No sophomore slump for Bedingfield

Considering its difficult birth, it's a pleasant surprise to find that "Pocketful of Sunshine" is actually a decent pop album. Even if it's inconsistent, occasionally bland and overloaded with trite lyrics, it does show that Bedingfield has made some progress in the three years since her debut. Unlike "Unwritten," which was powered mainly by safe teen-pop ballads, "Pocketful of Sunshine" is relentlessly varied in its musical style, plundering everything from faux-acoustic balladry to hip-hop bravado to lush, grinding R&B. Though this all-over-the-place aesthetic is occasionally disorientating, more often than not it's the tracks where Bedingfield steps out of her comfort zone that work best.

One such highlight is the slickly produced closing track "Not Givin' Up," which, with its growling synths and stuttered rock beats, comes off as a close relative of Nelly Furtado's "Maneater." The brooding, anthem-like "Angel" also bears suspicious similarities to a ubiquitous 2007 hit: With its staccato chorus and ominous production, it's Rihanna's "Umbrella." Though "Angel" is occasionally flat and lacks "Umbrella's" indelible chorus it is among the album's most memorable tracks, one of the few which isn't relentlessly optimistic and sunshine-happy in its execution.

The album's highlight, however, is undoubtedly the easygoing R&B of "Love Like This," on which Bedingfield collaborates with reggae artist Sean Kingston, of all people. Though the pairing looks awkward on paper, the result is surprisingly solid, with retro piano samples and a laid-back beat achieving the desired feeling of loose nostalgia. It's by far the album's most memorable track, a mature and refreshing antidote to the almost childish simplicity of many of the other songs.

Sadly, though, it's not all a happy story here. Despite the aforementioned genre-hopping, there are also a handful of cringe-worthy tracks so naive they suggest that Bedingfield has taken a step back since her debut. After all, the album's best songs are all collaborations with well-known producers, from Darkchild to Danja, and the dispiriting blandness of much of the rest suggests that, when left to her own devices, Bedingfield's work is simple, hum-along pop at its best and slushy, plodding crap at its worst. Two songs in particular, "Backyard" and "Freckles," really plumb the depths. The first offender, the hysterically over-produced "Backyard" is a song so gloopy that I doubt even Celine Dion would stoop so low. It features a backdrop of mushy strings and layered vocals with Bedingfield moaning about how she used to play with "plastic bazooka[s]" and "tiara[s]" in her backyard. Even worse is "Freckles," a song so inane it sounds like an outtake from "Teletubbies." For almost four minutes Bedingfield rambles on, with a hilarious lack of irony, about her freckles and how they make her "beautiful, loveable, valuable" and "show [her] personality." Modesty, Natasha, modesty! More importantly, do I see a single freckle on that beautifully airbrushed photo on the cover? I think not!

On the whole, though, despite its low points, "Pocketful of Sunshine" is no disaster. And those who can only picture slushy ballads or wimpy, unadventurous teen pop when they hear the name Natasha Bedingfield should think again because "Pocketful of Sunshine" is a more varied and interesting album than you'd expect, and songs like "Love Like This" suggest that Bedingfield has actually grown into a pretty talented R&B singer. Maybe if she heads away from teen pop and slushy soft rock, she could give Nelly Furtado or even Alicia Keys a run for their money. The only worry is that by the time Bedingfield has made the move from Dido-wannabe to the next R&B/dance-pop/whatever else star - no doubt with a big hit produced by Timbaland - she may have lost everything that made her original in the first place. Or let's replace "original" with "successful" - she is Natasha Bedingfield after all...

3 out of 5 stars

PROS: Strong collaborations with well-known hip hop producers, and a more varied mix of styles than on her debut

CONS: A handful of cringe-worthy songs, such as the asinine self-empowerment anthem "Freckles." It's also pretty forgettable...but then again it is Natasha Bedingfield, so you shouldn't be expecting anything life-changing!