Natasha Bedingfield – “Touch”
Published May 19th 2010
Filed under Reviews
Natasha Bedingfield’s new single Touch was thrown onto the US iTunes Store yesterday with no announcement of a new album campaign starting so soon. Touch, written by Natasha herself, Steve Kipner and Julian Bunetta, sees Natasha trying out a new sound unlike anything she has done before. It also doesn’t sound like it’s ripping off anything around at the moment. It’s very fresh, uptempo, feel-good, dance-pop.
As a lead single, Touch could be a slight risk. While it shows a clear progression in Natasha’s sound and builds on previous songs such as The One That Got Away and Not Givin’ Up, Touch isn’t a sure-fire hit. A guaranteed hit is something Natasha probably needs, especially in the UK since her previous effort, N.B., flopped but regardless she returned with something surprisingly original, interesting and a bit daring.
Touch opens with a hypnotic, synth-building verse featuring some of Natasha’s best signature storytelling lyrics which made songs such as These Words, Unwritten, We’re All Mad and Backyard so interesting and unique. The story in Touch is told quite cleverly, with the second verse explaining what led to the coffee-spilling incident which happens in the first verse. A lyric in the second verse which demonstrates Natasha’s clever storytelling is:
It seems that spilling coffee was no accident at all
After each verse, the song erupts into a melodic, dance-driven, feel-good chorus which instantly creates the atmosphere of a summer night’s party. If handled correctly, Touch could be a huge summer hit with such a chorus.
Overall, Touch is quite an impressive lead single for Natasha and hopefully it will aid her return to success in the UK after a disappointing sophomore stint.
[audio:touch.mp3]Touch, taken from the Natasha’s third studio album (second in the UK) and follow-up to 2008’s Pocketful of Sunshine (2007’s N.B. in the UK), has yet to be added to radio or scheduled for release internationally. The upcoming, yet to be titled album also has no tentative released date.