Everything New – Natalie

Natalie scored a modest hit, "Goin' Crazy," with her self-titled 2005 debut album. Her second album, Everything New, similarly opens with a nice breezy urban ballad with a sugar-coated hook. The song, titled "What You Gonna Do?," also features a phoned-in feature by Bun B, a popular hardcore rap from Houston. Some songs on Everything New take an even breezier approach (e.g., "All of My Life"), eschewing the urban flourishes, while others compensate with harder, dancier productions ("Dance with Me"). The balance is nice, mainly employed by producers Happy Perez and Play N Skillz. But for an album titled Everything New, there sure isn't much here that sounds like anything approaching "new." This is standard urban dance-pop, for the most part. The exception to the lack of newness is the album-closing title track, which boasts surprisingly sharp rapping from Natalie as well as a likewise cutting beat driven by an old Isaac Hayes sample. Make no mistake, "Everything New" is the most striking song on the album, even if it's too autobiographical for radio play. Indeed, it's a shame that it's sequenced last rather than first; it would have been a jolting kick-start to this otherwise straightforward album. [The two unlisted bonus tracks include "Goin' Crazy," the likable hit song from Natalie. It's a really nice bonus for anyone who doesn't already have that album or an MP3 of the song.] ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide