Posted February 6, 200718 yr This is a review of the album Unwritten. These are just my opinions. I have done this type of thread before and I warn you, I am a picky person when it comes to music. Feel free to either post a review of your own, comment on mine or rate the tracks out of 10. Have a listen before you do this, especially if it has been a while since you listened to this amazing album. If you have only heard the singles, the vids are pinned at the top of the page. Review those. All comments are to be as constructive as possible. Track 1 These Words: - I am surprised that this was not the first single to be released, as it is so much better than Single in my opinion. Very catchy song with the lyrics matching the title in literary style in places. The backing vocals are superb and this is a very well produced track. Abrupt ending. Track 2 Single: - Sounds like a rap initially, slow thumping beat starts us off. This is a stand out track as it is to my mind, very different to the rest of the album. Is this song declaring it's independence from the album? It has a piano featuring in the rocky parts, which is very unusual and not associated with rock by me. Comparatively gentle finish. Track 3 I'm A Bomb: - Rocky track from the beginning. Overuse of backing vocals on this track edges it down the list of potential single status for me. Very catchy track despite this and another of my favourite album tracks. Track 4 Unwritten: - This in my opinion is the second best single off the album. It is a very catchy number with a brilliant video. This has an excellent use of backing vocals. The vocal matches the music perfectly. This has a gradual finish. Track 5 I Bruise Easily: - Very gentle piano intro on this track, with a gentle vocal to match. Very different from her previous releases as we can hear and therefore quite a surprise to me. I did not get the album until this single was released, hence my surprise. This is a beautiful track which never fails to calm me down after a stressful day. Very gentle finish. Track 6 If You're Gonna: - Rocky start to this track, which matches the expectation based on Single. However, it does have a few gentle intervals. Other than these, the rocky momentum is kept up. The lyrics do not match the title very well in my opinion. Thought this track was called something else. Chorus is very repetitive, and it has a sudden ending. Track 7 Silent Movie: - Another gentle start, matching I Bruise Easily. This then differentiates from the aforementioned track and becomes a very catchy track. This was a potential single in my opinion and does not deserve the status of album track. Excellent use of backing vocals. It has a gentle moment or two like If You're Gonna, but the catchy beat is maintained for the majority of the track. Sudden ending. Track 8 We're All Mad: - Nice gentle beat starts this album track. It has an old fashioned air from the first line by Natasha. Very meaningful track, and the gentle beat is on the whole maintained with the introduction of backing vocals for the chorus. Very gentle track and doesn't live up to expectation for me. From the title, I would have thought that there would have been more of a beat. Gradual gentle finish which matches the beginning. Track 9 Frogs & Princes: - Fairytale time. Gentle start to this track, and gets rockier in the chorus before mellowing again for the verses. The lyrics do not seem to match sit well together to my mind. This to my mind deserves to be an album track. Gentle ending. Track 10 Drop Me In The Middle feat. Bizarre: - When I first saw who featured on this, I was dreading hearing this. However I was pleasantly surprised at how catchy this actually is. The chorus is very gentle, but catchy. Bizarre actually adds to this track and makes it worth listening to in my opinion. His rap makes me laugh, as he is obviously laughing at himself. Very gentle, gradual ending. Track 11 Wild Horses: - Beautiful gentle intro. The gentleness is maintained throughout which fully matches the expectation after hearing I Bruise Easily. Slight problem is that Natasha's voice sometimes does not match the gentleness of the music. Despite this, this remains one of my favourite album tracks. gentle ending. Track 12 Size Matters: - Didn't know what to expect, this is a quirky title to my mind. Very catchy start which is maintained and excellent use of backing vocals which increases with the chorus. Slightly repetitive, which just edges it out of being a potential single for me. This is another one of my favourite album tracks. Abrupt ending. Track 13 Peace Of Me: - Gentle start, matched by the vocal. It changes to a rocky track matched by the vocal for the chorus. Very much a changeable track. One