N.B. (album)
Encyclopedia
N.B. is the second studio album
released by British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield
. It was released in the UK on 30 April 2007 through Phonogenic Records. Upon release the album was praised for Bedingfield's vocals and the fun theme to the records however some critics were disappointed noting that the material wasn't as catchy as her debut project, Unwritten
. In the UK it produced two top ten hits, "I Want to Have Your Babies
" and "Soulmate
".
On 22 January 2008 the album was released in the United States and Canada under the name Pocketful of Sunshine with new packaging and an alternative track listing featuring only six of the original songs. The US version's title song
became a top-five hit whilst the lead single, "Love Like This" with Sean Kingston
became a top-twenty hit. US critics said that although the album was definitely a pop record it felt inorganic and awkwardly assembled.
, features guitars and a horn section. "I Wanna Have Your Babies", the second track, was chosen as the lead single as it was a representation Bedingfield's shifting priorities from being a single young woman to "dating, searching for a partner" and "looking for Mr Right". The song discusses a woman's battle to stop herself from rushing into relationships in an effort to find the right man to be the father of her children. The song received mixed reviews from music critics, who generally found it to be less impressive than past releases, but its release was moderately successful, reaching the top forty in most countries. The second single, "Soulmate
", is a ballad on which Bedingfield wonders if there is a partner for everyone.
"Who Knows", the fourth track, begins with a "reggae
-pop vibe" which slowly progresses to an electro-style sound featuring a string section. It received positive reviews, with one reviewer stating that it was reminiscent of "Amy Winehouse
's gruff vocal style and her sassiness". "Who Knows" was also featured in the motion picture 27 Dresses
. The fifth track and third single is "Say It Again". It is co-written with Maroon 5
's lead singer Adam Levine
, who also provides backing vocals on the song. "Pirate Bones" discusses the pitfalls of celebrity and fame. On the song Bedingfield commented "if you're giving up your enjoyment of life for somebody else's idea of success, it's like being a pirate
who's got his hoard of treasure and is sitting on an island where there are no shops to spend it. It doesn't mean anything."
The eighth track, "Tricky Angel", was inspired by R&B
music and was composed around a series of piano loops. "When You Know You Know" features an orchestra and its lyrics discuss a failing relationship. The tenth track, "(No More) What Ifs", features a rap by Eve
and received negative reviews, with The Guardian
describing it as "an ill-advised move for all concerned". "Not Givin' Up", features a heavy urban beat with electronic sound effects in the background. The song was well received by critics because of its "near-certain crossover appeal for both sides of the Atlantic". "Still Here", the twelfth track, was originally recorded for the film Rocky Balboa
in 2006, but was not included on the soundtrack.
The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart
at number nine on 6 May 2007, selling 19,500 copies in its first week This would be the album's highest chart position and the only week it spent within the Top 20. The album spent a total of 13 weeks in the UK Top 100. Outside of the UK, the album failed to reach the top ten. In Ireland
, N.B. debuted at number fourteen and in the Netherlands
it reached number thirteen. It peaked outside the top twenty in Switzerland
. In Australia
, the album failed to enter the top one hundred, but peaked at number eleven on the Hitseekers
albums chart.
Pocketful of Sunshine
Pocketful of Sunshine debuted on the Billboard
200 albums chart
in the United States
at number three, selling 49,000 copies. The first-week sales surpassed her debut album, Unwritten
, which sold 34,000 copies its first week of release. The album has become the third highest debut by a United Kingdom
-signed female artist in Billboard history, after Joss Stone
, who entered at number two and now Leona Lewis
, after her debut at number one. The album, however, quickly fell down the chart. After performing on American Idol, sales of the album and single "Pocketful of Sunshine" increased considerably. The album jumped from number 97 to number 24 on the Billboard 200
, while the single charted within the top five on the Billboard charts. The album was certified Gold on 12 December 2008. To date it has sold more than 750,000 copies. In Canada
, the album debuted at number thirteen.
N.B. received mixed to positive reviews from most music critics, but some criticised it for its lightweight content. In a review for The Guardian
, Craig McLean wrote that the album has "nothing as catchy as Unwritten, the tunes are on the airy-fairy side of breezy, and the lyrics on the naff side of plain". The Times
called the album "patchy and disappointing" and gave it two out of five stars, whilst Marie Claire
magazine said that "many of the tracks are forgettable", but that Bedingfield's "strong voice and eccentricities elevate her above many blonde and bland popstars." The album was called "good clean fun, entertaining and inoffensive" by Yahoo!
, but was also noted for its lack of risk taking and Bedingfield's decision to continue her "grown-up cartoon pop" rather than try something new and that there was little chance of it being considered a classic album. However, Entertainment.ie
reviewer Sheena McGinley was less impressed, and wrote that it was "too embarrassing to listen to in public", rating the album two out of five stars.
Pocketful of Sunshine received generally positive reviews from pop music critics. Kerri Mason, Billboard
reviewer, gave the album positive response. Mason wrote ,"The album has an undeniable flip-flop feel throughout; like the unplugged soul-chick hoedown Beyoncé tried to conjure at the end of the "Irreplaceable" video." Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone
wrote that "Bedingfield doesn't have much to say", but commented that "the packaging in which she wraps her openhearted thoughts makes Sunshine a decent little pop record". Bill Lamb of About.com
noted that "unfortunately, her second solo album, massively reworked from her corresponding second album in the UK, is simply another professional, corporately polished pop record. Songs and vocals are reasonably solid..." but, he added, "it's hard to hear inspiration." Los Angeles Times
was disappointed that "I Wanna Have Your Babies" was not included on Pocketful of Sunshine and wrote that "as awkward as the song is, it fleshes out Bedingfield's vision better than Jerkins' Mary J. Blige
"Angel" or Rotem's Fergalicious
"Piece of Your Heart". The album ending up receiving 2.5 stars out of 4. Allmusic gave the album a mixed review and described it as "awkwardly assembled", and added that it "feels inorganic in a way that Unwritten
did not, less personal and more vetted by various A&R
executives". Glenn Gambo in a review for Newsday
gave the album C+ rating, and wrote that the album "barely registers" and was "full of pale copies of other successful pop [songs] that don't necessarily work for Bedingfield".
and reached the top 40 in most countries worldwide.
"Soulmate
" was released as the second single from the album on 2 July 2007. The single reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and the top 20 in most countries worldwide, becoming even more successful than the album's lead single.
"Say It Again", featuring Adam Levine
was released as the third and final single from the album on 8 October 2007. The single failed to chart completely.
, was released as the lead single from the album. It was released on 25 September 2007. It was released on online music store
on 2 October 2007. The single was a top 20 hit in U.S. reaching number 11 in Billboard Hot 100
and number 10 in Pop 100
. The single was released in U.K. on 7 April 2008.
"Pocketful of Sunshine
", the title track of the album was chosen to be the second single. The song was sent to radio stations on 11 February 2008. The single reached number 5 on Billboard Hot 100
giving Bedingfield her second top 10 single. It also peaked number number 3 in Canadian Hot 100
. The single release date in the UK
was canceled. This song is the theme song of Nickland in Germany.
"Angel
" was released as the third single from the album on 11 August 2008. In its first official week at radio, "Angel" started at #59 on Mediabase's Top 40 Chart with 318 spins and jumped to #40 in its second week. Phil Griffin
was booked to direct the music video. It sits currently at #63 at the US, #35 at the US pop, #1 at the US dance and #41 at the Canadian Hot 100.
"Soulmate
" was released as the fourth and final single from the album on 9 December 2008. Bedingfield performed the song in a medley at the American Music Awards and on Dancing with the Stars. On 25 November 2008 Bedingfield confirmed "Soulmate" to be the fourth single while introducing the song at her Sophie's Lounge performance on Sophie @ 103.7
. It only reached number 96 on the Hot 100, however.
Pocketful of Sunshine
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
released by British singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Bedingfield
Natasha Anne Bedingfield is a British pop singer and songwriter. Bedingfield debuted in the 1990s as a member of the Christian dance/electronic group The DNA Algorithm with her siblings Daniel Bedingfield and Nikola Rachelle...
. It was released in the UK on 30 April 2007 through Phonogenic Records. Upon release the album was praised for Bedingfield's vocals and the fun theme to the records however some critics were disappointed noting that the material wasn't as catchy as her debut project, Unwritten
Unwritten (album)
Unwritten is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in the UK on 6 September 2004, where it debuted at number one, and in the U.S. on 2 August 2005, where it debuted at number twenty-six...
