Reviewed by Tony Cummings

With so much pop little more than empty anthems the latest crop of pretty ones can mime to on TOTP, Natasha Bedingfield is something very different. Those years of dues-paying, singing R&B gospel with brother Daniel in The DNA Algorithm have clearly born fruit for the 22 year old singer. For 'Unwritten' is a delightful, and at times quite brilliant, debut which though not quite as defiantly eclectic as Daniel's 'Gotta Get Thru This' still takes in quirky R&B, wistfully lilting pop and even and even a rock-tinged track that echoes the recent work of Pink. With it already producing two hits ("These Words" and "Single") I suspect there are more to come from this yet. If you're looking for a funky hook catch "Drop Me In The Middle" (which features a rap from Bizarre of D-12) while the bitter-sweet sensations of precariously moving towards romance are beautifully expressed in "I Bruise Easily". And Natasha's faith? Try the bonus track "Peace Of Me" which surely is addressed to the lover of her soul. The chorus goes "Oh you found the peace of me/It was missing, it was broken/You've put it back together/Oh, you've found the whole of me/I was empty, now I'm better/'Cos you pieced me back together". A beautiful song, beautifully sung.

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