Coldplay: Viva La Vida

(Capitol)

LiveDaily.com

Coldplay’s highly-anticipated fourth studio album, "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends," exhibits growth and new confidence without straying too far from the band's trademark sounds: rousing anthems, emotional ballads and contemplative vocals.

Enlisting acclaimed producers including Brian Eno (U2, Talking Heads) and Markus Dravs (Björk, Arcade Fire) for creative guidance, Coldplay veer from their mass-appeal musical formula and toy with more compact, experimental songs. That's not to say that "Viva La Vida" can be called experimental in the kookiest Eno-sense; it's risky in terms of previous Coldplay efforts. Their U2-like arena-highs take less time to build in a get-to-the-point-already way, lyrics aren't as predictable and cliché and, sometimes, there aren't any real words at all--as with "Life in Technicolor," an uplifting, diet-Arcade Fire instrumental track.

Coldplay's forte is their ability to sound both intensely massive and nerves-exposed delicate--often in the same song. This album builds on that concept, but the highs and lows are more extreme and effective. The best parts of "Viva La Vida" are quite possibly within these dichotomous moments. "42," in particular, is a piano-and-strings fueled discussion about death and time, which begins soft and sweet before firing off into a thrilling pop-rock climax. Some of lead man Chris Martin's most beautiful lyrics are contained in "42": "Those who are dead are not dead/They're just living in my head."

The most soul-soaring tracks are the current singles--"Viva La Vida," with its revolution-minded words and towering orchestral layers, and "Violet Hill," a powerful, more electric-guitar-rock driven song that closes with a vulnerable piano and Martin crooning: "If you love me won't you let me know." "Lovers in Japan" is a quintessential Coldplay love song full of flowing, piano-led melodies and Martin's warm, reassuring vocals.

Politics are nothing new to Coldplay's agenda. "Viva La Vida" provides another platform for the group's opinions, but the band also addresses thoughts about life, death and, of course, love. Unfortunately for Coldplay, it's the political messages that get lost in a dance of metaphors and wordplay. For fans, this won't be a total loss. Diehards will decipher the meanings and casual listeners can still be inspired by the sounds alone.

"Viva La Vida" presents a fresh, strong dimension to the familiar Coldplay sound. It's a record that's likely to radically impress longtime fans, while attracting new listeners who used to think Coldplay was just music for wussies. Martin and his army of church-bell and choral explosions, Latin-fused musical force and elevating piano rock will certainly prove them wrong.

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Ashanti: The Declaration

Producer(s): various

Label: The Inc./Universal Motown

As the title suggests, "The Declaration" is in many ways about womanhood and empowerment, which is why Ashanti chose to work with producers and collaborators outside the Inc. family. On the synthy, Darkchild-produced "So Over You," Ashanti croons about getting past a former relationship, while the Jermaine Dupri-mixed "Good Good," featuring elements of Michael Jackson's "The Girl Is Mine," finds her confidently belting about her abilities to please in bed. Ashanti continues to celebrate her femininity on tracks like the sensual, Robin Thicke-assisted "Things You Make Me Do" and the bass-heavy "Girlfriend," where she teases about all the things she'd allow her love interest to do if they were a couple. Meanwhile, "Mother" is inspired by Ashanti's close bond with her own mother, and "Shine" is aimed at motivating young women.

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Natasha Bedingfield - Pocketful of Sunshine

Epic Records

www.top40.about.com

When Natasha Bedingfield burst into the consciousness of US pop fans in the fall of 2005, she was a breath of fresh air with intelligent, literate lyrics and a sassy vocal tone to match. Unfortunately, her second solo album, massively reworked from her corresponding second album in the UK, is simply another professional, corporately polished pop record. Songs and vocals are reasonably solid, but it's hard to hear inspiration.

Scrubbed and Reworked Version of Bedingfield's UK Second Album

It's never a good sign when an artist releases an album on one side of the Atlantic and the record label gets cold feet delaying the album on the other side of the Atlantic indefinitely. Following her huge debut splash with the album Unwritten, record label executives were understandably eager for new material. In this context N.B. was released in the UK with lead single "I Wanna Have Your Babies." Controversy ensued over the single and its accompanying video prompting an indefinite delay for the album's release in the US. Now, the album Pocketful of Sunshine is out in the US with half of the songs from N.B. and the rest new tracks. "I Wanna Have Your Babies" is nowhere to be seen.

Attention Wanes While Listening

The biggest problem with Pocketful of Sunshine is that it's very easy to find one's mind wandering while listening. Natasha Bedingfield has an appealing, aggressive vocal style. However, even that animated singing approach isn't enough to keep boring, repetitive lyrical content from sinking the album. Admittedly, Bedingfield has stated that she has moved to a point in life where she is looking for a long-term partner and is more focused on romance. However, from the songs here, unfortunately, her love life seems rather dull. There is neither a good dose of dramatic angst nor giddy excitement over potential partners.

Top Tracks on 'Pocketful of Sunshine'

    • Pocketful of Sunshine

    • Love Like This featuring Sean Kingston

    • Soulmate

    • Say It Again

Enough Artistic Credibility to Wait for the Third Album

The best moments here include a few moments of pretty longing on "Soulmate" and the irrepressibly sunny, but forgettable "Love Like This" featuring Sean Kingston. However, the bracing catharis of "Unwritten" feels far away. Natasha Bedingfield's voice is strong enough and her past words have shown enough flash that I will wait for a third album and hope for the return of the brash artist we all first met. There's nothing unpleasant here, but the album feels ultimately skippable. Most pop fans hoped for much more.

Album released by Epic Records January 2008.

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