CD Review: NB/Pocketful of Sunshine

Genre: Pop

Released: April 2007 (N.B.), January 2008 (Pocketful of Sunshine)

OK, so perhaps I should mention that I am one of Natasha's biggest fans. I have faithfully followed her career, listening to all her songs, watching her vblogs and music videos, and reading all her updates on her website.

That being said, I'm going to give as fair a review as po

ssible on her sophomore album(s?). They're so closely related, it wasn't worth doing a separate review for Pocketful of Sunshine... so, here we are. Just to make it easier, I'll review the shared content of the two albums, then NB's exclusive tracks, then Pocketful of Sunshine's tracks. 

Shared songs:

Well, the producers were smart: the best tracks of NB definitely made it onto Pocketful of Sunshine. Most of them are soulful tracks: "Soulmate" is a sparse look at the difficulty of finding love; "Say It Again" (with Maroon 5's Adam Levine) is a catchy tune about the difficulty of expressing love; and "Backyard" is about how love can change a relationship. 

If you haven't guessed already, Bedingfield's new albums focus on love/relationships. 

But that's not a bad thing. Natasha never takes it too far on any of these tracks, never gets gushy or preachy, and, most importantly, never sounds fake. The tracks are also catchy, and grow on you as you listen - most notably "Not Givin' Up", a simple and addictive song about, well, not giving up on a relationship (duh). 

The best of all the shared tracks, though, would have to be "Pirate Bones", easily the most original, catchy song I've heard in a while. It's simple and clever - Natasha at her best.

N.B.:

The rest of N.B. is, well, a mixed bag. I love the first track, "How Do You Do"; it's probably the best example of a horn section used effectively in a pop song, and the lyrics aren't half bad. The album slips from there, though: "I Wanna Have Your Babies" and "Tricky Angel" are sappy and cliche but still sound good, while "When You Know You Know" is boring. Period. Fortunately, the album then picks up again with "(No More) What Ifs", a track featuring Eve, which should have been included on Pocketful. It uses a hip-hop/RnB beat that serves Natasha well. 

Pocketful of Sunshine:

Pocketful of Sunshine was a bit of a surprise for me. I'm used to Natasha trying (and not always succeeding, but at least trying) to sound clever and add meaning to her songs; on Pocketful, the additional tracks are not terribly original lyrically; she plays it safe. On the positive, there's nothing as terrible as "Tricky Angel", but nothing like "Soulmate". 

However, all the new songs have very, very catchy beats - I'm sure you've heard "Pocketful of Sunshine" by now, a meaningless song that you can't help but hum. Well, the next rumoured single - "Angel" - may actually be even more infectious. At one point, Natasha spells out "a-n-g-e-l" (I know, spelling seems so popular nowadays), and your head starts to bob automatically.

Recommended Tracks: Soulmate, Pirate Bones, Not Givin' Up, Say It Again, How Do You Do [NB], (No More) What Ifs [NB], Angel [Pocketful], Pocketful of Sunshine [Pocketful]

RATING

N.B. Melody: 4/5 Lyrics: 3/5 "Catchiness" factor: 6/10

TOTAL: 6.5/10

Pocketful of Sunshine Melody: 4.5/5 Lyrics: 2/5 "Catchiness" factor: 8.5/10

TOTAL: 7.5/10