Pocket full or half-empty? (Pocket Full Of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield)

Member Name: Jark

Product:	Pocket Full Of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield
Date:	23/07/08 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stunning production and endless catchy songs

Disadvantages: One too many corny songs

Natasha Bedingfield is back with her third album, although it'd probably be more accurate to call it her second-and-a-half, because Pocketful Of Sunshine is a mix of six tracks carried over from second UK studio record NB and seven new tracks recorded for the US market.

Opener Put Your Arms Around Me is nothing short of stunning. From the soft, infectious beat at the beginning to the perfect, memorable chorus, this is a work of art; pop at it's simplistic best. Next comes title track Pocketful Of Sunshine. This has sold 2 million downloads in the US for a reason - it's madly catchy melody and fabulous layered vocals combine to make for the pop song of 2008, without exception. Hopefully the song will soon get a UK release and return Natasha to her rightful place atop the singles chart.

Next is Happy, another new track which doesn't really have much substance aside from it's basic message of trying to focus on the positives in life. The track ambles by nicely with a lovely vocal from Tasha but it certainly isn't an essential listen; it's just a good quality album track. Love Like This follows; it continues the summer theme but adds an addictive, tinkling beat and a surprisingly charming rap from Sean Kingston, combining to make a pretty decent track which was more than worthy of being the lead US single.

Fifth track Piece Of Your Heart is a highlight. The JR Rotem-produced number is a non-stop, fast-paced piece of electro-R&B unlike anything else on the album. The chorus is hugely memorable and Natasha's vocals are layered to give a truly 'big' sound. The track definitely has potential as a future single, especially given how American it sounds. Soulmate then kicks in. Most of the UK will most likely know it after it was a hit Top 10 single with lots of exposure, including a mighty live performance at the Princess Diana concert in 2007. The track is hauntingly sparse and despite not being quite the well-rounded ballad previous hit I Bruise Easily is, it's still a thing of beauty.

Say It Again is another breezy track which makes the most of it's simply-structured chorus and lodges it's way into your brain. Natasha excels at such sunny pop so it's a welcome addition to the tracklist. Angel is in a similar vein if a little more expensively-produced; the Darkchild number sees Tasha spell out 'A-n-g-e-l' over a slightly vocoded vocal. Again, the song is extremely US-friendly, and likely to become a hit when released as the album's third single this Summer. Backyard slows the pace a tad; it's soaring, atmospheric vocal and charming lyrics ('your cowboy hat, my tutu; why can't we be how we were, in the backyard?') make for another high point and, in my opinion, one of the best song of Natasha's career to date.

Freckles is something of a retread of Happy and, like that song, is a slightly cheesy, uninspired motivational track. Lyrics like 'why waste a minute not loving who you are?' are sweet but lack the sheer quirckiness and originality Natasha so often excels at. Who Knows is a massive improvement; lady Bedingfield muses about the stage of her relationship ('Im in like with you; not in love with you, quite yet...') and features a purposely disjointed sound which works well with the electro musical elements to make for a catchy four minutes.

Pirate Bones is in a similar vain, although the production exposes a rare weak vocal during the bridge. The album goes out on an extreme high; Not Givin Up is an amazing pop moment. Produced by respected R&B producer Danja, the song has a furious pace and sees Natasha vow to put her all into a failing relationship. 'How can I stay mad at you, when I'm so in love with you?' she ponders, one syllable at a time. It's Natasha sheer adaptability, the talent of being able to work with any producer and always own the song, which makes tracks like this such winners.

My only gripe with the record is the exclusion of two fabulous tracks from NB; No More What Ifs features the brilliant rapper Eve and is a reflective, dark piece of pop which absolutely deserves to be heard by the US audience. Smell The Roses is a fabulously cute number which is more silky smooth than luxury lingerie! It stands up there with Natasha's very best and manages to put across the sweet message shared by Happy and Freckles without sounding corny or uninspired. Piano-heavy pop song Cheer Me Up, a new track restricted to being an iTunes bonus, also deserved to make the final cut.

As it stands, however, PFOS is a truly excellent and modern pop album with enough influences from other genres to be catchy, interesting and memorable all in one. Songs like Pocketful Of Sunshine and Not Givin Up are smash hits in the making and any fan of pop music could only benefit from having this in their collection.

Summary: The definitive Natasha Bedingfield album.