It’s been a moment since girl groups have commanded the hearts, minds and radiowaves of music lovers – at least, that’s the case in the West. Gone are the days of Xscape, TLC, All Saints, Spice Girls and many, many more. Fortunately, the time has come for a much needed “bad bitch replenishment”, as Wicked star Cynthia Erivo announces on record opener ‘Intro’: that’s British trio FLO and their debut album, ‘Access All Areas’.
Jorja Douglas, Renée Downer and Stella Quaresma cleverly tap into their reverence for the ’90s, with many of the record’s tracks sounding like they were ripped right out of that moment in time. Their angelic melodies on ‘Bending My Rules’ evoke ‘Runaway Love’-era En Vogue, the soulful ‘On & On’ would be right at home in SWV’s discography, while album highlight ‘Shoulda Woulda Coulda’ brings to mind Destiny’s Child’s seminal ‘The Writing’s on the Wall’ album.
FLO aren’t one-trick ponies, though. ‘Access All Areas’ ventures beyond the promised R&B girl group formula, such as on certified trap banger ‘In My Bag’, featuring a standout verse from Memphis rapper GloRilla. But not all of their risks pan out as well as that track. ‘How Does It Feel’, for example, is as generic as contemporary R&B comes, while grungy album closer ‘I’m Just a Girl’, despite the strong message of representation behind it, is an overproduced mess that flattens the hell out of the trio’s selling point: their voices.
Thankfully, there are plenty of anthemic, showstopping vocal moments (‘AAA’, ‘Check’ and ‘Walk Like This’) to offset the duds, and even a few ballads (‘Soft’ and ‘Trustworthy’) to really complete the throwback experience – truly a “feast for our ears”, as Erivo puts it in beginning. Throughout the album, the trio are comfortable and in their zone, and this gives them space to imbue the recordings with almost-magical levels of confidence and attitude.
On ‘Access All Areas’, FLO have it all down pat: the talent, charisma and star power are all on display. Riding on the wave of nostalgia has gotten the trio this far, and now it feels as if they’ve within striking distance of a true breakthrough. Even if ‘Access All Areas’ doesn’t overwhelmingly herald the return of R&B girl group dominance, the massive momentum FLO have built over the past two years hint that the dam is about to break.
