Album- Strip Me Away
Artist- Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield hasn’t had the
success as an artist that she used to have. This European version of this third
studio album went pretty much under the radar, and it is not much different to
the American version except from the fact that she finally releases Pocketful
of Sunshine in Europe. Even in America this album hasn’t done well. But is the
music the reason why this artist has gone under the radar, or are we just
missing some good music in the public sphere?
Track 1- Pocketful of Sunshine
The platinum selling song actually
featured originally on the American version of her second studio album but was
released as a single in Europe to promote this album. It’s a cool pop dittie
that features an easily memorable hook and great contrast of fast paced lyrics
and vocals with powerful, lyrical and vocal lamentation. It’s also really
breezy in terms of both the overall message and the production, which features
simple acoustic guitar and subtle groovy beat. The only thing is that on this
album it kind of feels a little wrong and can seem like just an add on, which
it basically is, so it loses that pizazz a little.
3/5
Track 2- Little Too Much
The first proper track on this
album in my opinion is a sweet number about the twists and turns of love.
Lyrically the song is very cliché driven with a reference to a white flag being
beyond stereotypical, but the overall sentiment works, and vocally the delicacy
and tone of her voice shines and delivers the song from the depths of
blandness. And blandness is also equally avoided through the production, with
its cool pace driving drum beats and all- round nice acoustic feel that makes
this track feel like a romantic comedy number (indeed it was chosen as the
theme song for the romantic comedy Something Borrowed, another sweet if
predictable media offering).
3.5/5
Track 3- All I Need (featuring Kevin Rudolf)
This up tempo song provides relief
from the lightness of the previous songs and works great in that it doesn’t try
to be empowering but in a way is. Lyrically it’s all about Bedingfield letting
go and being totally happy with what she’s got, and whilst the sentiment could
be corny she pulls it off and makes us be kind of grateful for what we have.
And the lightness of the verses vocally really help to elevate the powerful
chorus with its simplistic structure. The drum beats and powerful production
plays well with the tracks sentiment and gives an almost dancey feel to the
song. The only potential problem with the song is the Kevin Rudolf “Let It
Rock” sample: for me it feels weird but also very much works, but some
listeners may find it unnecessary and just too weird.
3.5/5
Track 4- Strip Me
The album’s title track is unfortunately a song in which
Bedingfield tries to be more blatantly empowering but struggles to do so. The
lyrics feature really cliché ideology driven chorus that is to blatant it is
bland, and the vocals, although light and fresh so pleasing, just again try to
strive for this too empowering ideology. The clattering drums and guitar of the
production is another empowering element that just feels much done before. It
could be a much worse listen overall than it is but it’s still pretty bad.
2/5
Track 5- Neon Lights
This mid tempo, cute number provides a nice contrast with
the forceful nature of the previous song, and is a happy song that is light and
unassuming. It brings the album back to sounding a bit better, with the
clattering drum beats sounding lighter and more pleasant overall, with dipping
into more prominent guitar production in the pre chorus sounding nice and
fresh. The light vocal tone sound sweet and makes the loving nature of the song
come out a little more and sound sincere, particularly within the line “can you
feel my love”. The track employs some quite stereotypical cute imagery but
lyrically the fast paced nature is pleasing and has a natural lightness. And
the song is good in that it never tries to be too powerful. The guitar
instrumentation at the end also gives a small but frivolous end to the song
that makes you just want to float around and dance in a weird way.
3.5/5
Track 6- Weightless
This light, up tempo track is one of the album’s highlight
and lyrically speaks of just shedding the material things in life and all those
things that just tie us down and embrace our individuality and feel free. The
lyrics are real sing along ones that feel a little retrospective and wise,
whilst having a lightness to them (particularly in the chorus) that is
refreshing and attention grabbing compared to some of the other tracks. The
vocal tone of Bedingfield really allows her message and lyrical content to
flourish, and this is also really helped by the background vocals and fast
paced but light production beats that just sound so nice and lovely. An album
highlight that also really becomes more powerful as it continues as so by the
end you can’t help but feel a little bit happier.
4/5
Track 7- Can’t Fall
Down
The album’s first ballad features some cool synth production
that gives a nice, vulnerable tone to the track in which Bedingfield lyrically
speaks of just staying small and not trying much in order not to get hurt in
life. Although the lyrics are a little cheesy in their sentiment the simple
chorus brings the message across in a nice and kind of direct way, and the
adding of drum beats from the first chorus onwards gives a powerful edge to the
track that makes that sense of delicacy a bit more believable, although not
entirely. The vocal performance is light and slightly chilled but perhaps
doesn’t bring out the song’s lyrics as well as it could and so feels that bit
lacklustre.