. In the UK it produced two top ten hits, "I Want to Have Your Babies
I Want to Have Your Babies
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" is a pop song written by Natasha Bedingfield, Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton and Wayne Wilkins for Bedingfield's second album, N.B....
" and "Soulmate
Soulmate (song)
"Soulmate" is a pop song written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Mads Hauge and David Tench for Bedingfield's second album, N.B. . The song is written in the key of E-flat minor and set in 4/4 time. Bedingfield's vocals range from F#3 to B4. The lyrics discuss if there is a soulmate for...
".
On 22 January 2008 the album was released in the United States and Canada under the name Pocketful of Sunshine with new packaging and an alternative track listing featuring only six of the original songs. The US version's title song
Pocketful of Sunshine (song)
"Pocketful of Sunshine" is a pop song performed by Natasha Bedingfield for her second North American album Pocketful of Sunshine. It was released as the album's second single in 2008. The single was supposed to be released in the UK as Natasha's second single from the re-release of N.B. on 7 July...
became a top-five hit whilst the lead single, "Love Like This" with Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston is a Jamaican-American singer. He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston.-Early life:...
became a top-twenty hit. US critics said that although the album was definitely a pop record it felt inorganic and awkwardly assembled.
Music
"How Do You Do?", the opening track about flirtingFlirting
Flirting is a playful, romantic, or sexual overture by one person to another subtly indicating an interest in a deeper relationship with the other person, and can involve verbal communication as well as body language...
, features guitars and a horn section. "I Wanna Have Your Babies", the second track, was chosen as the lead single as it was a representation Bedingfield's shifting priorities from being a single young woman to "dating, searching for a partner" and "looking for Mr Right". The song discusses a woman's battle to stop herself from rushing into relationships in an effort to find the right man to be the father of her children. The song received mixed reviews from music critics, who generally found it to be less impressive than past releases, but its release was moderately successful, reaching the top forty in most countries. The second single, "Soulmate
Soulmate (song)
"Soulmate" is a pop song written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Mads Hauge and David Tench for Bedingfield's second album, N.B. . The song is written in the key of E-flat minor and set in 4/4 time. Bedingfield's vocals range from F#3 to B4. The lyrics discuss if there is a soulmate for...
", is a ballad on which Bedingfield wonders if there is a partner for everyone.
"Who Knows", the fourth track, begins with a "reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
-pop vibe" which slowly progresses to an electro-style sound featuring a string section. It received positive reviews, with one reviewer stating that it was reminiscent of "Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
's gruff vocal style and her sassiness". "Who Knows" was also featured in the motion picture 27 Dresses
27 Dresses
27 Dresses is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher and written by Aline Brosh McKenna. The film stars Katherine Heigl and James Marsden. The film was released January 10, 2008 in Australia and opened in the United States on January 18....
. The fifth track and third single is "Say It Again". It is co-written with Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
's lead singer Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
, who also provides backing vocals on the song. "Pirate Bones" discusses the pitfalls of celebrity and fame. On the song Bedingfield commented "if you're giving up your enjoyment of life for somebody else's idea of success, it's like being a pirate
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
who's got his hoard of treasure and is sitting on an island where there are no shops to spend it. It doesn't mean anything."
The eighth track, "Tricky Angel", was inspired by R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
music and was composed around a series of piano loops. "When You Know You Know" features an orchestra and its lyrics discuss a failing relationship. The tenth track, "(No More) What Ifs", features a rap by Eve
Eve (rapper)
Eve Jihan Jeffers , is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She won a Grammy Award in 2002 for the...
and received negative reviews, with The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
describing it as "an ill-advised move for all concerned". "Not Givin' Up", features a heavy urban beat with electronic sound effects in the background. The song was well received by critics because of its "near-certain crossover appeal for both sides of the Atlantic". "Still Here", the twelfth track, was originally recorded for the film Rocky Balboa
Rocky Balboa (film)
Rocky Balboa is the sixth and final film in the Rocky franchise, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film, which was also written by Stallone who plays underdog boxer Rocky Balboa, is the sixth film in the Rocky series that began with the Academy Award-winning Rocky thirty years...
in 2006, but was not included on the soundtrack.
