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Better late than never, here's the review for Cheryl's second studio album, Messy Little Raindrops. Released 1st November 2010, this is the followup to Cheryl's multi platinum first record, 3 Words. This record expands on the highlights of the first one, and takes that R&B sound that's featured prominently throughout 3 Words and creates a full album like it with much less Will.I.Am (thank the lord!) There are other collaborations and featured artists on the album too, which I believe shows Cheryl's growing status not only in the UK but internationally.
The album artwork is a bit of a cop out though, and as much as Cheryl continues to look stunning, the photo shoot is uninspired and the post-processing is unimaginative. Still, on with the music...

1. Promise This - The album's lead single, Promise This was the fasted selling single in the UK within 2010 (so far!) and shot straight in at number one. Up-tempo and danceable it's easy to see why. The theme of the track is similar to the material written for her first album, and centres around love. With the catchy french nursery rhyme lyrics featuring prominently throughout the track too, this is bound to get stuck in your head. 10/10

2. Yeah Yeah (feat. Travie McCoy) - The first collaboration on the album, Yeah Yeah continues the up-tempo beat with a 90's dance sounding piano chord running through, but brings it up to date with sirens and vocal effects. This is definitely an "album track" though, as it lacks excitement and I find myself getting bored of it half way through. Travie McCoy (of previous Gym Class Heroes and now solo fame) fails to bring much to the track as well. 5/10

3. Live Tonight - The first of two tracks Will.I.Am has touched on this album and luckily this doesn't sound samey and generic like the majority of his catalogue he's produced. I'd class this as an up-tempo ballad. Sombre lyrics and vocal delivery but a pleasing backing track make this listenable and not one for skipping, but still falls into "album track" category. 6.5/10

4. The Flood - This is penned to be the second single from the album, and will make a great Christmas release. A strong ballad and Cheryl sounds great on it (if slightly over produced with the auto-tune!) The verses sound vulnerable and build up to a crashing chorus, which is fitting for a track titled The Flood. This makes up for the slightly generic beat the track adopts, but the track is everything it needs to be. 9/10

5. Amnesia - Back into the up-tempo realms, Amnesia sounds very R&B with hints of the old UK Garage genre. The verses are a little weak but the chorus is catchy and is complimented by the twangs and production of the backing track. The track is danceable and possibly single worthy, especially with some great remixes. Just try not to cringe at the middle-eight section of the tune, as Cheryl sounds a bit strained in her delivery. I try every time! 8.5/10

6. Everyone (feat. Dizzee Rascal) - Once this track kicks off, the beat is hard and instantly gets you moving. Strangely, the verses are much stronger than the chorus but this doesn't detract from the track too much. Dizzee eventually chimes in with a signature rap which acts as the tracks middle-eight section. The track does seem to abruptly fade out at the end though, and I think this would have better suited a heavy buildup finale instead. Still, another strong track. 8/10

7. Raindrops - This acts as the title track for the album, and is a mid-tempo plodder. The lyrics and Cheryl's delivery are spot on but the track lacks a lot of punch and the auto-tuning on Cheryl's vocals can grate hard at times. There is a military sounding snare throughout the track, similar to her previous hit "Parachute", but used much less effectively. The track doesn't seem to go anywhere and before you know it, it's over, which is a shame as there are a few really "pretty" parts of the track which get lost. 5/10

8. Hummingbirds - Sticking with the mid-tempo feel, Hummingbirds does what Raindrops should have done and makes for good listening. The lyrics again are pretty and Cheryl's delivery suits the track. There is a stronger beat to this track than the previous, with lots of production featured including a music-box style "jingle" and clapping. The track really builds up towards the end, throwing in all the production used in the track at once and makes for a nice crescendo of sounds. Definitely a highlight! 10/10

9. Better To Lie (feat. August Rigo) - This J.R Rotem produced track sounds very American, and features vocals from songwriter August Rigo known for working with Justin Beiber (cringe), Iyaz and JLS. This does have a bit of a generic R&B beat to it, but it works so why fix it if it ain't broke? The lyrics are great, and is delivered from Cheryl and August as a couple arguing with each other. The twist in the lyrics also play with the notion of it being better to lie (as the title suggests!) then telling the truth, which is a different spin on the usual "stop lying, why are you lying, I'm leaving you" theme. A great track to listen to and another highlight of the album. 10/10

10. Let's Get Down - The second of Will.I.Am's tracks on the album, starting with what sounds like a great danceable beat, the track is thrown into dullness as soon as the tiny sample from Brandy's "Full Moon" is over. The lyrics are abysmal, Cheryl sounds awful, and the track never gets anywhere or achieves anything. This could have been another hit single, but turns out to be a completely wasted opportunity. If you're still listening half way through, Will.I.Am then pipes in too. Lovely...! Always a skipper for me unfortunately. 2/10

11. Happy Tears - This is another mid-tempo track, and seems to reference Cheryl's recent hard times in life with her marriage and illness. I guess we knew there was going to be mention of it somewhere on the album... and luckily it isn't cheesy and cliche, it works to make a enjoyable track. The beat keeps it from getting boring, and the lyrics turn inspirational as the track goes on. An album track, but an enjoyable one. 7/10

12. Waiting - One of the best is saved until last here, which isn't usually the case for most albums. Waiting samples Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles", and makes great use of such a popular song. The track is danceable, singable, likable and repeatable (as in, to play over and over as opposed to sounding repetitive!) and more importantly makes you feel good when listening to it. The lyrics take a bad situation and shine light on it, to make everything seem not so bad. Is it slightly cheesy? Yes. Do I care? No. 10/10

Overall rating: 7.5/10
This is definitely an improvement over Cheryl's first album, which wasn't overly bad anyway. The departure of every track being produced by Will.I.Am works as one of it's greatest strengths as it sounds less samey and doesn't have his vocals plastered all over it. There are amazing moments on it, namely the closing track and other points scattered in before that, but the rest still stays mediocre. This raises the question as to whether Cheryl is really that credible as a solo artist, without her Girls Aloud group-mates. She's clearly popular with the fans, she's clearly a hard worker and wants to make it herself, and she clearly looks the part. But there's so many times when her vocals are not the focus of her music, and a lot of her songs could be sung by anyone and still be amazing / good / bad / awful equally as if she were singing.
Still, this is not a debate I wish to have, as I love Cheryl none-the-less, so to close, she has made an improvement from her first record and shows no signs of stopping. It didn't race to number one in the album charts for no reason!