The only thing more repellent than hearing 'I wanna have your babies' is listening to this entire album. By Bedingfield's own admission, her sophomore offering is a far cry from the independent sentiments sung in debut 'Unwritten' - "I'm still very indepedent and I find it hard to let go of that freedom. But I'm in a different place now. I've been dating, searching for a partner, looking for Mr Right." By track 4 it becomes apparent that finding Mr Right has become something of an obsession for the Lewisham lovely, with lyrics not veering off the topic of locating love, falling in love too quickly and generally saying the wrong thing. In short, it's Bridget Jones the musical. If you thought that was an embarrassing abomination on female kind, best avoid this like the clap. However, despite it being too chipper to wallow with alone, yet too embarrassing to listen to in public - it's not that easy to write off. It has an annoying beauty. To cast another analogy, this album is like Jessica Simpson - sounds and looks fantastic, until you actually listen to what she's saying. You're trying to appreciate her beautiful form but the damn inanities keep getting in the way. For every sublimely complex acapella harmony, quirkily constructed synth riff, slick clipped beat and delicate tinkling, there's an accompanying line like "Will someone tell me, why I'm on my own?', or "I have so much love for you, do with it what you will", or "Are you looking for a way out, are you looking for an open door?" and the ingenious "Babies, babies, oh there's another one, babies, babies, babies..." By track 13, Still Here, most will get the sick notion that the man in question faked his own death just to escape. It's a shame the lyrical content is the noose around an otherwise enjoyable, off-beat urban pop album, although - and this is just one person's opinion - her words will probably speak to many a soul out there. The Edge of Reason was an alarmingly successful film after all.
