Customer Reviews

Unwritten

5 star:		(89)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

The version of this album with the cover pictured is the rereleased version of the album with a couple small changes.

-The cover is different
-The tracklist is the same, but in a slightly revised order:
1. These Words
2. Single ('06 Mix)
3. Unwritten
4. Silent Movie
5. I Bruise Easily
6. If You're Gonna
7. Drop Me In The Middle (featuring Estelle)
8. Peace Of Me
9. We're All Mad
10. Stumble
11. The One That Got Away (Wamdue Pop Rocks Mix)
12. Size Matters
13. Wild Horses
Sojourn (Hidden Track)

-The album version of "Single" is replaced with the radio edit ('06 Mix). It's basically the same, with a bridge that has added lyrics.
-The album version of "The One That Got Away" is replaced with an edit of the popular club mix (Wamdue Pop Rocks Remix)

*There is not a seperate listing for the original and re-released editions, so there's a chance you could receive either if you order. This re-release is taking the place of the original edition, not being sold as an alternative.

I was actually in the midst of folding four loads of laundry, when Natasha Bedingifelds album started playing on my pc, and I got so lost in it again, I had to drop what I was doing and give this girl some props. This is an amazing cd, with music so catchy, so cool and simply a pleasure to listen to that I'm a total fan for life.

I guess to compare her to other similar artists, which they probably don't like to have done to them, Id say she reminds me of Fiona Apple, Joss Stone , Alanis Morisette and of course her own core, but to be a good reviewer I like to draw comparisons at times.

"These Words" is one of the best songs I've heard, ever. It makes you want to get up and dance, and it comes in some great remixes that have their own CD available for sale here.

"Size Matters" is another song that will make you tap your foot under your desk at work, or make you skip a step in your walk, you might even sing along.

"Wild Horses" a sweet ballad but no cavities here, its sweet but it's secretly has a killer tunes that sound like it was created by a seasoned music aficionado.
Natasha has an earthy voice but she's slick, her music is not stuff, boring but is cool to the point that you are not embarrassed to listen to it in front of your friends. The choruses in her songs are great and have a real purpose. She's not the kind of girl who wants to be famous so she can do photo shoots and have makeovers. She has talent and she wants the world to be her outlet. She also writes her own songs, and she has so much to say!

I love it, and you will too! Branch out, listen to different artists, take a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised.

The infamous Sony Rootkit fiasco, detailed at http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html is present on this CD. I have confirmed its existence on a PC that played this disc and have a very high suspicion of it as the cause of many system instabilities on that PC (still under investigation).

If you like the music and want to support Ms. Bedingfield, attend one of her concerts, but do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT BUY THIS CD!

Sony must be sent a message that their behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. In general, avoid all "CONTENT/SOPY PROTECTED" or "ENHANCED" discs. They can no longer be trusted from anyone, especially any Sony published discs.

I will not buy this CD because, it installs without user permission, presenting only a vague and misleading EULA
Changes system configuration without user permission at time of change.
Defends against removal of, or changes to, its components
Silently modifies other programs' information or website content as displayed.
Includes mechanisms to thwart removal by security or anti-spyware products.
Cannot be uninstalled by Windows Add/Remove Programs and no uninstaller is provided with application.

XCP.Sony.Rootkit installs a DRM executable as a Windows service, but misleadingly names this service "Plug and Play Device Manager". Approximately every 1.5 seconds this service queries the primary executables associated with all processes running on the machine, resulting in nearly continuous read attempts on the hard drive. This has been shown to shorten the drive's lifespan.

Furthermore, XCP.Sony.Rootkit installs a device driver, specifically a CD-ROM filter driver, which intercepts calls to the CD-ROM drive. If any process other than the included Music Player (player.exe) attempts to read the audio section of the CD, the filter driver inserts seemingly random noise into the returned data making the music unlistenable.

