Jonathan Bogart: I’ve never really liked Natasha Bedingfield — sure, I enjoyed the cool breeze of “Pocketful Of Sunshine” during the hot whine of Summer 2008, but even then she was a little too insubstantial, too bubbly, too British. But this! She engages the British knack for storytelling, and turns out to have an identity because of it; the bubbliness remains, but it’s married to a solid beat with a real low end, and a production that finally puts those Joshua Tree guitars to good use. But her vocal, more than the lyrics or the production, is what really make this work; rather than oversinging unpleasantly, she makes her thin, cracked voice work, sending shivers down my spine when she gets to that high “…touch”. I’m only reserving a point because I’m not sure how it’ll hold up a year later; but right now, I really like Natasha Bedingfield.
