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Amazon.co.uk Review
Second First Impressionimplies that it's going to clear up those fundamental questions that baffled everyone from his fans to jealous record company execs alike first time round – just who, or what is Daniel Bedingfield? "The voice of tomorrow", according to the man himself in opener "Growing Up", a start/stop stutterthon that sounds like it was recorded in his New Zealand outhouse whilst high on a vicious morphine binge. "Complicated" – only the second song in – even has a (surprising passable) muted reggae flavour. However, we're back on what you might call familiar territory with the painfully sharp lyrics and balladry of "Wrap My Words Around" and "Nothing Hurts like Love." Never far from a costume change though--witness the astoundingly good "The Way", which siphons early U2 through Duran Duran. The only conclusion to draw is that Bedders is a complicated man and such confusion only comes from the very admirable trait of putting oneself into one's work. A treat. --Ben Johncock
Review
And with the keys to Polydor's studios plus an army of accomplished musicians at his disposal, Daniel has returned to the spotlight with this polished follow up.
Respected producer Jack Joseph Puig, an expert mixer who has worked with Green Day and No Doubt, has helped Daniel deliver a collection which ditches the clubbing credibility of his debut in favour of a diverse collection of R&B, rock and well, slush...
Sometimes the relentless switching in styles gives the impression Daniel is unsure which direction to pursue: voice of the streets, or smooth ballad-meister? But what does it matter - he manages to develop his vocal style whilst doubling his audience.
Groovy R&B tracks 'Growing Up' and 'Complicated', are a mile away from sincere ballads like 'A Kiss without Commitment', which exhibit his vocal similarities to singer-songwriter Paul Simon, a cited influence. And Bedingfield rocks out on 'The Way', an excellent track elevated above everything else on the album by a distinctive and catchy chorus. It sounds like it could have been written by Sting, another influence, and its fast-pace and jagged guitar sound create a cool noise undermined only by soggy lyrics like: "This is the way of the moon, waxing and wane, fro-ing and to."
Directly after this noteworthy detour, Daniel launches into 'All Your Attention', a saccharine love ballad which drops rock n' roll in favour of the Justin Timberlake school of R&B. The two songs make odd stable mates but are still good in their own right, a rule which applies to the placement of most of the album's tracks.
But while Daniel's stubbornly sincere lyrics are often touching and revealing, heartfelt apologies for obscure childhood arguments with your sister, as on 'Sorry', are best left in the playground. I was left wondering, just who is the real Daniel Bedingfield? He writes about his battles with temptation, the album is all about the allure of the opposite sex and Daniel's struggles to resist them, but he makes music that people like to be tempted to.
The suggestive rumblings on opening tracks 'Growing Up' and 'Complicated' burst with a sexual intent which is utterly undermined by such ultra-lame lyrics as: "Jessica your heart is like a newly budding rose," ('A Kiss Without Commitment').
Oh please, but even so, Daniel's determined commitment to his Christian beliefs, so evident on 'Draw You' and 'Holiness', at least mark him out from his more libidinous counterparts. And such commitment deserves to be treated with respect, as does this album. --Lisa Haines
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Customer Reviews
This album is as versitile as it's previous one,just as Bedders likes it. All round his lyrical and quality of music is just that tad better than 'Gotta Get Thru This'. This album has less dancy tracks than his last however, 3 (Growing up,Complicated,Don't give her it all) in total compared to 5 (Blown it again,GGTT,James Dean,Right Girl,Friday) in GGTT. The rest are a more rockier affair, and what quality they are! He's definitely hit his top in this style. 'Wrap my words around you', 'The way', 'Show me the real you' and 'Holiness' are songs that any pop-rock band would be proud of, particularly 'The way' which should prove to be a classic if released as a single (Fingers Crossed). The rest of the songs are beautiful ballads/melodies which are another Bedders' specialty. 'Sorry' is the clear stand out from them all with it being an extremely personal song about the occurances between him and his sisters when they were younger because of his illness. It has great lines in the chorus which you can really relate to in some shape or form.
One must question his reasoning to relase 'Nothing hurts like love' as his comeback single however. This is a song which in my opinion is the worst on the album and lyric's far too simple when compared to other songs on this album. Not suprising that this song was not actually written by him.
Album songs ratings: (Out of 5)
Growing up - 3.5
Complicated - 2.5
Wrap my words - 5
All your attention - 4
The way - 5 - Please release as a single!
Sorry - 5
Show me the real you - 4.5
Don't give her it all - 4
Nothing hurts like love - 2
Holiness - 4.5
All the little children - 3
Draw you - 5
A kiss without commitment - 4
Watch out for the hidden track at the end. Rocky baby!
Daniel was in a terrible car crash at the beginning of this year, and thankfully he managed to make a full recovery. After the full recovery, he spent a long time recording a new album which would hopefully be as good, if not better than the first.
