Cheryl Cole: '3 Words'

Even before she performed 'Fight For This Love' on The X Factor, Cheryl Cole's vocal limitations were in danger of overshadowing her solo ambitions. However, as Madonna, Kylie and Britney have all shown over the years, there's a lot more to pop greatness than simply hitting the right notes. With sales of her 3 Words album already topping 300,000, Cole has - to use one of her favourite X Factor expressions - pretty much "nailed it" so far.

Now, having reunited with her 'Heartbreaker' mate will.i.am - who steers a further three tracks on her album - she's back with an uber-relevant post-'I Gotta Feeling' pop tune. Snubbing traditional verse-chorus-verse song structure, and beginning with spare acoustic guitar strums, '3 Words' builds slowly towards a throbbing and infectious, if slightly brief, arms-in-the-air climax. Her restrained, husky vocals won't silence the naysayers just yet, but it's hard to deny that Chez pulls off this less-than-obvious offering with aplomb.


> Click here to read our review of Cheryl Cole's album