XCP.Sony.Rootkit modifies you operating system at a low level, represents a large threat to both corporate and consumer users system integrity.

The Rootkit functionality hides files and enables hackers and other spyware to hide files with impunity.

Scared?
You should be. [...]

My first introduction to Natasha Bedingfield was when VH1 was pumping the music video for the catchy sing-a-long "These Words". I remember seeing the video and thinking..."This is such a bizarre video...dancing boom boxes? But man, this song is catchy!" My love affair for this song went into me even getting the ringtone to this song so whenever it rang I had an excuse to sing it in public! I was curious to find out what Natasha's debut album was all about and I thought, well if the first single was good, the other songs must be just as catchy and listenable. I also knew that her last name sounded very familiar and got the connection that Natasha's brother, Daniel Bedingfield had a monster hit, "Got To Get Thru This" in the US in 2000 but then dissapered, apparently I've heard he's had more success in his native UK as so with Natasha whom I'm likely to think she's like Christina Aguleria to the Brits. I wasn't sure if Natasha had adopted the same vocal and musical stylings as her older bro but going on the fact of "These Words" I snagged this album.
First off, I was STUNNED and EXCITED that this album is what alot of albums to this day are missing, MUSIC AND SUBSTANCE! "Unwritten", to me, was as if Natasha had ripped out pages from my own journal and went in the studio and crafted this pop masterpiece. "Unwritten" is like peeking into a diary and reading all the glory and horrid life tales. From start to finish "Unwritten" pleases and it's music styles jump from one genre to the next. Every song has something new and different to offer, and this album ceases to bore the living daylights out of you because it's not like all the other pop junk out there, this is REAL POP, this is what pop music is SUPPOSED to be. Forget Britney Spears, Jesse McCarthy, Ryan Cabera, Ashlee Simpson and Hilary Duff...Natasha shows these State-side duds how to really rock 'n' pop!

Let's take a trip through "Unwritten"...
1. THESE WORDS-10/10-Though I've heard it soooo many times, this perky, island groove pop jaunt is like chocolate icing with tons of sprinkles...so addicting and good!
2. SINGLE-10/10-How much I can relate! A young intelligent single woman I am, and finally there is a theme song that embraces the *shocking* thought of being single! Has a jumpy and skittish sound to it and this is the only song that sounds the least pop on the album...it veers more into the hip-hop/R&B vein
3. UNWRITTEN-10/10-Wonderful lyrics and what a great message, how we are still living our lives because...the rest is still unwritten...great song and has a gospel tinged, insprirational feel to it
4. SILENT MOVIE-10/10-This song starts off with a gritty, old-time sounding acoustic guitar which makes this song feel like it's going to be comical but then Natasha soars into a beautiful chorus with heavy guitars and strings backing her up. Almost epic like...
5. STUMBLE-10/10-I have a personal attachment to this lush pop ballad that is lead by a glorious piano because these lyrics sound like a situation that I am in right now...how this guy cannot say he likes me...yadda yadda, it's all there, listen to this lyrics! :)
6. PEACE OF ME-10/10-Natasha co-wrote this with Patrick Leonard who -ta da!-used to work with MADONNA...so this must be good! Another soaring, epic ballad backed by the violins and strident guitars...sends chills, a very deep song...
7. IF YOUR GONNA...-10/10-Okay, so the lyrics are down right cheesy...(I'm looking for a guard dog, not buying a chiuauha-ALWAYS makes me cringe)but the song kicks in your face at first chord. The slamming guitars and rocking vibe give this song adrenaline and Natasha does varying vocals to add some flavor to the mix (Okay, I admit I like the, "If your wanna hit the high notes, then you got to be a Divaaa!" bit)
8. DROP ME IN THE MIDDLE-5/10-Possibly the weakest track on here, this song really doesn't do much for me, even with the addition of British rapper Estelle, theres a sort of blandness to this tune that doesn't fair to the others
9. WE'RE ALL MAD-8/10-Not the best track but still has a catchy bridge and is a lush mid-tempo number that's an easy listen
10. I BRUISE EASILY-10/10-THE BEST SONG ON THE ALBUM!!! Gut-wrenching, haunting and stunning. Natasha sounds so hurt and lost with "So be gentle" and she does a hell of a job singing this. A glorious piano laden tune that aches...beautiful song
11. THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY-10/10-The only "I'm Daniel Bedingfield's little sister song" on "Unwritten", why did I say that? Well, the skittish and drawn out beginning of the tune sounds like something Daniel would do and the chorus has his cheery and pop laden vibe written all over it. Still a nice little song that's catchy as hell, you'll be hooked!
12. SIZE MATTERS-6/10-It's not what you think! This song talks about filling up your heart with love...cute lyrics, not a great song
13. WILD HORSES-9/10-This pain striken tune has Natasha really flexing her singing chops. She pulls off a glorious ballad that has a sad message to it...the wanting need to run free like the wild horses, a great way to end this fantasic album!

