Girls Can't Help It

It didn't take MTV very long to make rock, pop and R&B a lot more visual. It was founded in 1981, and before you knew it, the music world was becoming increasingly looks-conscious and image-minded. In 1982 and 1983, looking great in a video certainly didn't hurt, although it didn't guarantee success either. Great looks didn't mean commercial success for Girls Can't Help It, a female vocal trio that came out of England in the early 1980s. Billie Adams, Jacqueline Bucknell, and Samantha Spencer-Lane -- collectively Girls Can't Help It -- were blessed with cover-girl looks but didn't get very far commercially. Pure Wild, the British singers' debut EP, fell through the cracks, although it's a decent collection of R&B and dance-pop along the lines of the Mary Jane Girls and Vanity 6. "Rhythm of the Jungle," "X Marks the Spot," and the rap-minded "Baby Doll" are likable funk-dance workouts, and "Jelly Baby" is a seductive slow jam that should please anyone who spent a lot of time listening to the Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long" back in 1983. Although not perfect, Pure Wild is a fun record that deserved more attention than it received. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide