I HAVE a soft spot for Blue, partly because they are easy on the eye and partly because they support my football team. I really liked the all rise album and I wanted to like this one too.

I note from the sleeve notes that the boys think it's their best album yet, but I think they've lost that certain originality and gone for the produced-to-death pop route.

They seem to have taken over the Take That mantle; in fact TT's Gary Barlow is involved in the song writing, including their latest single of the same name as the album.

I did enjoy some of the tracks, notably Stand Up, Taste It, Back It Up with its Will Smith- type rapping and How's A Man Supposed To Change, which had a Craig David feel to it.

And they did a nice version of Signed, Sealed, Delivered; I'm Yours featuring Stevie Wonder and Angie Stone.

But a lot of it was very samey with a lot of similar harmonised ballads that tend to merge into one.

The young girls will buy it anyway and increasingly, I feel Blue will appeal to mums, aunts and grannies. I'm just not sure that's what they want.

LM