Album Review: Natasha Bedingfield "Pocketful Of Sunshine"

She definitely got the title right. When I think of Natasha Bedingfield, as anyone would (in America, at least), I think of her cheesy, overplayed, inspirational song "Unwritten," and, by default, bright, happy things like sunshine. And while for the most part, with Pocketful Of Sunshine, her sophomore album in the US, she stays bubbly and happy, Bedingfield gets a little deeper here and there, and ultimately serves up an album worth listening to.

The album starts out strong and stays that way, give or take a track or two, until the end, when several album-fillers begin to run together. The first track, "Put Your Arms Around Me," is a catchy, fun, and not annoying tune that got me hooked, while the title track and second single that follows is only average overall; still, first single "Love Like This," which features Sean Kingston, is what got me interested in the album in the first place. "Piece Of Your Heart" is what seems like one of those outside-the-box tracks, to some degree, that good artists always try out--and, in this case, it worked. Not until "Soulmate" did I actually think I would have any kind of emotional connection to this album, but I found it very relatable. Another good listen comes in the form of the track "Angel," which is followed by another lyrically intriguing song, "Backyard." From there, corniness and averageness ensues, though I must give her credit for including a track with the title "Pirate Bones," and the fact that, while not my favorite of album-closers, "Not Givin' Up" is an alright track.

It is hard to point out a specific direction that this album may have taken for both the facts that it was more or less patched together with tracks from her sophomore effort across the Atlantic, N.B., and new songs, and that I can only assume her label intended on recording more than a normal album's fair share of cheese so as to capitalize on what could possibly become part two of "Unwritten." Still, Natasha's unique voice allows her to stand out among the crowd of young women singing pop music today and her unique style makes her music more interesting and fun. Let's just hope they do not take one of this CD's best tracks and completely overplay it on the radio this time.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

(Photo Credit: Amazon)