Steps was formed in 1997 by Steve Crosby and Barry Upton after the members answered an advert in The Stage newspaper to attend an open audition for a 5-piece British line dancing pop group; originally with Ian ''H'' Watkins, Lisa Scott-Lee, Maddy Chan and two other male members, the latter three members left and were replaced with Tozer, Latchford-Evans and Richards. The final line-up consisted of Lee Latchford-Evans, Claire Richards, Scott-Lee, Faye Tozer and H; Steps got their name from the marketing premise that their songs were choreographed, and the steps would be included in the CD sleeves.
Having had a listen of their discography via YouTube and Wikipedia, it turns out that Steps are a pop group who are unfairly dubbed as being cheesy that caters to teenyboppers and kiddies alike; the general consensus may be that 5,6,7,8 and Tragedy is Steps, yet thorough listens of their other songs, including non-singles that didn't chart on the top 40, reveal Steps' discography is far more varied than what might one would imagine, and as such they have plenty of great material. For me, they are a guilty pleasure, much like listening to any Stock Aitken and Waterman- produced song.
2022 sees Steps celebrating 25 years of being in pop industry; the group's sting in the late 1990s/early 2000s', under the Pete Waterman partnership & through Max Martin's Cheiron studios musical output, is still etched in pop lovers' & Steps Fans' memory.
1. Say You'll Be Mine (1999) - one part of the double- A sided single with Better the Devil You Know as its sister counterpart, this was the better and chirpier single release compared to that of Heartbeat of Heartbeat/Tragedy. Still underrated today, complete with a video that has the group paying homage to, & re-enacting scenes from various Hollywood movies of the nineties.
2. Deeper Shade of Blue (1999) - surprisingly not one of the group's biggest chart successes, which is truly saying something; the song that even some of the biggest detractors and non-fans of Steps begrudgingly admire. Originally stated as a Tina Cousins' release, it came out of nowhere, but the biggest surprise was it came from a group that did the cover of Tragedy by the Bee Gees. Musically, with its club beat, this edgier- and superior bop is a world away from the cheesy 5,6,7,8 and Last Thing on my Mind. The most un-Steps song, and yet still one of their very best.
3. Here and Now (2001) - rarely considered by so many as one of Steps' finest & is one of the group's lowest selling singles, Here & Now is great than one would give credit to as a Steps' song; it definitely has that same up-tempo feel as Britney Spears' early 2000s output - it was penned by Andreas Carlsson (who did the Backstreet Boys' I Want it That Way) & Ali Thompson. Was part of the group's 4th double-A side single release when paired with You'll Be Sorry
4. Stomp (2000) - '70s disco-inspired bopper that riffs on Chic's 1978's Everybody Dance with a catchy chorus that became the group's second consecutive chart topper. Yes, that rhymes.
5. No More Tears on the Dance Floor (2017) - cowritten by ex-Savage Garden's Darren Hayes, No More Tears... is an Anders cover that deserved a single release and a music video to go with it. Vocally, Claire is at her peak, whilst it allows male counterpart, Latchford-Evans to step forward and deliver a verse on his own.
6. Paradise Lost (2000) - if Ace of Base's The Sign & Madonna's La Isla Bonita had a love child, then Paradise Lost would be it; this often-overlooked mid-tempo, Latino-inspired offering was performed as a medley on their tours with H & Lee's rendition of Luis Fonsi & Justin Bieber's Despacito and Summer of Love. Really impressive and one of the 'must've been single' releases.
7. Summer of Love (2000) - Euphoric Latin-fueled summer dance banger, which came out in the midst of the Ricky Martin, J-Lo and Enrique Iglesias dominance of the pop charts in the same year & reached #5 in the U.K with When I Said Goodbye as a double-A sided single
8. Happy Go Lucky (2000) - another Ace-of-Base-ish -sounding song; song featured on The Princess Diaries movie soundtrack; is incredibly infectious
9. Better the Devil You Know (1999) - cover version of the Kylie Minogue hit that whilst composition-wise and vocally, brings nothing new, it is still an overly decent song
10. To the Beat of My Heart (2021) - taken from their 6th studio album To the Beat of My Heart, this one was cowritten by Sarah Thompson, Brian Higgins, MNEK and The Saturdays' Molly King. A drastic change from their much earlier efforts of the 1990s, it is edgier, more club-based and hipper, and plus, it is not bad as a record.
Notable Mentions: Last Thing on My Mind, Love's Got a Hold of my Heart, To Be your Hero, You'll be Sorry, Buzzz, Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby, Words Are Not Enough, Dancing With A Broken Heart, Human Touch, Scared of the Dark, Take Me For a Ride, Kiss of Life, The Slightest Touch, High, In It For Love, Turn Around
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