Tempted to accuse the world of having it out for her, Bedingfield decides instead to change her attitude on “Happy” (“Why am I making this hard on myself when there’s so many beautiful reasons to be happy?”). Similarly, the title track refuses to let someone break her stride or steal her joy. A lonely woman waits for Mr. Right, willing to hold out for a “Soulmate.” Aware that a good man is hard to find, the singer cherishes a special guy on “Love Like This,” “Angel” and “Put Your Arms Around Me.” On “Pirate Bones” she counts the cost of worldly treasures and concludes that nothing’s worth changing who she is (“If I forfeit my soul, it ain’t worth having”). Kind words may help a relationship worth fighting for on “Not Givin’ Up.” The terrific “Freckles” regrets letting others’ opinions matter too much, while it celebrates uniqueness (“A face without freckles is like a sky without the stars/Why waste a second not loving who you are?/Those little imperfections make you beautiful, lovable, valuable”).
“Who Knows” finds the singer falling for a guy “too fast” and against her better judgment (“My self-control, it won’t hold up for very long”).
Natasha Bedingfield’s label told her she needed a little more scandal to be a megastar. She refuses to go there. Good for her … and good for families. With one minor exception, her latest album is pure Sunshine.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
