"Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield

Call it Bedingfield 2.5. Pocketful of Sunshine is the second U.S. release by the Londoner whose career is part Fergie, part Amy Grant, but nearly half the songs appeared on her sophomore English release, N.B. "I Wanna Have Your Babies," the gloriously bubbly and weird single from that record, is among the missing, but some lovely pop tunes have been substituted. Bedingfield has had an unfortunate tendency toward syrupy ballads in the past, but even the slower numbers here compare favorably with most examples of the genre. "Soulmate," for instance, may start off with guitar-picking that signifies clichéd contemplation, but Bedingfield's ability to modulate her belting and still convey emotion serves the "I want a really good boyfriend" message well. The lead single, "Love Like This," pairs her with R&B charmer Sean Kingston, a vocalist with a similarly large and varied bag of musical tricks, to create a warm summery spray of melody. Mostly,
	Published: 2008-01-28 Provider: Artist Direct