moment, you're listening to a ballad, the next you are listening to a very rocky track. The chorus doesn't match the title at all or is the title not spelt correctly? Could it have meant Piece Of Me which would have fitted the music so much better? I would hardly classify the music as completely peaceful which is what I would expect. The idea could be that the peace is fragile, with potential explosions. That is the only explanation that occurs to me. Bonus Track Sojourn: - I did not realise that this track was on here at first, so it came as a bit of a shock to the system when I first heard it. Very gentle start, and it becomes a slightly catchier tune. Lyrics and music do not sit well at times through the track. Gentle finish. On the whole, this album is excellent and I could listen to it all evening. The only complaint I have is that the singles are all grouped together. I think that they should have been placed evenly through the track. This encourages me to listen to the whole album. If I have anymore thoughts on this, I will of course post these. Thanks for reading, hopefully see some reviews, comments or rates on this. Edited February 8, 200718 yr by Flatcap
February 8, 200718 yr Bonus Track It Feels Like: - Think it should be called this, not listed on my album and I took the sticker off if there was any. Clarification would be appreciated. I did not realise that this track was on here at first, so it came as a bit of a shock to the system when I first heard it. Very gentle start, and it becomes a slightly catchier tune. Lyrics and music do not sit well at times through the track. Gentle finish. On the whole, this album is excellent and I could listen to it all evening. The only complaint I have is that the singles are all grouped together. I think that they should have been placed evenly through the track. This encourages me to listen to the whole album. If I have anymore thoughts on this, I will of course post these. Thanks for reading, hopefully see some reviews, comments or rates on this. Great review Flatcap, the bonus track is called Sojourn ;)
February 8, 200718 yr All Music Guide's Review: http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drh300/h338/h33863a8kv3.jpg Unwritten (Jul 26, 2005) 3.5 Stars Review by Johnny Loftus In September 2004 Natasha Bedingfield debuted smashingly in the United Kingdom. Her first record, Unwritten, went to number one almost immediately and the glowing response established her as an instant pop star. Her ascent mirrored the sudden popularity of brother Daniel Bedingfield in 2001, when his bedroom production "Gotta Get Through This" rocketed similarly up the charts. For Natasha, it's "Single" and the near-perfect "These Words (I Love You, I Love You)" — tracks that merge the rhythms and flavors of hip-hop and R&B with unique melodies and Bedingfield's vocal confidence — "Single," for example, suggests Kelly Clarkson's 2003 single "Miss Independent." Bedingfield co-writes all but one song on Unwritten, working with songwriters like Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams), Andrew Frampton (S Club 7), and Danielle Brisebois. And she stays remarkably poised throughout, selling some of the album's weaker arrangements with the dusky grain at the top end of her vocal. "Silent Movie" and "Piece of Me" make moves typical of pop in the 21st century — the former actually sounds like a Williams song, while the latter tries to energize its chorus with blaring guitars. But it's Bedingfield who does the energizing, intersecting Pink's knowing swagger with the confessional exuberance of youth (typified in the blurted "I love you I love you/I love you I love you!"'s of "These Words"). Even when Unwritten emulates the trends, its tendency to play out like a personal diary put to beats and keys saves it from the soundalike pile. The bubblingly positive title track is another highlight — "Drench yourself in words unspoken! Live your life with arms wide open! Today is where your book begins!" — as is the soulful hip-hop of "Drop Me in the Middle," which features London MC Estelle. "I Bruise Easily" is the late-album standout, a ballad that's as epically romantic as you'd expect (keening strings, Bedingfield's voice breaking on the line "Be gentle..."), but it doesn't get out of hand, retaining the tact that the majority of Unwritten has. It's a well-made pop album for the new millennium with star quality at its center. [The U.S. edition of Unwritten added "Stumble" and the quirky "Size Matters," as well as Estelle's appearance on "Middle."]
February 9, 200718 yr I hope Stumble pops up as a b-side somewhere in the UK. Its a gorgeous track yes i love stumble :wub:
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