A world away from the wide-eyed wet dreams and teen heartbreak of ‘nice’ debut album "Innocent Eyes", Delta Goodrem’s second offering has a darker lyrical heart and views the world through older, wiser eyes.
Penned during an intense two years when the 'Neighbours' star turned singer found out she had the cancer Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, "Mistaken Identity" takes us from diagnosis through illness, fear and soul-searching reflection to thankful recovery.
Helping Delta on her journey is songwriter/producer and former Robbie Williams right hand man Guy Chambers, drafted in for the first time to contribute alongside previous Goodrem collaborators Gary Barlow and Cathy Dennis.
Sadly, Dennis’s involvement fails to yield anything half as catchy as "Can’t Get You Out Of My Head" which she wrote for Kylie, while Chambers’ input belies little of his former, more poppy output. And the less said about the boy Barlow the better.
In fairness, the bulk of the subject matter probably doesn’t lend itself to jaunty, catchy singalongs. Instead, this collection of moody piano ballads betrays a penchant for the drama of Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Vanessa Carlton, with a mellow tad of Karen Carpenter.
Those familiar with recent single "Out Of The Blue" will find few surprises on "Mistaken Identity". True, Goodrem has a heartfelt belter of a voice but the formulaic, tasteful mix of rippling, cascading piano and sweeping, swirling strings sound safe and samey after a while.
Even Brian McFadden’s presence on the duet "Almost Here" barely registers on the interest monitor on an album which while polished and pleasant enough, rarely manages to move or satisfy.