With this album, Natasha has a good shot at being a pop deity, she wrote all but one song on here and her vocals are not stellar but she has a soft, yet forceful tone and she does reach some high notes and belts them with ease. She's a seasoned performer and writer, and it shows. I just wish that Natasha would get more recognition instead of these pop dead-heads that are being rotated on MTV and fed to us as music.
Natasha has a bright future ahead of her and remember you never know what can happen cause...the rest is still "Unwritten"!

JEN'S TOP 5 (Minus "These Words" since it's the BIG hit off of here)
1. I Bruise Easily
2. Unwritten
3. Stumble
4. The One That Got Away
5. Silent Movie (tie w/If Your Gonna...)

As many people may know by now, Sony was recently caught with egg on their face when a security specialist found out that a recently purchased CD (Van Zant: Get Right With The Man) from Sony music not only installed DRM software (digital rights management, to limit and outright prevent copying music to certain devices), but it did so in such a sneaky way that it hid itself entirely from Windows, and opened the system up to security issues such as viruses.

This CD has the same copyright protection, called XCP. When installed, Sony hijacks your computer and installs custom software which:

1) Hides itself entirely from Windows by installing as a rootkit
2) Hides itself in such a manner that any files begining with $sys$ are also hidden. For example, if you install the XCP copy protection software on your machine, and rename "document.doc" to "$sys$document.doc" it then becomes invivisble to you forever.
3) Installs its own custom CD-Rom drivers to hijack your system. It also sneakily names these drivers "Plug and Play Device Manager" to seem as if it's a part of Windows. Trying to delete these drivers manually will disable your CD-Rom drive entirely.
4) Offers no uninstall option until you manually contact Sony

As of my writing this review, Sony has "apologized" for this incident, and claims they will "re-evaluate" this copyright protection software on their CDs in the future.

In the meantime, a virus is currently running wild, which names itself begining with $sys$ in an attempt to hide from the user and virus scanners.

Several class action lawsuits are also pending against Sony right now.

In summary, as you can tell from above, Sony's actions here are absolutely horrible. This is your music. You purchased it, and they should not have any right to dictate how you can use it, let alone install software which compromises your system security.

This is one of the CDs with Sony's XCP copyright protection software on it, and as a result, you should not buy it to send a message to Sony that this will NOT be tolerated in the future.

Want to cripple your computer?? Just buy this CD. If you want to put it on your iPod, you're outta luck!!

Months ago I purchased the UK verson of Bedingfield's album, which didn't feautred the cuts "Stumble" and "The One That Got Away". Safe to say, "Frogs & Princes" and "I'm A Bomb" (two songs not featured on the US release) are two good songs. Check those out.

