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Product Description ------------------- The first group to ever win The X Factor, Little Mix release their debut album . It includes the Number One single "Wings" as well as the lead single of the same name. It also features collaborations with Slick Rick and T-Boz. Review ------ Considering even JLS and One Direction couldn’t do it, Little Mix must have something pretty special to become the first group to win The X Factor. But with the show’s runners-up increasingly outperforming champions, a win could well be construed as the proverbial albatross. So as Little Mix step out on their own, they can no longer rely on emotive VTs or Tulisa making pleas to the viewership – their debut album needs to be able to cut it. Of the three singles Little Mix have presented thus far, takes its lead from the slinky RnB track of the same name – as sed to the addictive, hater-baiting call-to-arms of Wings. (Mercifully, the autocue-led, coffee-break cover of Damien Rice’s Cannonball has been ditched altogether.) With pl, feline production, tight harmonies and breezy beats, much of ambles along the well-trodden path of the temperate demi-ballad. But it’s the ventures away from this that prove Little Mix function far better either side of mid-tempo. Going Nowhere, an end-of-the-night sway-along with Spanish guitar, drops everything to accommodate beatboxing and an attitude-laden rap, and to great effect. Meanwhile, Perrie Edwards’ intense, rich vocals prove a powerful weapon, best demonstrated on the lovelorn Turn Your Face. And at the other end of the spectrum, there’s drumbeats; De La Soul samples; an appearance from T-Boz; and, most enjoyably, the swizzled strings and give-away-the-farm magnitude of closing track Madhouse. Thankfully, such ventures carry enough gusto to prop up the more neutral moments. is not a big statement piece in the vein of Survivor, Spice or CrazySexyCool; but in fairness, it’s not trying to be. It’s a sensible and substantial launchpad for a group – who let’s not forget, are little over a year old – providing an rtunity to find their collective feet. And with the group’s name peppering the writing credits, it’s a challenge they’ve admirably stepped up to. Whether the unforgiving masses will allow Little Mix to build upon ’s plus points remains to be seen, but if they survive the winners’ curse, could prove a very interesting prospect indeed. --Al Fox Find more music at the BBC ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/syn//albumreviews/-/music/ ) This link will take you off in a new window