In the cover version saturated world of commercial pop, Samantha Mumba has pitched her self at the very top of the food chain. Whilst the likes of Girls@play and Atomic Kitten are content to mess around with worthless Mel & Kim and Bangles copies, Mumba has set her sights much higher, looking to the royalty of rock for her inspiration.
Presumably the theory is that by sampling David Bowie on 'Body II Body', and later covering Stevie Wonder's Motown classic 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered', Samantha Mumba will bask in their reflected cool. As we all know, however, taste in music matters little in the world of mainstream pop. In short, this album is too tasteful by half.
It's not that 'Gotta Tell You' is devoid of any nice pop moments. The singles 'Baby Come On Over' and 'Always Come Back To Your Love' are catchy enough, and the Alisha's Attic sound-a-like 'Isn't It Strange' offers some sweetly melodic light relief.
Overall, however, the Samantha Mumba team appear to have fallen foul of the fallacy that commercial pop is where originality matters least. In fact, it is where originality matters most. Whilst Britney Spear's first album may not rival 'Sergeant Pepper''s in terms of musical innovation, it at least has it's own tacky pop sound which is immediately identifiable as Britney. It is hard to imagine anything being described as 'very Samantha Mumba' in a similar way. Certainly not in the wake of this over-wrought collection of songs.
Which is all fine if you're looking for some background music to wind down a nine-year-old's birthday party. Only one track, 'The Boy', which features the rapping talents of Mumba's pre pubescent brother and surely calls for a swift re-drafting of the child employment act to ensure he is kept in school at least until his voice has broken, elicits any response other than eyes glazed over boredom.
All too frequently Samantha Mumba's debut lacks the distinctive quality of many of her peers. Let's hope her much touted film career pans out more successfully.