The US release features a more urban re-mixed version of "These Words" - a track which has just cracked Billboard's Hot 100 in the Top 40 category. I much prefer this new mix! And it seems to be giving Miss Bedingfield her first hit here in the States! Other acts who found success in the UK (like Annie and Emma Bunton) have tried their luck over here, but didn't acheive the kind of progression that Natasha has. I have a feeling that Natasha will be able to keep her music maintained in American mainstream radio. We can only hope.

This album features a mix of Pop/R&B/Hip-Hop/Rock music - and with Natasha's strong, full-on vocals, they're really ear-catching. It only makes sense that Natasha would have such a developed voice - considering that she is the sister of Daniel Bedingfield. Hopefully on the next album we'll see a duet with the two.

The title-track was also re-mixed, as was the song "The One That Got Away" which is featured on the UK 'These Words' Maxi Single. Unfortunately, the US mix makes this song dancey, but still a dark cloud hangs over it and you can barely feel how depressing the song is. Needless to say, the US mix can't even compare with the UK version - which sounds a lot more gripping and expressive.

Apart from a brilliantly catchy album - my only complaint - my BIGGEST one - is the stupid CONTENT PROTECTION that Epic has placed on the CD. You can't upload the songs into iTunes (and I assume not even your iPod) - so you have to go and illegally downloaded these files so you can really enjoy them. Hey, if I'm willing to shell out $10 for a CD, I should be able to enjoy it to the fullest since it's MY cd. Hopefully all of these 'Content-Protected' CDs will persuade music fans to resort to illegal downloading instead of giving their cash to greedy labels - but unfortunately, no money will also go to the artist who brought us these nice songs.

But hey, if you can enjoy a CD itself by playing it in your stereo and not having the option of enjoying it on iTunes...then by all means, buy buy buy!

This is a pretty solid album and one of the best releases of 05 here in the States.

I absolutely loved this album, but because it was "protected" I could not get it on my iPod, and that is where I do almost all of my music listening. So, after much trial and error I discovered a way to get it on there with out doing anything illegal. When you go to "My Computer" on the desktop and go to "Unwritten", it will let you download it onto your computer, so I downloaded it onto the Windows Media Player and then burned off of that, and then that copy will work for iTunes, but if you burn it straight from the "My Computer" area, it will still be "protected", so watch out!

As many other reviewers note, these CDs install MALICIOUS software WIHTOUT REQUIRING CONSENT from the user.

This is not the only problem, howerver. Sony's End User License Agreement requires the following things of all consumers who purchase this "content protected" music:

1. If your house gets burgled, you have to delete all your music from your laptop when you get home. That's because the EULA says that your rights to any copies terminate as soon as you no longer possess the original CD.

2. You can't keep your music on any computers at work. The EULA only gives you the right to put copies on a "personal home computer system owned by you."

3. If you move out of the country, you have to delete all your music. The EULA specifically forbids "export" outside the country where you reside.

4. You must install any and all updates, or else lose the music on your computer. The EULA immediately terminates if you fail to install any update. No more holding out on those hobble-ware downgrades masquerading as updates.

5. Sony-BMG can install and use backdoors in the copy protection software or media player to "enforce their rights" against you, at any time, without notice. And Sony-BMG disclaims any liability if this "self help" crashes your computer, exposes you to security risks, or any other harm.

6. The EULA says Sony-BMG will never be liable to you for more than $5.00. That's right, no matter what happens, you can't even get back what you paid for the CD.

7. If you file for bankruptcy, you have to delete all the music on your computer. Seriously.

8. You have no right to transfer the music on your computer, even along with the original CD.

9. Forget about using the music as a soundtrack for your latest family photo slideshow, or mash-ups, or sampling. The EULA forbids changing, altering, or make derivative works from the music on your computer.

Refer to the following for details:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004144.php">List of Affected CDs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/004145.php">EULA analysis</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/10/sony-rootkits-and-digital-rights.html">Rootkit analysis</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.sysinternals.com/blog/2005/11/more-on-sony-dangerous-decloaking.html">Continued rootkit analysis</a></li>
</ul>