Eye Candy (album)

Eye Candy is the second studio album by British girl group Mis-Teeq. It was released by Telstar Records on 29 March 2003 in the United Kingdom. As with their previous album Lickin' on Both Sides (2001), the trio worked with producers StarGate, Ed Case, Mushtaq, and Rishi Rich on the majority of the album, but also consulted new collaborators such as Dave Kelly, Salaam Remi and singer Joe. Musically, Eye Candy took the band's sound further into the contemporary R&B genre, combining pop and soul music with heavy hip hop, garage and reggae elements.

Eye Candy
Studio album by Mis-Teeq
Released	29 March 2003
Genre	R&B[1] UK garage[2]
Label	Telstar
Producer	Delroy "D-Roy" Andrews Ed Case Karl "JD" Daniel Jayson "Loose" Dyer Joe Dave Kelly Mushtaq Salaam Remi Rishi Rich Jolyon Skinner StarGate Staybent
Mis-Teeq chronology
Lickin' on Both Sides (2001) Eye Candy (2003) Mis-Teeq (2004)
Singles from Eye Candy
"Scandalous" Released: 17 March 2003 "Can't Get It Back" Released: 30 June 2003 "Style" Released: 17 November 2003

Upon release, the album receiced generally positive reviews. It debuted and peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart and reached number 11 on the Scottish Albums Chart, eventually reaching gold status in the United Kingdom where its sales exceeded 100,000 units in April 2004. Eye Candy produced three singles, including the Blaque cover "Can't Get It Back" and lead single "Scandalous" which became a hit throughout Europe and Oceania and enjoyed success on the US Billboard charts, as well as "Style" which appeared on a reissue of the album. Eye Candy was the final album of Mis-Teeq who disbanded after the demise of their record label Telstar Records in 2005.

Background

Mis-Teeq reteamed with much of the same team that had worked with them on their previous album Lickin' on Both Sides (2001) to produce their second album.[3] When asked about the background of Eye Candy, band member Su-Elise Nash commented: "I would say it's extremely diverse, we worked with a lot of the producers from the first album, like Stargate and also Ed Case to bring that garage flavor back in. And we worked with Dave Kelly who does a lot of the production for all the Shaggy stuff. It's been very successful and this album is a lot more R&B dominated than Lickin' which was more equally balanced with the garage and the R&B. Eye Candy is very much R&B but within that there are so many urban influences, the garage element, hip hop a much greater reggae aspect and an element of bhangra."[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
BBC Music	(favorable)[2]
City Life	(average)[4]
entertainment.ie	[5]
The Guardian	[1]

In his review for The Guardian, Dave Simpson wrote that Eye Candy "documents Mis-Teeq's post-fame rollercoaster with breathless, Hard Day's Night-type detail. It's a life every girl dreams of - being whisked from club to party and at least two hours in make-up - but behind the dream lies the reality of "dawn to dusk in the studio" and brittle personal relationships. Such candour makes Eye Candy a sharp career move, but one with humanity and depth. And that title is clearly an ironic in-joke: on the cover, Mis-Teeq preen prettily with waxed legs, but inside, they prove their worth."[1] BBC Music critic Bren O'Callaghan found that "veering between underground and packaged pop, each track on Eye Candy evades definition from one to the next or even partway through [...] It's exactly this type of mix that should stand them in good stead with clubbers and DJs alike. They have mainstream appeal, as they pout and strut for the cameras, and they have credible content for unlikely dance floor fusions."[2]

Chart performance

Eye Candy debuted and peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart,[6] and reached number 11 on the Scottish Albums Chart.[7] The Official Charts Company ranked it 83rd on the 2003 UK year-end chart.[8] The album was certified silver and gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), indicating sales in excess of 100,000 copies.[9]

Track listing

Eye Candy – Standard version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"My Song"	Alesha Dixon Mushtaq Omar Uddin Sabrina Washington Su-Elise Nash	Mushtaq	4:45
2.	"Scandalous" (Stargate Radio Mix)	Dixon Hallgeir Rustan Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Washington Nash Tor Erik Hermansen	Stargate	3:59
3.	"Can't Get It Back"	Dixon Aubrey Gravatt Hernst Bellevue Joseph Freeman Marlon Lu'Ree Williams Salaam Remi Theodore Life	Remi Staybent^[a]	4:05
4.	"Dance Your Cares Away"	Dixon Edwin Makromallis Washington Samantha Powell	Ed Case	3:48
5.	"All in One Day"	Dixon Angela Hunte Washington Remi Nash	Remi	3:52
6.	"Strawberrez"	Hunte Hernst Bellevue Jayson "Loose" Dyer Remi	Remi Staybent Dyer^[a]	5:25
7.	"Nitro"	Dixon Karl Daniel Washington Nash	JD	4:06
8.	"Home Tonight" (featuring Joe)	Dixon Joe Thomas Jolyon Skinner Washington Nash	Joe	3:53
9.	"Do Me Like That" (UK edition only)	Dixon Hunte Washington	Mushtaq	4:21
10.	"That's Just Not Me" (featuring Baby Cham)	Dixon Dameon Beckett Dave Kelly Washington Nash	Kelly	3:54
11.	"How Does It Feel"	Dixon Mushtaq Washington Nash	Mushtaq	3:48
12.	"Best Friends"	Dixon Mushtaq Washington Nash	Mushtaq	4:41
13.	"It's Beginning to Feel Like Love"	Dixon Darcy Kahn Delroy Andrews Skinner Washington Nash	Andrews Skinner	4:18
14.	"Eye Candy" (UK edition only)	Dixon Hunte Rishpal Singh Rekhi Washington Nash	Rishi Rich	2:46
15.	"Just for You"	Dixon Hunte Rekhi Washington Nash	Rich	4:02

Eye Candy – Japan bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
16.	"Hey Yo"	Dixon Hunte Rekhi Washington Nash	Rich	4:12
17.	"Scandalous" (enhanced video)

Eye Candy – Limited edition reissue

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Sumthin' Scandalous" (featuring Redman)	Dixon Rustan Eriksen Washington Nash Hermansen	Stargate	3:43
2.	"Style"	Dixon Rustan Eriksen Hermansen Chris Lowe Neil Tennant	Stargate	3:18
3.	"Scandalous" (Stargate Radio Mix)	Dixon Rustan Eriksen Washington Nash Hermansen	Stargate	3:59
4.	"Can't Get It Back" (Ignorants Radio Edit)	Dixon Gravatt Bellevue Freeman Williams Remi Life	Remi Staybent^[a] Ignorants^[a]	4:05
5.	"My Song"	Dixon Mushtaq Washington Nash	Mushtaq	4:45
6.	"Strawberrez"	Hunte Bellevue Dyer Remi	Remi Staybent Dyer^[a]	5:25
7.	"Home Tonight" (featuring Joe)	Dixon Thomas Skinner Washington Nash	Joe	3:53
8.	"Nitro"	Dixon Daniel Washington Nash	JD	4:06
9.	"Dance Your Cares Away"	Dixon Makromallis Washington Powell	Case	3:48
10.	"That's Just Not Me" (featuring Baby Cham)	Dixon Beckett Kelly Washington Nash	Kelly	3:54
11.	"How Does It Feel"	Dixon Mushtaq Washington Nash	Mushtaq	3:48
12.	"It's Beginning to Feel Like Love"	Dixon Darcy Kahn Delroy Andrews Skinner Washington Nash	Andrews Skinner	4:18
13.	"Hey Yo"	Dixon Hunte Rekhi Washington Nash	Rich	4:12
14.	"Style" (Linus of Hollywood's Rock Remix)	Dixon Rustan Eriksen Hermansen Lowe Tennant	Stargate Linus of Hollywood^[a]	3:18
15.	"Eye Candy"	Dixon Hunte Rishpal Singh Rekhi Washington Nash	Rishi Rich	2:46
16.	"Just for You"	Dixon Hunte Rekhi Washington Nash	Rich	4:02
17.	"Best Friends"	Dixon Mushtaq Washington Nash	Mushtaq	4:41
18.	"Do Me Like That"	Dixon Hunte Washington	Mushtaq	4:21
19.	"Can't Get It Back"	Dixon Gravatt Bellevue Freeman Williams Remi Life	Remi Staybent^[a]	4:05
20.	"All in One Day"	Dixon Hunte Washington Remi Nash	Remi	3:52

Eye Candy – Special edition DVD[10]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Scandalous"
2.	"Can't Get It Back"
3.	"Style"
4.	"Sumthin' Scandalous"
5.	"Can't Get It Back" (Making Of)
6.	"Style" (Linus Rock Mix)

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2003) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 100 French Albums (SNEP)[12] 95 Irish Albums (IRMA)[13] 48 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] 40 Scottish Albums (OCC)[7] 11 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 77 UK Albums (OCC)[6] 6

Year-end charts Chart (2003) Position UK Albums (OCC)[8] 83

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9]	Gold	100,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Simpson, Dave (27 March 2003). "CD: Mis-Teeq, Eye Candy". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
2. O'Callaghan, Bren (30 April 2003). "Review of Mis-Teeq - Eye Candy". BBC Music. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
3. "Mis~Teeq: Su-Elise - Interview". contactmusic. 13 March 2003. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
4. Taylor, Paul (4 April 2003). "Mis-Teeq - Eye Candy (Telstar)". City Life. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
5. "Mis-Teeq - Eye Candy". entertainment.ie. 18 April 2003. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
6. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
7. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
8. "2003 UK Year-End Chart" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
9. "British album certifications – Mis-teeq – Eye Candy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 October 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Eye Candy in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
10. "Eye Candy: Mis-Teeq: Amazon.co.uk: Music". Amazon UK. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
11. "ARIA Top 100 Albums - Week Commencing 26th May 2003" (PDF). ARIA. Australia. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
12. "Lescharts.com – Mis-Teeq – Eye Candy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
13. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Mis-Teeq". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
14. "Charts.nz – Mis-Teeq – Eye Candy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
15. "Swisscharts.com – Mis-Teeq – Eye Candy". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 August 2015.