"Oh dear" was the first thought that came to mind when I listened to Natasha Bedingfield's sophomore album, Pocketful of Sunshine. Her incredible perkiness and sugary goodness was too much for my Saturday morning and thumping headache. And it only got worse.
As a fan of her old songs, I was surprised to hear just how bland the new album is. She has always had a great voice, and musically the album sounds similar to her previous material, but none of the songs stand out. A number of producers ensure the songs are technically good, but the charm of Unwritten is missing.
The first single, "Love Like This", featuring Sean Kingston, is a harmless pop reggae concoction, but without the strength of her previous singles. It is still an improvement, however, on the recently released U.K. single "I Wanna Have Your Babies," in which she sings the title over and over again. The song was topped by her hilarious video, in which she meets different men, sparks fly from her fingers when she touches them, and then in the next shot she magically appears with their babies. Not surprisingly, the song failed to do well in the U.K. and was subsequently dropped from the U.S. album.
Pocketful of Sunshine is an album about being in love and why we should all be happy. Bedingfield describes the difference between her first and second album as stemming from the fact that she is now "looking for Mr. Right," whereas her preceding album celebrated her independence. This is very far from her debut single "Single," which became an anthem for single ladies.
Bedingfield has long been known for her clean Christian image in a world where pop music has become overly sexualized and little girls idolize Britney. This translates into her lyrics, which ooze happiness and positive messages. In some instances, the cheesiness was too much for me. In "Freckles" we hear the following: "Because a face without freckles is like a sky without the stars / Why waste a second not loving who you are." In the nostalgic "Backyard", however, where she looks back on her childhood fondly, her simple lyrics convey her message well. Such lyrics help to cement her image as the "girl next door."
The stand-out track for me is the title track. It has a simple call and response for the chorus, which will worm into your head with its catchiness. "Not Giving Up" is a more edgy dance song for Bedingfield and a move away from her signature summery pop, but it works equally well.
Bedingfield is not the only British female singer trying to crack the U.S. at the moment. She has to compete with Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Kate Nash, who all produce quirkier and more original pop songs. With such a versatile and powerful voice, however, she will be sure to enjoy success in the U.S.
In some ways, she would make a very good American Idol winner. She is a good musician and is involved in writing all her songs -- but most importantly, she makes inoffensive pop songs that are incredibly radio-friendly. As a consequence, I'm sure Pocketful of Sunshine will be blasted from stations around the country. And I will make sure to change the station every time that happens. I'm afraid she's just too full of glorious golden sunshine for me.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
