Following several delays, on 22 January 2022, the album was reissued in the United States and Canada under the name Pocketful of Sunshine with new packaging and an alternative track listing featuring only six of the original songs.
Singles
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" was released as the lead single from N.B. on 2 April 2007. The single received mixed reviews but reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and reached the top forty in most countries worldwide.[1] "Soulmate" was released as the second single from the album on 2 July 2007. The single reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and the top twenty in most countries worldwide, becoming even more successful than the album's lead single.[2] "Say It Again" was released as promotional single from the album on 7 October 2007.
Music and lyrics
"How Do You Do?", the opening track about flirting, features guitars and a horn section. "I Wanna Have Your Babies", the second track, was chosen as the lead single as it was a representation Bedingfield's shifting priorities from being a single young woman to "dating, searching for a partner" and "looking for Mr Right".[3] The song discusses a woman's battle to stop herself from rushing into relationships in an effort to find the right man to be the father of her children. The second single, "Soulmate", is a ballad on which Bedingfield wonders if there is a partner for everyone.
"Who Knows", the fourth track, begins with a "reggae-pop vibe" which slowly progresses to an electro-style sound featuring a string section.[4] It received positive reviews, with one reviewer stating that it was reminiscent of "Amy Winehouse's gruff vocal style and her sassiness".[5] "Who Knows" was also featured in the motion picture 27 Dresses. The fifth track is "Say It Again". It is co-written with Mike Elizondo and Maroon 5's lead singer Adam Levine, who also provides backing vocals on the song. "Pirate Bones" discusses the pitfalls of celebrity and fame. On the song Bedingfield commented "if you're giving up your enjoyment of life for somebody else's idea of success, it's like being a pirate who's got his hoard of treasure and is sitting on an island where there are no shops to spend it. It doesn't mean anything."[3]
The eighth track, "Tricky Angel", was inspired by R&B music and was composed around a series of piano loops.[5] "When You Know You Know" features an orchestra and its lyrics discuss a failing relationship. The tenth track, "(No More) What Ifs", features a rap by Eve and received negative reviews, with The Guardian describing it as "an ill-advised move for all concerned".[6] "Not Givin' Up", features a heavy urban beat with electronic sound effects in the background. The song was well received by critics because of its "near-certain crossover appeal for both sides of the Atlantic".[5] "Still Here", the twelfth track, was originally recorded for the film Rocky Balboa in 2006, but was not included on the soundtrack.[7] The song was later covered by Jennifer Hudson and included on her 2010 second album, I Remember Me.
N.B. received mixed to positive reviews from most music critics, but some criticised it for its lightweight content. In a review for The Guardian, Craig McLean wrote that the album has "nothing as catchy as Unwritten, the tunes are on the airy-fairy side of breezy, and the lyrics on the naff side of plain".[8]The Times called the album "patchy and disappointing" and gave it two out of five stars,[9] whilst Marie Claire magazine said that "many of the tracks are forgettable", but that Bedingfield's "strong voice and eccentricities elevate her above many blonde and bland popstars."[10] The album was called "good clean fun, entertaining and inoffensive" by Yahoo!, but was also noted for its lack of risk taking and Bedingfield's decision to continue her "grown-up cartoon pop" rather than try something new and that there was little chance of it being considered a classic album.[11] However, Entertainment.ie reviewer Sheena McGinley was less impressed, and wrote that it was "too embarrassing to listen to in public", rating the album two out of five stars.[12]
Commercial performance
N.B. debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number nine on 6 May 2007, selling 19,500 copies in its first week[13] This would be the album's highest chart position and the only week it spent within the Top 20. The album spent a total of 13 weeks in the UK Top 100.[14] Outside of the United Kingdom, the album failed to reach the top ten. In Ireland, N.B. debuted at number fourteen and in the Netherlands it reached number thirteen.[15] It peaked outside the top twenty in Switzerland.[15] In Australia, the album failed to enter the top one hundred, but peaked at number eleven on the Hitseekers albums chart.[16]
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