Over the past few weeks, I’ve been seeing a bunch of different artists that I used to listen to pop-up on my feed again. The artist that has popped up the most frequently has been Little Mix, a British girl group that won the British X-Factor in 2011 and released their debut album and single in 2012. Since they had their ten-year anniversary not too long ago, I thought I would review and score each Little Mix album as a way to re-introduce myself to this iconic group.
Disclaimer
I am only reviewing the studio album releases, expanded edition, or the deluxe versions of the studio album releases (whichever is available on Spotify as of the writing of this article) by Little Mix. I am not reviewing any EPs, repackaged albums, compilation albums, or single releases by Little Mix at this time.
DNA
This is Little Mix’s debut album, which came out when I was in middle school. This album was everyone’s first exposure to Little Mix, and I remember being absolutely OBSESSED with the lead single from the album, “Wings”. Spotify does not have the original studio album version on the platform, but instead has the deluxe version. DNA has so many great songs, and the album even has two songs with features on them. In the deluxe version, “How Ya Doin’?” features Missy Elliot, and the song “Red Planet” features T-Boz of TLC. I think that this album was nicely balanced with some slower, ballad-y songs to counter the high-energy tracks of “Wings” and “How Ya Doin’?”. Overall, I really enjoyed this album. I think my favorite songs are “Wings” and “We Are Who We Are”. I would rate this album a 7/10.
Salute
I distinctly remember my first exposure to this comeback album. The lead single, “Salute” was the object of my and my friends’ obsession for a good chunk of the 7th grade. I definitely enjoy the high-power anthems included on this album, and I think the slower songs included in this album do a great job of balancing the album out sonically. I think it is a great idea to have some “hills and valleys” as one might call it in the album. My favorite songs from this album are “Salute” and “Move”. I would rate Salute a 7/10.
Get Weird
The third album released by Little Mix introduces a new sound for the group. DNA and Salute were both very poppy with RnB influences, as well as some dance-pop and hip-hop influences. Get Weird definitely has more dance-pop and synth-pop sound, with a bit of the classic RnB influence that has, at this point of release, become a bit of a signature for the group. This album also includes a couple of features on the record, including Jason Derulo on “Secret Love Song” and Sean Paul on “Hair”. This album was not promoted well in the US at the time of release, so this listen-through was actually my first exposure to it. I really enjoyed the tracks “Weird People” and “Black Magic”, which was one of the lead singles. I would give this album an 8.5/10.
Glory Days
This is the fourth album released by Little Mix, which came out not too long after Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards ended her relationship with One Direction’s Zayn Malik. One of the lead singles of this album is “Shoutout To My Ex”, which has long been rumored to be Perrie’s feelings regarding her ex and their breakup. This album also has quite a few features on the album, including Kid Ink on “Touch”, Stormzy on “Power”, Machine Gun Kelly on “No More Sad Songs”, and Charlie Puth on “Oops”. Also included on this album is the remix of a CNCO song called “Reggaetón Lento (Remix)” that features Little Mix. I enjoy the variety of genre influences on this album, which also includes Tropical House in addition to some of the signature influences Little Mix uses, as well as the more “mature” sound on this album. My favorite songs are “Touch” and “Power”. I would rate this album an 8/10.
LM5
This album has a bit of an introduction to it, in the form of “The National Manthem”, a twenty-nine-second piece showcasing the impressive harmonies and vocals of Little Mix. I really liked the inclusion of this, as I think it serves as a fantastic “appetizer” of sorts for the album. This album has some features on it, but significantly less than that of the previous album, Glory Days. LM5 features Nicki Minaj on “Woman Like Me”, Sharaya J on “Strip”, KAMILLE on “More Than Words”, and Cheat Codes on “Only You”. This album touches on so many different topics. Previous albums have all had an overarching theme of female empowerment, self-love, and mental health, this album also includes themes of clapping back at haters, feeling comfortable in your own skin, owning your beauty, and addressing sexism. This album is by far my favorite Little Mix album. There are so many good songs on this album. I have about half of this album in my ‘current rotations’ playlist. My favorites are “Wasabi”, “Joan of Arc”, “Woman Like Me”, “Strip”, and “Woman’s World”. I would rate this album a 9.5/10.
Confetti
This is their most recent album release. This album is unfortunately the last album the group will release as a four-member group, as one of the members has unfortunately departed the group. There are definitely more notable synth-pop influences in the music, especially in “Break Up Song”, and there are still the dance-pop influences that the group has become known for. The album only has one feature on the album (excluding the remixed versions of the songs), which is Nathan Dawe on “No Time For Tears”. My favorite songs on this album are “Sweet Melody”, “Bounce Back”, “Holiday”, and “Break Up Song”. I like this album, but I do think that a lot of the tracklist (especially the expanded edition’s tracklist) is taken up by remixes of the other songs on the album. I have never been someone who really likes remixes of songs that I already like, and I really feel like this album was bogged up with too many remixes. For most of Little Mix’s albums, there is a separate release of just the remixes and “rarities”, as they call it, of that particular album’s songs. Salute and Get Weird do both include a couple of remixes and radio edits on their albums, but it doesn’t feel weighed down by them. Confetti (Expanded Edition) has seven remixes alone, not to mention the acoustic versions that were also included. I would give this album a 7/10.
Little Mix has so many more fantastic releases that were not featured on this list! The group has released multiple EPs, singles, and not too long ago released some compilation albums that also include some new songs! Since re-visiting this group, I rediscovered my love for them, and I highly recommend this group to anyone who is needing some feelings of nostalgia from the mid-2010s and for those who want some strong, girl-power anthems to fuel their day!