I'm not exactly a huge fan of Rachel Stevens, but being on the X Producer Watch 24/7 means I have to follow her output and support her whenever I can. Lately some people, including myself, have been bitching about her version of Alexis Strum's "Nothing Good About This Goodbye". Well guess what? They fixed it! Sort of. Despite what some of her fans are thinking, it certainly DOES sound different from the early promo leaks. For the album version, they've reinserted the original intro, added a pretty piano melody at the end, and constructed a clever little drop out from the first chorus. It seems the rhythm has a bit more punch to it now and the bass has some extra bite, giving it a slightly more sinister presence. There's still nothing good about her vocals (sorry, a little harsh, couldn't help myself), but hey, I'm happy I can go back to liking this song without the shameful denigrating.
As for the album, I'd say it's solid and purchase worthy, though not spectacular. As far as quality 21st century pop albums go, it's better than
Justified and the first three Sugababes albums. We're probably somewhere in the same ballpark as the first Girls Aloud album or Kylie's
Fever, perhaps just a grade below, for whatever that's worth.
