls Aloud, it doesn't impart a skewed existential narrative like Britney, but 'Taller in More Ways' is absolutely bursting with tunes, and as such it's hard to resist." The album was ranked number 23 on
Observer Music Monthly ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
's Top 100 Albums list in 2005.


Commercial performance

''Taller in More Ways'' became a commercial success. On 22 October 2005, the album debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
with sales of 65,781, becoming the group's first album to top the chart in their native UK. The album also became the group's highest first-week sales. The Sugababes achieved a chart double when "Push the Button" spent a third week at number one while the album debuted at number one. In its ninth week on the chart, ''Taller in More Ways'' jumped from number 21 to number 9 on sales of 95,035, almost 30,000 more than its opening week of sales. By December 2005, in just two months of sales, the album had sold almost 400,000 copies in the UK alone. ''Taller in More Ways'' was certified 2× Platinum by the
British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with th ...
(BPI), denoting shipments of 600,000 copies of the album. By November 2006, over a year following its release, ''Taller in More Ways'' had sold approximately 860,000 copies in the UK. By October 2008, the album had sold approximately 900,000 copies in the UK alone. ''Taller in More Ways'' debuted at number eight on the
Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by the ...
, and peaked at number seven the following week. It was certified 2× Platinum by the
Irish Recorded Music Association The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) is a non-profit association set up in 1999 to promote certain interests of the music industry in Ireland. It is particularly active in addressing copyright issues, and it compiles the official music ...
(IRMA), indicating shipments of 20,000 copies. ''Taller in More Ways'' debuted and peaked at number five in Austria and logged a total of 18 weeks in the chart, becoming the Sugababes' best-performing album in the country. It was certified Gold by the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...
(IFPI), indicating sales of 10,000 copies of the album. The album debuted at number 12 and reached number six on the Swiss Albums Chart; it spent 29 weeks on the chart and was certified Gold by the IFPI, denoting sales of 15,000 copies. In the Netherlands, the album debuted and peaked at number 10 and also logged 29 weeks in the chart. ''Taller in More Ways'' reached number 23 in Sweden, number 30 in Norway, and number 36 on the Flanders chart in Belgium. In Denmark, it reached number 32 and was certified Gold by the IFPI, denoting shipments of 10,000 copies. The album peaked at number 11 in Germany and was certified Gold by the
Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie (English: Federal Music Industry Association), or simply BVMI, represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 280 labels and music industry related enterprises, which ...
(BVMI), denoting shipments of 100,000 copies. ''Taller in More Ways'' also achieved commercial success in Oceania. It debuted at number 36 on the
New Zealand Albums Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
and peaked at number 16 seven weeks later, and returned to its peak position in its ninth week on the chart. The album was certified Gold by the
Recorded Music NZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mus ...
(RMNZ), denoting shipments of 7,500 copies. ''Taller in More Ways'' reached number 67 in Australia.


Track listing

;Notes and sample credits * denotes vocal producer * "Gotta Be You", "Follow Me Home" and "Red Dress" are re-recorded by Amelle Berrabah on the 2006 reissue following Buena's leave from the group, with the tracks having brief differences in musical arrangement. * International versions of the album have "Better" excluded from the track listing.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Taller in More Ways Tour

With the album released, the Sugababes announced a UK
tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
; it began in Sheffield on 17 March 2006, and finished in London on 10 April 2006.


Tour dates


Tour set list

Act 1: *"Round Round" *"Freak Like Me" *"It Ain't Easy" *"Gotta Be You" Act 2: *"Shape/Stronger" *"Too Lost in You" *"Run for Cover" *"I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" *"Overload" *"Obsession" *"Caught in a Moment" *"Ugly" *"Follow Me Home" *"Hole in the Head" Encore: *"Red Dress" *"Push the Button"


References

{{Authority control 2005 albums 2006 albums Albums produced by Cameron McVey Albums produced by Dallas Austin Albums produced by Guy Sigsworth Albums produced by Xenomania Island Records albums Sugababes albums