(Syco)
X Factor winners release debut album and enjoy immediate chart success: the Little Mix backstory is, indeed, pretty dull. But the reason they've become the affectionately regarded darlings of pop since then is that there's something a bit skew-whiff about the quartet. Aside from their goofy and cartoonish appearance, their music relishes all that is chintzy and uncool. The Beyoncé boot-camp stomp of the title track here is somewhat deceiving as the rest of the album recalls 'N Sync in their heyday – break-up ballad Nothing But You evokes white suits and wind machines, while Boy is a revamped rendition of 2001's Gone. For nostalgic kids of the 90s who long for pop before it became complex, before Marina Abramovic and David Lynch became default spirit guides, Salute is like a dip in a pool of Skittles: tacky, sugary and brilliantly indulgent.
Rating: 4/5