Pocketful of Sunshine

Natasha Bedingfield's example of a good pop music

British singer Natasha Bedingfield renowned for her simple girl-next-door image has conquered the world with hit These Words, and her debut album Unwritten has proved to be a great collection of melodious pop songs sparkling with witty texts not devoid of sense of humor and deep thoughts. Last April the young artist released her sophomore effort N.B. in Europe, and at the beginning of this year its US version Pocketful Of Sunshine saw the light of the day. The latter is different from the original variant in a rather notable way for there are only six songs from N.B. on the record, while the other seven are absolutely new compositions. The disappointing thing is probably the absence on Pocketful Of Sunshine if the joyful single I Wanna Have Your Babies, but the new works including the single Love Like This easily compensate this drawback. As before it is worth while listening to the songs' lyrics for they reveal Natasha's personal thoughts and confirm her talent as a songwriter, whereas melodies and arrangements prove to be the example of a good pop music we all have been waiting for.

Searching for love theme on Pocketful Of Sunshine

Sunny and joyful as always this time Natasha turns to searching for love theme and gives her ideas of a perfect partner. The album opens with a melodious mid-tempo funky song Put Your Arms Around Me reminiscent of older works of Nelly Furtado, with a contagious oh-oh repeating now and then throughout. The title track Pocketful Of Sunshine is a more worrisome composition with a nice tune and somewhat heavier arrangement, whereas the album's lead single Love Like This featuring Sean Kingston is refined with pretty sound effects, and the two vocalists' harmonious performance makes the song one of the absolute leaders on the record. A great song Piece Of Your Heart refined with powerful keyboards will sure become one of your favorites due to the strong emotions expressed in the voice of the singer, and the heroine of a slow ballad Soulmate feels lonely and puts a big question if there is a soul mate for everyone. An R&B number Angel is stylistically different from the rest of the album but lyrically covers the same topic of expecting perfect relations and depicting the scenes of a happy couple together. Another unusual song Who Knows is a rockier number with great melodious guitars and contagious drums, while the final composition Not Givin' Up impresses with a complicated melody and beat that adds the tenseness to the impetuous and worrisome song.

Juicy lively tunes and a charge of emotions

Beyond all doubt the main secret Natasha Bedingfield's success is her naturalness. No matter what happens she manages to remain herself never forgetting to be artistic which results into an integral image of a funny, clever and certainly talented performer. It is not guaranteed that anyone is going to be astonished by the music she makes but you can be sure not to remain disappointed by the songs on Pocketful Of Sunshine. Although thematically the album is not too varied each track has a certain atmosphere, the effect which is largely achieved by the brilliant arrangements and Natasha's vocals that are obviously evolving. On the whole the record that is full of juicy lively tunes and charging with emotions has proved to be right to the point in the middle of winter and for that we should thank Ms. Bedingfield especially. Although we have not heard a second These Words this time around, Pocketful Of Sunshine has proved to be a great continuation of the singer's career, and there are several solid songs among the new tracks that easily pretend to become new hits.