Chart performance
N.B.The album debuted on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number nine on 6 May 2007, selling 19,500 copies in its first week This would be the album's highest chart position and the only week it spent within the Top 20. The album spent a total of 13 weeks in the UK Top 100. Outside of the UK, the album failed to reach the top ten. In Ireland
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
, N.B. debuted at number fourteen and in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
it reached number thirteen. It peaked outside the top twenty in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. In Australia
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, the album failed to enter the top one hundred, but peaked at number eleven on the Hitseekers
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
albums chart.
Pocketful of Sunshine
Pocketful of Sunshine debuted on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
200 albums chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at number three, selling 49,000 copies. The first-week sales surpassed her debut album, Unwritten
Unwritten
Unwritten can refer to:-* Unwritten, an album by Natasha Bedingfield* Unwritten , a song on that album* The Unwritten, an American comic book series* Unwritten, an episode of the TV show House....
, which sold 34,000 copies its first week of release. The album has become the third highest debut by a United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-signed female artist in Billboard history, after Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
, who entered at number two and now Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
, after her debut at number one. The album, however, quickly fell down the chart. After performing on American Idol, sales of the album and single "Pocketful of Sunshine" increased considerably. The album jumped from number 97 to number 24 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, while the single charted within the top five on the Billboard charts. The album was certified Gold on 12 December 2008. To date it has sold more than 750,000 copies. In Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the album debuted at number thirteen.
Critical reception
| Professional reviews | |
|---|---|
| N.B. | |
| BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... |
(positive) link |
| Digital Spy Digital Spy Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088.... |
link |
| The Guardian The Guardian The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format... |
link |
| Stylus Magazine Stylus Magazine Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog.... |
(B) link |
| Sydney Morning Herald The Sydney Morning Herald The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The... |
(positive)link |
| Yahoo! Yahoo! Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,... |
link |
| Pocketful of Sunshine | |
| About.com About.com About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company.... |
link |
| Allmusic | [ link] |
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... |
(Positive) link |
| Blender Blender (magazine) Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities.... |
link |
| Entertainment Weekly Entertainment Weekly Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture... |
(B-) link |
| Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country.... |
link |
| Robert Christgau Robert Christgau Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns... |
(C+) link |
N.B. received mixed to positive reviews from most music critics, but some criticised it for its lightweight content. In a review for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, Craig McLean wrote that the album has "nothing as catchy as Unwritten, the tunes are on the airy-fairy side of breezy, and the lyrics on the naff side of plain". The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
called the album "patchy and disappointing" and gave it two out of five stars, whilst Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Marie Claire is a monthly women's magazine first published in France but also distributed in other countries with editions specific to them and in their languages. While each country shares its own special voice with its audience, the United States edition focuses on women around the world and...
magazine said that "many of the tracks are forgettable", but that Bedingfield's "strong voice and eccentricities elevate her above many blonde and bland popstars." The album was called "good clean fun, entertaining and inoffensive" by Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
, but was also noted for its lack of risk taking and Bedingfield's decision to continue her "grown-up cartoon pop" rather than try something new and that there was little chance of it being considered a classic album. However, Entertainment.ie
Entertainment.ie
entertainment.ie is a Dublin-based Irish website which provides extensive cinema, TV, live music, theatre, comedy, exhibition and festival listings for free, as well as celebrity gossip, music and movie news, movie and DVD reviews, CD reviews and up-to-date lottery results.The site was developed in...
reviewer Sheena McGinley was less impressed, and wrote that it was "too embarrassing to listen to in public", rating the album two out of five stars.
Pocketful of Sunshine received generally positive reviews from pop music critics. Kerri Mason, Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
reviewer, gave the album positive response. Mason wrote ,"The album has an undeniable flip-flop feel throughout; like the unplugged soul-chick hoedown Beyoncé tried to conjure at the end of the "Irreplaceable" video." Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote that "Bedingfield doesn't have much to say", but commented that "the packaging in which she wraps her openhearted thoughts makes Sunshine a decent little pop record". Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
noted that "unfortunately, her second solo album, massively reworked from her corresponding second album in the UK, is simply another professional, corporately polished pop record. Songs and vocals are reasonably solid..." but, he added, "it's hard to hear inspiration." Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
was disappointed that "I Wanna Have Your Babies" was not included on Pocketful of Sunshine and wrote that "as awkward as the song is, it fleshes out Bedingfield's vision better than Jerkins' Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
"Angel" or Rotem's Fergalicious
Fergalicious
"Fergalicious" is the second single from Fergie's debut solo album, The Dutchess. It features The Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am, who also produced the track. "Fergalicious" was not officially released as the second single in the UK, although the video did receive airplay at the time. "Glamorous"...
