The Script: No Sound Without Silence review – soft-as-mush pop falls flat

Irish trio the Script prove that commercial success doesn’t always beget musical ingenuity. It would be a treat if No Sound Without Silence’s songs matched frontman Danny O’Donoghue’s infectious brashness and wit (see our 30 Minutes With interview), but this batch of soft-as-mush pop-rock falls flat. All three band members cut their teeth in Los Angeles years ago, writing for the likes of Britney Spears and Boyz II Men, and this fourth album highlights their formulaic song structure with gusto. Heartache and personal triumph are central themes, cropping up in ham-handed wordplay on Army of Angels, Man on a Wire and single Superheroes. The album slickly combines R&B vocal melisma, sentimental anthemic choruses and the odd chug-a-chug guitar line – to keep the Script in the “rock band” category, perhaps. Mostly co-produced and co-written with Steve Kipner (behind Christina Aguilera’s Genie in a Bottle and Cheryl Cole’s Fight for This Love) and Andrew Frampton (Steps, S Club 7, Westlife), this is all sugar and little substance.