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3 Words Image
Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 44 Ratings

  • Summary: After seven years and five studio albums released while in all-girl group Girls Aloud, British R&B pop singer, Cheryl Cole goes solo.

Top Track

Fight For This Love
Too much of anything can make you sick Even the good can be a curse Makes it hard to know which road to go down Knowing too much can get you hurt Is... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 6
  2. Negative: 0 out of 6
  1. Q Magazine
    80
    If there is a highlight on this surprisingly dog-free set it's Fight For This Love, where soaring melody piles upon soaring melody without sacrificing its subtle grace. [Dec 2009, p. 121]
  2. The People’s Princess pleases with Her catchy generic pop
  3. Its most upbeat moments are its weakest: Will.I.Am and Cheryl lumbering on to the disco floor on Heaven, and the tinny electropop of Taio Cruz's contribution, Stand Up. Elsewhere the main sound on 3 Words is R&B, with any rhythmic trickery stripped out.
  4. To be fair to the songwriters behind this record, "Make You Cry" is actually the worst thing here - when the sound abandon the '90s and either tries to sound like the '80s ("Heaven" is pure Stock, Aitken, and Waterman), or to be a bit more modern, the quality remains solid. But therein lies the one major flaw of 3 Words - it's simply not consistent enough in terms of sound.
  5. Producer Will.I.Am's contributions are, for the most part, utterly bland and lacking in bite. The sanitised R'n'B of Heaven is embarrassing with a generic construction that feels as if he went to a superstore and it took it off the shelf.
  6. Over 11 tracks she fails to pull in a single noteworthy vocal, that's if you can even locate it beneath the waves of effects designed to disguise how very little is actually there.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. Dec 21, 2012
    10
    3 Words is Cheryl's debut album, which is amazing. This album shows us her exploring R&B, pop, electro, with particular stand outs being the3 Words is Cheryl's debut album, which is amazing. This album shows us her exploring R&B, pop, electro, with particular stand outs being the title track, Parachute, Fight For This Love,Stand Up and Boys (the last one on the deluxe edition) Expand
  2. May 20, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 3 words Favorite songs: 3 words, parachute, happy hour, boy like you and fight for this love
    average songs: make me cry, stand up, dont talk about this love, heart breaker
    horrible songs: rain on me, heaven
    Expand
  3. Feb 17, 2020
    10
    Such a good debut album for the pop singer from Girls Aloud, i think its was the best begging of a career however i think the singles wereSuch a good debut album for the pop singer from Girls Aloud, i think its was the best begging of a career however i think the singles were not the best songs on the album ( the problem for me was Parachute, i think Happy Hour or Rain On Me were much better as singles) Expand
  4. Nov 18, 2012
    9
    At points it sounds almost effortless. As far as pop albums go, this is by far one of the best from the 2000s. This is Cheryl's second bestAt points it sounds almost effortless. As far as pop albums go, this is by far one of the best from the 2000s. This is Cheryl's second best album - her best being her new record 'A Million Lights'. If you are a fan of Girls Aloud then you'll almost certainly enjoy Cheryl's solo material. Expand
  5. Nov 17, 2013
    8
    She might not have the best voice in the female vocalist category today, but the albums is definitely an interesting take on modern pop/R&BShe might not have the best voice in the female vocalist category today, but the albums is definitely an interesting take on modern pop/R&B sound. "Fight for This Love" is a tremendous single and has great beats accompanying the lyrics. The weakest track would be "Boy Like You (featuring will.i.am)". Collapse
  6. Jun 13, 2017
    2
    At the time of its release way back in 2009, this album was everything. In hindsight, listening to it in the present day, this album is awful.At the time of its release way back in 2009, this album was everything. In hindsight, listening to it in the present day, this album is awful. There are highlights (Parachute, Fight For This Love and Rain on Me0, but they can be overpowered by the album fillers (Heaven, Stand Up). Expand