2.5/5
Track 8- Try
The down tempo flavouring of the record continues with this
chilled out ballad that speaks of not giving up on a relationship. The power of
the record lyrically feels a bit bland as it feels very much like a sentiment
many people have spoken on before. However the vocals of this track unlike the
previous number kind of save the song, prominently because of the variation key
between the verses and chorus that gives a more heartfelt and passionate tone
to the song, with the final verse with it’s lyrical repetition in the
background having an attention grabbing feel and making for a powerful and
rousing end. The production with it strong drum bass and light but forceful
guitar makes for a forceful sound overall that’s quite nice, with the delicate
piano being a nice juxtaposition.
3/5
Track 9- Touch
This up tempo number features storytelling verses against a
simple idea of fun and just living life in the chorus that makes for a fresh
and high energy track to enjoy. The lyrics are kind of audience encompassing in
that they have that everyday feel to them that is nicely identifiable, with the
chorus being a simple, this is life statement piece that indeed fits well with
the album’s title as it strips away all that complication of life. And with the
cute vocal tone employed within the track and the freshness this that the
vocals bring, as well as the fast paced electronic beats and nice electric
guitar production, you can’t help but just be sucked in by the enjoyment of
this track and feel better because of it, with the way the track simply burns
out being a nice way for you to unwind and then chill.
4/5
Track 10- Run-Run-Run
This mid to up tempo record is all about being able to live
life but never being able to escape the love of that special person. Whilst the
lyrical repletion of the chorus is catchy, the verses aren’t as attention
grabbing, and the vocal acrobatics of the post chorus feel a little bit boring.
However the hand clapping, head bobbing beats of the track make for a good
listen, with the electro beats employed within the final verse giving a nice
modern flavour to the number that is subtle but appealing. And whilst her
vocals aren’t necessarily attention grabbing in this track they bring out the
sweetness of the song quite nicely.
2.5/5
Track 11- Break Thru
This ballad number is all about needing someone special to
feel better in life and doing anything for them in order for the relationship
to have that break through moment into true happiness. The chorus offers some
bland imagery but the sentiment of the final line is potent, and the verses
offer some nice hurt ideology that again is bland but not too boring. The
tracks production keeps a chilled but powerful energy that features some cool
electro pop beats that give a bit of musical diversity to the record, even if
it doesn’t necessarily sound great. The vocals are a bit so so, with the final
chorus sounding like it stretches the singer a bit too much.
2/5
Track 12- No Mozart
This slow, mid to down tempo number is a cute love track in
which Bedingfield speaks of how her love doesn’t have to be perfect, things
just have to come from the heart. The track feels much better than the last
song, perhaps just because it’s lighter and so fits more nicely into her
wheelhouse. And with her light vocal tone the idea behind the track becomes
more sincere and warming, making for a great listen. The metaphorical and sweet
lyrical content is here quite astute and sound more refreshed than other songs.
And keeping the production simple with nice drum beats, some cool violins and
light piano instrumentation makes for a good overall sound that never becomes
too overpowering and makes the song just all-round sweet and lovely.
3.5/5
Track 13- Recover
This vulnerable ballad is all about the survival of a
relationship even after all the pain that has superseded it. The songs painful
imagery laden lyrics are stereotypical but against the lightness of her vocals
they sound sincere, with the simple structure of the chorus giving that sense
of willing to fight for love. The only real issue of the track is the way that
it builds in sound in terms of the powerful drums that just become more
forceful as the track continues. Whilst it works with the song’s message it’s a
bit stereotypical and so isn’t as powerful as it potentially could be. Still a
good track that works well as an album end, and probably should have also been
the end of the European album version just like it was for the US version.
3/5
Track 14- Weightless
(Less Is More Version)
The acoustic version of one of the records best track
showcases the natural prowess of Bedingfield’s vocal ability really well and
whilst not necessarily sounding to different to the original it does bring out
the stripping away yourself message of the track just that little bit more, and
so in that sense sounds refreshing. It’s one of those acoustic versions that
actually sounds good on the record and doesn’t feel like they’ve just tried to
flesh out the album so people will buy it, and definitely a good choice of
track.
3.5/5
Track 15- Put Your
Arms Around Me
The album should have finished beyond this point and so
regardless of how good this track is the record just feels to long and so
suffers because of this. That said the track a sweet ode to love in which
Bedingfield just wants to be wrapped in the tender love of her lover that feels
so good and that she thinks is eternal. The vocal layering in the chorus is
nice and the acoustic feel of the track gives a nice sweet and chilled out vibe
that builds upon the simplicity of the love that is presented.
3.5/5
Track 16- Unexpected
Hero
The final track feels very stripped back and in that sense
almost doesn’t sound like a studio track. But unlike the proper acoustic track
on this record, this song just feels bland, and it’s simple to see that it just
kind of fleshes out the record. Enough said about this the better I would say,
and just listen to see if you like it or don’t
2/5
Final Review
It makes me a bit sad to listen to this record as
Bedingfield actually sounds really good and so it’s sad she just kind of puts
the album out in places other than America to little fanfare. But that’s really
her fault, because she kind of did ditch us for America. However, whilst in
places this record feels bland and stereotypical, a cohesive sound and some
nice pop tunes make for a good listen that more people really should buy.
7/10
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