Meet Chronz, T-Roy and Martika (I’ll allow a moment to marinate on each those names individually), the members of one of Polydor’s newest girl groups, RD, AKA Ruff Diamondz. Again…marinate on that.
As my shady sister/bottom buddy Prophet Blog pointed out a few weeks ago, these chicks are the spitting image of the original incarnation of the Sugababes. Like…that redhead (Chronz) is literally Siobhan Donaghy. It’s a little unsettling as a Suga fan, but also kind of nice in a nostalgic sort in a way.
But even if they’ve got the Suga look down, the girls of RD are bringing an entirely different sound to the table.
“Got Me Burnin'” is RD’s infectious newest single due out on September 25, a mostly minimal UK garage/drum ‘n’ bass fest that plays like something straight off of Katy B‘s On A Mission. (Makes sense, as the track was produced by Katy B producer Geenius!) “Something like a fever got me burnin’ / It’s concerning, baby,” the girls croon above the song’s quick-tripping beat.
Ahead of their debut, the girls released a 9-track mixtape on their website, a multi-genre collection that includes features from Roll Deep and UK rapper Wretch 32 across R&B slow-jams (“I Know U Want Me”), swagga-riffic brag tracks (“Superstar Shades”) and unusual grime-infused pop hybrids (“Do It Like Me”).
While their songs have a tendency of getting a bit too mucked up in grime-y grittiness, the girls of RD still command a pretty soulful sound beneath those dirrty beats, especially when navigating the slower R&B numbers. Or is that just my Sugababes 1.0 nostalgia shining through once again?
Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see what musical styling RD actually serves up when their debut drops later this year. Let’s just hope the line-up doesn’t switch up by then!
“Got Me Burnin'” will be released on September 25. (iTunes)