♥♥ Have been swamped with wedding plans - hope all is well with everyone ♥♥
♥♥ Have been swamped with wedding plans - hope all is well with everyone ♥♥
Member since:24.10.2003
Reviews:64
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After much anticipation, Daniel is back with his second album 'Second first impression'. Not that he needs a second impression; Bedingfield has come a long way since making tracks from his bedroom. Not only has Daniel's debut album 'Gotta Get Thru This' won critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, but more importantly, it's been my favourite album over the past 2 years! The reason? It has a mix of everything from rock to R&B, something to suit every mood!
So as far as I'm concerned, Bedingfield had a lot to live up to. A near fatal car crash in New Zealand was a devastating glitch in the process, but that hasn't stopped him; in fact, it's inspired him. With the help of respected producer Jack Joseph Puig, an expert mixer who has worked with Green Day and No Doubt, 'second first impression' is just as it sounds; establishes just who Daniel Bedingfield is. A more grown up sound, which has ditched the club classics and instead presented a collection which is a mixture of R&B, rock and ballads, making it a worthy follow-up to his hit debut.
And so the tracks...
1. Growing Up 2.
Complicated 3. Wrap My Words Around You 4. All Your Attention 5. The Way 6. Sorry 7. Show Me The Real You 8. Don't Give'r It All 9. Nothing Hurts Like Love 10.Holiness 11. All The Little Children 12. Draw You (demo) 13. A Kiss Without Commitment (demo)
'Growing Up' and 'Complicated', are groovy R&B tracks, with ‘Complicated’ taking on a hint of reggae, making you want to sway your hips on some tropical beach at sunset, cocktail in tow. The sharp lyrics of 'Wrap My Arms Around You' and first single 'Nothing Hurts Like Love' offer Bedingfield's distinct balladry sound perfected from the likes of ‘If you’re not the one’. They will have you grabbing your nearest and dearest for a romantic slow dance. My favourite song on this album is 'All Your Attention', a saccharine love ballad which averts to the polished American style of R&B. Very worthy of being the second single from this album. His courageous honesty through lyrics is demonstrated in ‘Sorry’; another ballad, offering a Bohemian Rhapsody like arrangement with sincere, moving lyrics detailing a heartfelt apology for the hurt he caused his sisters for his years of attention deficit hyperactivity. (“ADD is my excuse/And with my excuse I shot you down/And I know I’ve got to change/But I can never work out how”) With just voice and piano for most of this song, it’s not hard to see why Daniel is so successful. Bedingfield steps up a gear on 'The Way', an excellent track sounding a little like U2 with a distinctive and catchy. Similarly sounding is ‘Don’t giver it all’. An initial up-tempo beat, changing pace mid-way through the song that will surely keep clubbers happy.
‘Show Me the Real You’ demonstrates Bedingfield’s cheeky arrogance as suggested with ‘Inflate My Ego’ from his first album; the song opens with jerky drums, and flamenco guitar, they fade to reveal a melancholy piano tinkle and Bedingfield himself. "Hey! Remember me?" "Hard to forget, right?" In sharp contrast there’s Daniel demonstrates his commitment to his Christian beliefs, through 'Draw You' and 'Holiness'.
Unfortunately, there are fillers on this album such as the likes of 'A Kiss without Commitment', a raw guitar and vocal ballad, which is spoiled by meager lyrics as: "Jessica your heart is like a newly budding rose" sounding like an old-fashioned country music track. The same goes for ‘All the little children’, where he rambles on about little children singing his song. Fair enough, ‘'A Kiss without Commitment’ is a demo, but why put them on the album when, to be polite, they stink! There is also a hidden track entitled ‘I'm Not Dead’ referring to the car crash in New Zealand. It’s Bedingfield’s heaviest rocking track yet, and with lyrics like “I’m alive, I’m alive” it’s comic genius!
Sometimes the change in styles suggests Bedingfield is unsure as to which musical direction to pursue. But what this album is ultimately about is unmasking the real Bedingfield; and I believe he is a superb talent that enjoys different genres of music. He manages to experiment with his vocal style whilst maintaining and gaining new fans. There are some inadequate fillers, like you would find on most albums, but Bedingfield’s honesty and talent shines through making this a mature polished pop album. Well done Dan!
Available from all good record stores. Play.com £6.99
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Daniel Bedingfield is really talented in my opinion. I have all his albums and can say that this review has done him justice. Vicky xxx
Dogbert 08.05.2005 23:21
I got the firts album and it was good and I have every intention to get this one too, especially after this review. But there are so many that I need to get that I always forget them all and get none, must remember to get this. Cheers
Daniel Bedingfield's long awaited second offering Second First Impressioncomes after a ... more
substantial period of rehabilitation, following on from a serious accident that nearly ended his career after the astounding success of debut Gotta Get Thru This.Sec...
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