No Can Do

Following the release of their fifth studio album, Change (2007), and the completion of its supporting tour, the Sugababes announced that they would take a year-long break to record their sixth studio album. Despite the announcement, the trio soon began work on the album, titled Catfights and Spotlights, which they eventually recorded within a matter of weeks and in between various festivals. "No Can Do" was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 19 December 2008. The following day, it was made available as a CD single, which consists of three remixes of the track and a cover version of Keane's song "Spiralling". ==Composition and lyrics==

. "No Can Do" is an uptempo namely their 1969 song "I Want You Back". Matthew Chisling of AllMusic noted that the song "[builds] on the recurring themes of enticing harmonies and vocal showcasing which are seen as the most dominant traits that the girls are showing off this time around". ==Response==

Critical reception Critical reception for "No Can Do" was mixed. David Balls of Digital Spy gave the song a two out of five star rating, and wrote, "in comparison to the majority of the group's singles, it's a half-hearted, bland and middle of the road offering that lacks the excitement of Sugababes at their best". He did, however, call the song an improvement from the group's previous single "Girls". Entertainment.ie's Lauren Murphy regarded "No Can Do" and album track "Side Chick" as "feeble uptempo tracks that sound like they've been plucked at random from a pop factory conveyor belt". A writer from the Daily Record commented that "as much as ['No Can Do'] is mainstream and poppy, it's hardly their most remarkable offering". Popjustice considered the song to be "above average" but not the best track from the album, while Fraser McAlphine of the BBC Chart Blog wrote that it "won't be the all-conquering pop superbeast that it could be". A positive response came from AllMusic writer Matthew Chisling, who considered the song to be a "show-stopping [number]" and stated that it "work[s] as shimmering displays of subtle strength". Virgin Media's Johnny Dee praised inclusion of the Motown beat, which according to him makes the song "feel retro and modern simultaneously. Commercial performance "No Can Do" entered the UK Singles Chart on 13 December 2008 at number 170, based on digital downloads from Catfights and Spotlights. Upon its release as a single, the song peaked at number 23 in the issue dated 10 January 2009 with 12,890 copies sold. Subsequently, "No Can Do" became the group's lowest-charting single since 2006's "Follow Me Home" and their third-lowest charting single overall. The song is also one of their lowest-selling singles to date. "No Can Do" brought the Sugababes' total single sales in the UK to three million. The single also peaked at number eleven on the Danish airplay chart, number 53 on the Slovakian airplay chart, and number 67 on Billboard's European Hot 100 Singles chart. ==Music video==

The music video for "No Can Do" was directed by Marco Puig. The video was filmed in November 2008. On YouTube, it was released on 2 December 2008. The video's inspiration stemmed from a piece of art created by the sculptor Allen Jones in the 1960s, involving the use of female mannequins as everyday pieces of furniture. The Sugababes wore glamorous gowns and had large hair and long eyelashes for the video, which features twenty muscly men who are used as pieces of furniture. TBalls described the video as "a little racier than we'd expect from Keisha and Co", but acknowledged that "it's nice to see the girls letting their hair down for a change". ==Live performances and impact==

The trio first performed the song in November 2008 to promote the release of the New Xbox Experience, as part of a set list that included their singles "Push the Button" and "About You Now". They performed "No Can Do" on 18 July 2009 at Ponty's Big Weekend, which was held at Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd, Wales, and dedicated the performance to Michael Jackson who died a month earlier. Buchanan named "No Can Do" one of her favourite songs from the Sugababes' career, stating: "I love 'No Can Do' because it's such a different sound for us. I really like the whole old-school, laid-back sound and it's got a kind of Jackson 5 feel to it which I love." ==Formats and track listings==

• Digital download • "No Can Do" (Wawa Club Remix) – 6:31 • "No Can Do" (Bimbo Jones Remix) – 5:48 • "No Can Do" (Mowgli Remix) – 5:48 • "Spiralling" (Radio One Live Lounge) – 3:10 • CD Single • "No Can Do" – 3:10 • "No Can Do" (Bimbo Jones Remix) [Edit] – 5:48 • "No Can Do" (WAWA Remix) [Edit] – 5:48 • "Spiralling" (Radio One Live Lounge) – 3:10 ==Credits and personnel==

;Recording • Vocals recorded at Metropolis Studios, London • Brass recorded at Rollover Studios ;Personnel • Songwriting – Jason Pebworth, Jon Shave, George Astasio, Vanessa Brown • Production – The Invisible Men, Si Hulbert • Vocals – Keisha Buchanan, Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah • Keyboards – Si Hulbert, Melvin Kuiters, Jon Shave, Jason Pebworth • Programming – Si Hulbert, Melvin Kuiters, Jon Shave, Jason Pebworth • Additional production – Melvin Kuiters • Mixing – Jeremy Wheatley at Twenty One Studio, London • Mixing (assistant) – Richard Edgeler • Engineering – Dave Palmer • Guitar – George Astasio • Bass – George Astasio • Trombone – Nichol Thompson • Trumpet – Henry Collins • Saxophone – Jim Hunt • Brass engineering – Spencer Dewing • Vocal engineering – Matt Lawrence • Vocal engineering (assistant) – Xavier Stephenson ;Sample • Samples "Yes It's You" by Sweet Charles Sherrell • Songwriting – Nugetre • Production – Hal Ritson • Guitar – Guthrie Govan • Bass – Guthrie Govan • Drums – Richard Adlam • Keyboards – Hal Ritson • Programming – Hal Ritson • Violin – Hal Ritson Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Catfights and Spotlights. ==Charts==