[culture uncut review]
Whether you like it or not, Nadia Berry has certainly made her mark these past few months as a solo artist. Nadia's fourth solo studio album Open Heart Surgery won a Chaos Award, and has exceeded sales of 2.5 million. Before that, GirlSpice's album Night Rider became their biggest by far, selling over five million copies and reaching a Diamond certification. Away from music, her debut fragrance Enchanted has become one of the fastest selling celebrity perfumes of the year. Going by that, life must be pretty sweet for Miss Berry! Although life can't be too bad for Nadia Berry fans, as the pop songstress has hurried back with a brand new song, titled "Records On".

If you were scared that Nadia may have cashed in by throwing out a dance album this time round, you thought wrong, as "Records On" picks up where the majority of Open Heart Surgery left off. However, it's evident both sonically and lyrically that there's been a lot of growth in just a few months, and guess what? It seems like she's no longer depressed! At the core, "Records On" is a simple love song, but Nadia makes sure it strays from being cliché, turning the song into a celebration of a lovers music collection, finding comfort in his records. It doesn't sound very exciting, but believe it or not, it strangely works. "Your vinyl collection, my new obsession / Drop the needle and we'll lay there in ecstasy" Nadia softly sings on a pre-chorus that may just get stuck in your head for days, before moving into an equally catchy chorus.

With a mix of pretty much everything on her last album, it's clear that Nadia's still trying to find her sound as a solo artist. From the reggae-tinged "Good Girls Don't Lie", to the euphoric club track "Shadow", Nadia seemed a little lost on Open Heart Surgery. We just hope the rest of this upcoming album is along the lines of this first single, because we could be in for a treat.

Opening with a crackling vinyl sound which Nadia sings the chorus over in a gentle, higher register, before the song kicks off with a repeated drum pattern, mixed with sweet sounding synths that manage to give the song a slightly more pop feel. The drums remain consistent throughout the track, whilst light piano notes played by Nadia herself are heard in the background of the following chorus. Mid-song, everything drops out for a simplistic, but catchy acoustic guitar riff that Nadia is also credited for, as she's heard softly humming over it. It's no surprise that Nadia has been learning guitar recently, being trained by none other than boyfriend Ryan Ross Hernandez, and best friend Katie Coyle, two of the greats in that area, so there's certainly no doubt that she's being taught by the best. The song remains mid-tempo throughout the whole song, right up into the final chorus where the song seems to burst into life with louder drums and strong, sensuous guitars, bringing the song to a perfect end and leaving a lasting impression.

It seems like Nadia is definitely now taking a hands on approach to the production side of her music now, and it's a great thing to see her continue to have more input with each album release. Of course, it's only a simple riff, but it's a start, and it's certainly refreshing to see a girl band member become so DIY with her own music, solely writing the lyrics and being credited as a co-producer of the track. If this is the result when she does get so involved, then she's more than welcome to in future, because "Records On" is definitely Nadia at her best.