If asked to draw up a list of the bands they'd most like to see reform, not many people would put Bananarama at the top. The party-girl trio were always a likeable bunch, but their personalities often overshadowed the music and their tinny 1980s hits haven't exactly worn well. Drama is certainly a more polished album than their fans will be used to, but that's about the only good thing you can say about it. The pop-soul and R'n'B-lite songs sound as if they've come straight off the conveyor belt, while the vocals have an anodyne quality that's a million miles away from the 'Rama's flirty, bouncy image. The problem is, by embracing a more adult sound the girls have lost their ditzy charm in the process - and without that, there's nothing really interesting about them. A real disappointment.
