iCande (http://icandemusic.com) are a bubbly - and bubblegum - group of young girls that only want to cheer you up and make you dance. Can you resist? Probably not as even this jaded old critic found himself seriously engaged in the non-stop fun of "Sopo."
Much like the Spice Girls and Wilson Phillips, iCande are a complete guilty pleasure. They are not so much as a band as a group of beautiful female singers brought together by music veterans, one of which being country hitmaker Kirsti Manna, who has written chart-busting songs for Blake Shelton and Big and Rich.
Like the album cover, "SOPO" is rich in color and upbeat vibes. Opening with an electro hip-hop intro featuring rapper Sho Time, the girls leap frog into the '80s with "Boy Toy," a Spice Girls-pumped teen anthem with enough poppy keyboards and handclaps to fill dance floors from twenty years ago. It's a blast. The title track has a throbbing dance beat and pulsating synthesizers; those looking for a funky workout search no longer. After half an LP's worth of R&B and disco, iCande are equipped with some guitars at the end, climaxing with the warm acoustic riffs of "World," which points the way to their artistic evolution in the years ahead.
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The cynics among you may judge before you listen, but these ladies can really sing; just check out their soaring harmonies on "I'm Not Like That."
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