Atomic Kitten

The group formed in Liverpool around Kerry Katona, Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton, with OMD’s Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw involved in the early writing and production. Right Now first appeared in 2000. The arrival of “Whole Again” in 2001 changed the group’s fortunes, and Jenny Frost joined following Katona’s departure during that breakthrough period.

The appeal was in the balance between everyday feeling and clean pop construction. “Eternal Flame”, their version of the Bangles song, let the blend of the voices carry an already familiar melody. Feels So Good followed in 2002, with “It’s OK!” and “The Tide Is High (Get the Feeling)” extending the same approachable sound.

Ladies Night in 2003 mixed new material with another well-known title, this time recorded with Kool & the Gang. The group’s main run was short compared with the length of time its singles have remained familiar. “Whole Again” has acquired lives in football crowds and later reunions, but the original recording remains a particularly efficient piece of turn-of-the-century pop.

There is value in hearing the albums without asking them to be something more elaborate. Atomic Kitten worked best through warmth, clear melodies and a vocal blend that could make a very simple line feel shared. That straightforwardness explains why the songs still fit naturally into a playlist of the era.