"Piece of Your Heart". The album ending up receiving 2.5 stars out of 4. Allmusic gave the album a mixed review and described it as "awkwardly assembled", and added that it "feels inorganic in a way that Unwritten
Unwritten
Unwritten can refer to:-* Unwritten, an album by Natasha Bedingfield* Unwritten , a song on that album* The Unwritten, an American comic book series* Unwritten, an episode of the TV show House....
did not, less personal and more vetted by various A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
executives". Glenn Gambo in a review for Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
gave the album C+ rating, and wrote that the album "barely registers" and was "full of pale copies of other successful pop [songs] that don't necessarily work for Bedingfield".
N.B.
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" was released as the lead single from the album on 2 April 2007. The single received mix reviews but reached number seven on the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and reached the top 40 in most countries worldwide.
"Soulmate
Soulmate (song)
"Soulmate" is a pop song written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Mads Hauge and David Tench for Bedingfield's second album, N.B. . The song is written in the key of E-flat minor and set in 4/4 time. Bedingfield's vocals range from F#3 to B4. The lyrics discuss if there is a soulmate for...
" was released as the second single from the album on 2 July 2007. The single reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and the top 20 in most countries worldwide, becoming even more successful than the album's lead single.
"Say It Again", featuring Adam Levine
Adam Levine
Adam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
was released as the third and final single from the album on 8 October 2007. The single failed to chart completely.
Pocketful of Sunshine
"Love Like This", featuring Sean KingstonSean Kingston
Sean Kingston is a Jamaican-American singer. He pursued a music career and debuted in 2007 with the album Sean Kingston.-Early life:...
, was released as the lead single from the album. It was released on 25 September 2007. It was released on online music store
Online music store
An online music store is an online business which sells audio files, usually music, on a per-song and/or subscription basis. It may be differentiated from music streaming services in that the music store offers the actual music file, while streaming services offer partial or full listening without...
on 2 October 2007. The single was a top 20 hit in U.S. reaching number 11 in Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number 10 in Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
. The single was released in U.K. on 7 April 2008.
"Pocketful of Sunshine
Pocketful of Sunshine (song)
"Pocketful of Sunshine" is a pop song performed by Natasha Bedingfield for her second North American album Pocketful of Sunshine. It was released as the album's second single in 2008. The single was supposed to be released in the UK as Natasha's second single from the re-release of N.B. on 7 July...
", the title track of the album was chosen to be the second single. The song was sent to radio stations on 11 February 2008. The single reached number 5 on Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
giving Bedingfield her second top 10 single. It also peaked number number 3 in Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. The single release date in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
was canceled. This song is the theme song of Nickland in Germany.
"Angel
Angel (Natasha Bedingfield song)
"Angel" is a pop song performed by Natasha Bedingfield for her second North American album Pocketful of Sunshine. It was released as the album's third single in North America on August 11, 2008...
" was released as the third single from the album on 11 August 2008. In its first official week at radio, "Angel" started at #59 on Mediabase's Top 40 Chart with 318 spins and jumped to #40 in its second week. Phil Griffin
Phil Griffin
Phil Griffin is President of United States cable news MSNBC. He was named President in July, 2008.-References:...
was booked to direct the music video. It sits currently at #63 at the US, #35 at the US pop, #1 at the US dance and #41 at the Canadian Hot 100.
"Soulmate
Soulmate (song)
"Soulmate" is a pop song written and produced by Natasha Bedingfield, Mads Hauge and David Tench for Bedingfield's second album, N.B. . The song is written in the key of E-flat minor and set in 4/4 time. Bedingfield's vocals range from F#3 to B4. The lyrics discuss if there is a soulmate for...
" was released as the fourth and final single from the album on 9 December 2008. Bedingfield performed the song in a medley at the American Music Awards and on Dancing with the Stars. On 25 November 2008 Bedingfield confirmed "Soulmate" to be the fourth single while introducing the song at her Sophie's Lounge performance on Sophie @ 103.7
KSCF
KSCF, also known as Sophie @ 103.7, is a San Diego Hot AC radio station, owned and operated by CBS Radio. "Now. New. Next" is the tagline of this San Diego radio station. The station broadcasts in HD Radio. The HD2 broadcast a simulcast of sister station KROQ-FM/Los Angeles...
