Only Human is about self acceptance, self preservation and really just letting your hair down and living life to the full. A lovely sentiment but how is it conveyed in the music? The album opens with an 'Intro' track, which seems like it wouldn't be out of place on a Beyoncé style concept album. It's followed by 'Live Life Now', which sounds like it was inspired by Robyn's Body Talk collection. Spoken word verses stream across the rumbling electronic production and as nice as it is to hear Cheryl trying something different, you really just sit waiting for the proper pop to kick in. The Nicola Roberts co-pen and Invisible Men produced 'It's About Time' thankfully gives us what we want and the summer beats and tinny synths take the chorus up a level as Cheryl sings about falling in love again. Number one single 'I Don't Care' continues this summer vibe and as much as I disliked the song on its release, it's proven itself to be quite the grower. These are the album's poppiest cuts and it's reassuring that she's stuck to the genre that she does best. 'Crazy Stupid Love' (feat Tinie Tempah) was the album's lead single and a huge hit, but aside from the glorious melody in the pre-chorus, the track is unsatisfying and Tinie's presence, baffling.
It's not all great though. This an album you'd expect to be consistent considering the success of its lead singles and how much time Cheryl's had to work on it. However, the romantic idea of loving yourself and embracing the love of others is fragmented by weaker tracks like 'Stars', a wannabe pop-dance hit that just never takes off and the uninspired 'Yellow Love'. Then you have album closer 'Beats N Bass' which sounds like it was a reject from Rihanna's Talk That Talk with a similar island flavour to 'You Da One'.
Cheryl's done ballads before but let's face it, her vocal range doesn't allow for Mariah Carey whistles or Leona Lewis bellows. Having said that, on Only Human she does pull it partially out of the bag, just the tip. 'Waiting For Lightning' showcases an unpredicted vocal on its booming chorus and it carries a lovely message about igniting the light inside yourself. The title track sounds like a Kylie Minogue cut (the actual Kylie cut was the lead single), heavily produced vocals bordering on Imogen Heap imitation, the arrangement is strong but the vocals are off putting and lacklustre. Similar vocal tampering features on 'Coming Up For Air', an R&B slow jam merged with trip hop blips and pops. This track is one of the better songs from Only Human, its production a standout on the album, it'll take a few listens to fully appreciate its strengths.
Only Human leans towards the R&B influences that have laced Cheryl's career to date. 'Throwback' is a mid to uptempo frolic, with silly lyrics that for some reason work. Who else could use "I've run out of fucks to give you baby"? There's an awkward Cheryl rap in the middle though, which I didn't appreciate. The genre is most audible on 'All In One Night', one of the album's best tracks with its escalating bridge and melodious chorus - it does nothing new with R&B but it's still a solid effort and sometimes playing it safe is the best path to take.
Only Human has enough 'hit' to save it from instantly being dropped into the bargain bin at Asda. It successfully and safely uses R&B and pure bubblegum pop to its advantage. Songs like 'I Don't Care', 'All In One Night' and 'It's About Time' are solid tracks that showcase the stronger elements of the album and 'Waiting For Lightning' the strongest vocal performance you'll have heard from Cheryl to date. It comes undone on occasion, falling victim to its own attempt at experimentation on motivational speech attempt 'Live Life Now' and then on unimaginitive fillers like 'Stars' and 'Beats N Bass' both of which are a waste of space. It's not a massive step forward, more of a toe in the pool, but the best moments are those that stick to the full proof Cheryl pop formula.
3 / 5
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