Only Human is something of a make or break album for “Cheryl.” It’s her first record since the final split of Girls Aloud, and her second since dumping any kind of surname. In the context, the former reality TV contestant and current X Factor judge really needed to up her game with her fourth solo outing. Unfortunately, her latest effort sees her stumble, in some cases, spectacularly so.
Part of the problem is that her solo career has failed to yield a truly stellar hit, one which would do for her what ‘Crazy in Love’ did for Beyoncé post-Destiny’s Child. Whereas Girls Aloud unleashed some of the most exciting and inventive pop songs of their generation (thanks in part to production team Xenomania), Cheryl has struggled to release anything even remotely original and Only Human suffers the same malaise. Throwaway, club-tinged plastic pop songs like ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘It’s About Time’ are as dull as big band night on The X Factor while, elsewhere, her ballads (including the title track) are mawkish and mediocre. The songs that are co-written by ex-Girls Aloud member Nicola Roberts are worth your attention, though: ‘Goodbye Means Hello’, in particular, has a fiendish hook. But ultimately there’s nothing to rival the likes of former G.A. hits ‘The Promise’ or ‘The Show’.
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