DUBSTAR MAKE IT BETTER ALBUM FOOD, EMI RELEASE: MARCH 3, 2001 (SCANDINAVIA), SEPTEMBER 2, 2000 (UK) REVIEW: MARCH 12, 2001

Sarah Blackwood is yawning on the cover of Dubstar's third album "Make It Better". And she and her two band mates got tired of Dubstar and quit in December 2000, I'm told. What a shame.
Dubstar's trademark is well-made lovely melodic pop songs that you just can't resist. They have that British pop charm rarely heard elsewhere and have most certainly listened to bands like The Smiths once or twice. A healthy indie quality can always be detected Dubstar's work, although it's suitable for almost any radio station.
On "Make It Better", Dubstar stay true to their formula. But now, five years after their debut album, they have become real masters of what they do. The production and song quality is nothing less than excellent. They make the most of their basically electronic sound.
In the past, Dubstar could almost make you choke, simply because they were so bloody nice and soft. I'm happy to report that "Make It Better" offers tougher elements, although I would never feel intimidated by Blackwood's cute voice. The fusion of her vocals and the heavier background is great and also injects Dubstar with much-needed variation.
"Mercury", written by Kirsty Hawkshaw, and "Take It" are two of the best songs ever made by Dubstar. The mean "Take It" was originally intended for Gary Numan's vocals, but he sang on a song for "The Self Same Thing EP" from last year instead. "The Self Same Thing" and short, quite cool "I (Friday Night)" are the two single songs from this album and it's obvious why. But almost any of the twelve songs here could be singles and that's not bad for a band that decided to throw in the towel after this one.

MIKAEL KAHRLE