True pop seems to have gone downhill faster than Britney Spears. It is as though the Top 40 has morphed from a forum for happy teens to a blog for emo angst and affirmation of the ghetto lifestyle. Natasha Bedingfield's sophomore album Pocketful of Sunshine is a veritable breath of fresh air. Bedingfield's lyrics, although sometimes coming off as shallow, glorify old-school love. The first single, "Love Like This," tells the saga of on-again-off-again lovers who believe that "when this life tries to keep us apart, you keep calling me back to your heart." Featured in this song is young reggae artist Sean Kingston, who adds a nice male counterpart to Bedingfield's soulful effeminate voice.
Fortunately, both her lyrics and her voice have matured in this album. The breadth of musical styles found in Sunshine is comparable to Unwritten. These songs range from dance-inspired pop, to R&B diva, to country flair. At times, these different personas produce a sound that disrupts the cohesiveness of the album but exhibits her talent as a singer.
Unlike both of her first two singles, "Unwritten" and "These Words," her new songs have a theme outside of her personal writing process. Love as a thematic element is more than a little stale. By focusing on romance rather than lust, she revives an older mentality. This element, juxtaposed with her distinctive voice, prevents her from sounding like another Hannah Montana or Hilary Duff.
Bedingfield's saccharine lyrics are full of cliches like "a face without freckles is like a night without stars." Older listeners may scoff at these juvenile words, but this album is much easier to listen to with a niece or nephew than Britney Spears's Blackout.
Fans of less digitally packaged music will love "Soulmate," which strips away the electronic drums and pop beats that are ever present in the other songs on Sunshine. Her raw talent really shows on this faux-acoustic ballad. Also included as a bonus in the iTunes album is an acoustic version of "Unwritten," in which Bedingfield's voice comes off as thin.
This album is perfect for people reminiscing about Britney's "Soda Pop" days and other lovers of some good, clean, sing-along pop. B
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