On Your Radar is the third studio album by The Saturdays. The album was released 21 November 2011.
The album was recorded in Los Angeles and London. Steve Mac, who has been instrumental in the production of the band’s previous albums, serves as a major collaborator. Additional producers and songwriters include Lucas Secon, Taio Cruz, Labrinth, Tracklacers, Space Cowboy, Brian Higgins.The band revealed that the album was to feature dance and R&B music, with “clubbier” and “sexier” sounds, as well as ballads. They also said that they have “grown” as artists since their previous studio album Wordshaker (2009). The album was influenced by Britney Spears, Rihanna and Katy Perry, as well as Adele and John Mayer and Jay-Z. The album’s lead single “Notorious” was released on 22 May 2011. The song was compared to The Black Eyed Peas, Kelis and Rihanna, and received generally positive reviews. The second single from the album, “All Fired Up”, was released in September 2011 which also gained positive reviews and third single, “My Heart Takes Over”, was released in November 2011.The album was released across Europe. In order to promote the album, the band performed on So You Think You Can Dance. After Una Healy announced her pregnancy, fans thought that On Your Radar would be the last album from the band. However they stated they would not split and Healy still had full commitment to the band. After the release of the album, the band embarked on their third headlining concert tour, the All Fired Up Tour.The album was released in a number of different versions. A Collectors Edition was made available through HMV, which sees the album sold with slipcases showing each individual members. A Deluxe Fan edition containing a DVD of music videos, a 16-page booklet with lyrics and a DVD of the band’s The Headlines Tour from February 2011, which was not available anywhere else but the Saturdays Official Store. Some of these were signed – the signed versions sold out.
On Your Radar has garnered mixed reviews, with many reviewers criticising its lack of identity and individuality. AllMusic’s Jon O’Brien wrote that the album “is make-or-break time”, while noticing that the girls’ “robotic vocals are occasionally capable of emotion.” Hermione Hoby of The Observer found the Saturdays “perennially short on tunes and heavy on lipgloss” and stated that “they’ve professed to heading in a “clubbier” direction, which sadly means lots of boring bangers that are more filler than floor-filling.” Simon Gage of the Daily Express wrote that “there is not an original thought or sound on this collection”, but noted that “whatever The Saturdays’ real input into this new album, it doesn’t seem to have damaged the brand too much.” Stephen Moore of the Islington Gazette wrote that “half the album is thrill-free filler and dodgy attempts at heartfelt slowies, but the rest is passably poppy at least.” Matthew Horton of Virgin Media called it “unremarkable” and noticed that “the major issue is an off-the-peg production sheen that lumps On Your Radar with any old pop-rave album on the market right now.” However, he praised the songs produced by Xenomania and Steve Mac and labelled the song “Do What You Want With Me” as “the big standout […], which peaks, dips and soars through glacial chords and shows a bit of endeavour.”
On Your Radar debuted at number forty-three in the Irish Albums Chart, a major drop from their previous release, Headlines!, which reached number ten. While all previous albums peaked within the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, On Your Radar charted at number 23 with sales of 18,044 units. |