He knew he had to follow the first album up with something really special - as the title "Second First Impression" suggests - and it is very fair to say that he has done so.
Bedingfield's second album has it all - fast pace, feel good songs such as "Holiness" along with the odd slow song such as "Sorry" which is actually dedicated to his sister, Natasha. "Nothing Hurts Like Love" is the first song to be released from the album, and this gives a very good example of what the new album has to offer. It is obvious that a lot of hard work has gone into making the songs sound very professional and to expand upon the success of the previous album.
If you love Daniel Bedingfield's music, love his voice, or just want a really cool album to chill out to, then buy "Second First Impression" today - you won't be disappointed! And don't forget to listen to the hidden track (called "I am alive"), 5 minutes and 15 seconds into the last track!
Gone are the garage-pop tracks of Bedingfield's debut, replaced by altogether rockier songs that really show how versatile this man is. The ability to perform in a huge variety of genres is exactly what I admire most about Bedingfield; this album also includes some dance-inspired tracks reminiscent of "Gotta Get Thru This", as well as a few beautiful ballads. The former class is represented by the two opening tracks, "Growing up" and "Complicated", both of which are very infectious and show the incredible range of Bedingfield's voice. "Growing up" seems to be the "Blown it again" of this album, with its funk rhythm emphasised curiously by a closed snare drum at certain points, and Bedingfield's trademark vocal overdubs in octaves in the chorus. "Complicated" is also interesting as it is slightly world-orientated and again displays how comfortable Bedingfield is singing so many different styles of music.
Undoubtedly, though, the standout upbeat track on this album is the ingenious "The way". Bedingfield instantly grabs the listener by human beatboxing as only he can in the highly syncopated introduction, and the song gradually evolves from a dance/pop first verse into a full out rock chorus, during which Bedingfield slides his voice up to the high notes to further highlight the rock inspiration. The electric guitar in the instrumental leading on to the second verse is wonderfully haunting, and the middle eight is simply mind-blowing, showcasing Bedingfield's vocals to their absolute best.
The first single to be taken from this album, "Nothing hurts like love", is a good representation of the mid-tempo tracks included here. The keyboards used on this song sound pleasantly dreamy, as do those on "All your attention", a lovely track where the lyrics suggest that Bedingfield can be innocent and vulnerable just like the rest of us. "Wrap my words around you", Bedingfield's next choice of single, also follows this sensitive lead; its quiet verses painted with a soft electric piano are very pleasant to listen to, building inevitably to a powerful chorus that again shows exactly how strong Bedingfield's vocals are. The remaining mid-tempo numbers are "Show me the real you", from which the album's title "Second First Impression" stems from, and "Holiness", an inspiring track in which Bedingfield sings of opening his arms to the world and staying positive following his accident.
There are two tracks on "Second First Impression" that sound very different from their fellows. The first is the beautiful "Sorry", a tribute to Bedingfield's sister Natasha. This song must have been incredibly hard for Bedingfield to write; Bedingfield reveals all about his ADD trauma, sounding ashamed of himself and apologising in vain throughout the song: "I wanna say I'm sorry but I know I'll do it again... I don't wanna hurt you anymore." The piano and strings used in this stunning track really compliment the sensitive nature of the song, and proves that his ADD doesn't hold Bedingfield back in the slightest - this is the ultimate pinnacle track of this album.
The second song is the altogether strange "All the little children". Bedingfield shows his angrier side on this track, and he is sparsely accompanied by a string quartet and piano chords, which surround the track with a mysterious aura. This song is very short, and as a result it is almost like a protest; this track definitely gives the listener much to think about.
As in Bedingfield's debut album, there are acoustic tracks at the end of "Second First Impression", which I feel are great songs to conclude the album. "Draw you" is very pleasant, where the guitar is appropriately quiet to partner Bedingfield's soft vocals, while "A kiss without commitment" almost resembles a busker's song as the vocal harmonies are simple yet effective. Bedingfield actually name checks the woman in question in the chorus of this song, which is quite unusual today and so adds interest for the listener.
One final track is the hidden "I'm not dead", which can be found a few minutes into "A kiss without commitment". This unquestionably relates to Bedingfield's accident, and its very rocky style suggests that he is angry but positive about how he shall have to continue with his life. The electric guitar "scream" in the opening stages of this track arguably represent the crash itself, and I was shocked to hear Bedingfield shouting in a rough, rocky voice at the end, as though in protest like in "All the little children".
This album is a huge step forward for Daniel Bedingfield, and many of its songs have allowed him time to reflect on how very different his world could have been today. Altogether this is an incredibly inspiring album, which the ultimate multi-genre music fan will worship for a long time to come.
daniels vocals are insane
strength and clarity mixed with pure unsurpassed ability
when you listen to him sing, it's like an... Read more
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