Little Mix have said that their dream collaborator is rapper Missy Elliott, and they got what they wished for, as Elliott features on the new single, the soon-to-be-smash 'How Ya Doin'?'

The song is sugary, sexy and multi-generational girl pop with a liberal dose of funk spread throughout. It's not as saccharine or as safe as their fellow former 'X Factor' alums One Direction, but then again, Little Mix aren't looking to satiate really young teenagers with their tracks. There's more "oomph" and bumping and grinding that takes place in their songs, since they are reaching out to an older audience.

The Mixers can sing better than, say, the Spice Girls, and the song is a slick ode to phone communication, and the frustration it can cause, glazed with a bit of discoball sheen. It's textbook party girl pop -- but because the Mixers can actually sing and they harmonize near flawlessly like En Vogue, the song gets a little boost beyond the dance floor and sounds more, well, womanly.

Come to think of it, the song is like a modern, more pop version En Vogue and Bananarama. Remember the latter? They were an '80s, English vocal trio with an edge, and Little Mix channel their inner Bananarama on 'How Ya Doin'?'

Elliott drops her strong and sassy verse midway through, and it's just what we expect and what the song needs -- another woman's confident and potent voice to keep a consistent tone. It serves to temper the Mixer's wide-eyed youth with some seasoned vet experience. Little Mix and Missy balance each other out on the track.

The track has its heels planted in several decades, but thankfully, the ladies and their voices keep tight control over the song so it doesn't drift and become unlistenable.

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Listen to Little Mix  'How Ya Doin'?' Feat. Missy Elliott

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