Anastacia Newkirk has a bit of a problem. The deep-throated New York diva has a powerful, distinctive voice that her teen rivals can only envy - and yet in the current pop market she still exists largely in the shadows of Britney, Christina et al. Unfortunately her second album makes the problem all too clear: Anastacia's choice of material is consistently weak, largely built around 80s style power ballads that make her sound like a poor man's Tina Turner. Only on a handful of heavy, dramatic funk tracks is she allowed to really show what she can do. Freak Of Nature is not without its merits as a pop album, but its title flatters itself. Until she gets someone to write her some decent songs, sadly, it looks as if Anastacia's talents will continue to be held firmly in check.
