Let’s be realistic – before
Danity Kane were whittled down to none, Elecktrik Red would’ve never
been given a shot. The girl group formula, while useful until around
2007, lost its luster once Beyoncé, Etc. split up and we didn’t seem
to mind. However, with the release of their debut album How To Be
a Lady – Volume 1 the Red ladies may revive the girl group movement
after all (sorry Pussycat Dolls).

The New York-slash-Canada quartet
could be described as an amalgam of the best parts of Kelis and the
worst parts of Missy Elliott. Meaning, they cleverly craft songs that
let their freak flag fly, but at times leave it hanging out there a
little too long. How To Be a Lady
pushes R&B infused Pop to some abstract lengths with the help of
Tricky Stewart and The-Dream through smart synthy production and catchy
hooks. The opener “Muah” despite its lame title and kitschy lyrics
carries a mellow vibe thanks to the breezy beat. “Muah” leads into
“So Good”, a mid-’90s R&B styled track with The-Dream‘s
fingerprints all over it, even with Lil Wayne [click to read]
on the remix. “Devotion” is an obvious Ciara jack, with “Freaky
Freaky” and “Go Shawty” being less obvious ones. There’s also
a healthy balance of good vs. awful tracks. The good ones being the
early Janet Jackson-tinged “Bed Rest” and “Friend Lover”, and
the single “Drink In My Cup”. The awful tracks, “P Is For Power”
and “W.F.Y.” are considerably terrible, packing curses for the sake
of cursing and misguided man-hating. The rest of the songs fall somewhere
in the middle, drumming up some slight curiosity for Volume 2.

While it’s become common practice for female singers to insert profanity here and there in their
music, Electrik Red takes it a little too far with more four-letter
words than anything else at times. Forced edge always sounds contrived,
and that’s where How To Be a Lady
takes its biggest hit (besides being a complete contradiction to the
album title).

Elecktrik Red, like most music
out today, will be refreshing to some and ridiculous to others. Having
been aligned with the right producers from the start, there’s considerable
room for growth, provided they aren’t too hung up on the badass shtick.
It would be a shame to let poor packaging ruin a group of girls who
actually know how to sing.