"They're the most successful group to ever come out of The X Factor," cooed Dermot O'Leary when JLS returned to the show last weekend. But, possibily to avoid mentioning the fact that it genuinely is not the winning but the taking part that counts, the autocue writers weren't really doing them enough justice. Aside from the post-chav career of Cheryl Cole, JLS are the most successful anything to ever come out of The X Factor.
With on-trend fanbase winners like 'She Makes Me Wanna' rolling around on a quarterly basis, it's hardly surprising. The quartet have a good ear for beats that prove irresistible for club and radio playlists alike, but stretch out the party fodder over an entire album and it actually wears quite thin.
'3D' for example houses the boys' worst lyrics since that priceless "Day 3 was the same as Day 2" moment in last year's 'Love You More' ("I wanna love in 3D, I'm gonna turn you on just like a TV"), 'So Many Girls' is a lifeless mess, and 'Shy Of The Cool' (no, that really is its title) ends the disc on a needlessly dull note.
It's not all bad. 'Do You Feel What I Feel?' is breezier than your average JLS floorfiller, 'Teach Me How To Dance' packs a cracking chorus and slushy winter warmer 'Take A Chance On Me' is helped no end by Aston's pained Ballad Voice. It's also worth noting that nothing on this album comes anywhere near as downright catastrophic as 'The Club Is Alive'. But, despite the refined ability to jump on whatever bandwagon happens to be passing through, JLS just aren't as phenomenal as their sales figures would have you believe. Jukebox is a case in point.
Jukebox is set for release on Monday November 14.
JLS greet fans in the rain
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