. It only reached number 96 on the Hot 100, however.
N.B.
Pocketful of Sunshine
N.B.
The following people contributed to N.B.:- Lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
and various instrumentsMusical instrumentA musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
— Natasha Bedingfield - Backing vocals — Adam LevineAdam LevineAdam Noah Levine is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the front man and guitarist for the pop rock band Maroon 5. He is also a coach on the American talent show The Voice.-Early life:...
, Nikola BedingfieldNikola RachelleNikola Rachelle born 8 November 1983) is a singer from London.She is the sister of Daniel Bedingfield and Natasha Bedingfield. She was in the Christian rock band "The DNA Algorithm" with both of them...
, Danielle BriseboisDanielle BriseboisDanielle Anne Brisebois is an American actress, producer, songwriter and singer. In the 1990s she recorded two solo albums, Arrive All Over You and Portable Life, and was a member of the New Radicals...
, Jessica Collins - KeyboardsMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
— Charles Judge, Adam MacDougall, Jonas MyrinJonas MyrinJonas Myrin is a Swedish-born singer, musician and songwriter best known as a worship leader at Hillsong Church London. He has established himself as a songwriter for various artists with releases in Europe, Japan and USA. Based out of London, he is getting ready to launch his solo career.- Early...
, Wayne Rodrigues - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
— Nick Lashley - EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s — Ryan Freeland, Adam Hawkins, Wayne Rodrigues, Brian Scheuble - MixedAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
by Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica, Adam Hawkins, Greg Kurstin, Mark "Spike" StentMark StentMark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,... - PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
by John Akehurst - Art direction/designArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
by Joanne Morris
Pocketful of Sunshine
The following people contributed to Pocketful of Sunshine:- Natasha Bedingfield — lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, multi-instrumentalismMulti-instrumentalistA multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony... - Danielle Brisebois, Ravaughn Brown, Steve Kipner, Richard Love, Meleni Smith — backing vocals
- Mike Elizondo — guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, programming, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Andrew Frampton — backing vocals, keyboards, programming
- Richard Altenbach — orchestra conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, arranger, strings - Toby Gad — producer, writer, instrumentation, programming, arranger, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- J.R. Rotem — instrumentation, arranger
- Greg Kurstin — instrumentation, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Jack Rothschild — drumDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
s, programming, engineering - John Shanks — guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
- Wayne Wilkins — keyboards, backing vocals, drum programming, keyboard programming
- Robbie Campesinos — vocal arrangements, backing vocals, guitar arrangements
- Trevor Lawrence — drums, cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s - Charles Judge — keyboards
- Nick Lashley, Wendy Melvoin — guitar
- Michael Valerio, Kate Bird — bass guitar
- Julie Gigante, Neel Hammond, Natalie Leggett, Mark Robertson - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Keith Greene — violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Victor Lawrence, Sebastian Toettcher — celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Jason Pennock — digital editing
- Greg Ogan — engineering, vocal engineering
- Lleyton Blaine — assistant engineer, mixing assistant
- Adam Hawkins, Brian Scheuble — engineering
- Daniel Frampton — vocal engineering
- Keith Gretlein, Anne Kasdorf, Matt Serrecchio — assistant engineer
- Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica, Manny MarroquinManny MarroquinManny Marroquin, born 21 September 1971 in Guatemala, is a Grammy winning mixing engineer. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was nine due to the Guatemalan Civil War....
, Phil Tan — mixing - Alex Dromgoole, Josh Houghkirk, Matt Paul — mixing assistant
- David Kutch — masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- John Akehurst — photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Michelle Holme — design
Charts
N.B.| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
9 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
14 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 13 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 37 |
| German Albums Chart | 80 |
Pocketful of Sunshine
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
Certification(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
13 | Gold |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 | Gold |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
2007-04-30 | RCA Label Group | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
88697076452 |
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
2007-05-09 | BMG Japan BMG Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann... |
BVCP-24109 | |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
2007-05-25 | Sony BMG | 88697077542 | |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
2008-01-03 | Sony BMG | Digital download Digital distribution Online distribution, digital distribution, or electronic software distribution is the practice of delivering content without the use of physical media, typically by downloading via the internet directly to a consumer's device. Online distribution bypasses conventional physical distribution media,... |
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