The New York singer Anastacia broke through in 1999 with her debut album Not That Kind, which sold no less than five million copies in Europe and Asia. In her home country America, the audience turned out to be a lot less sensitive to her sophisticated mix of funk, r & b and dance. Perhaps Anastacia will still win over her compatriots with this second album, but Freak Of Nature is a very safe
… follow-up to the successful debut. Although there are again a number of strong single candidates (Paid My Dues, Overdue), the surprise is now gone. Initially she managed to impress with the power and range of her voice, on Freak Of Nature it becomes clear that she does not come close to the eloquence and emotional depth of her obvious example Aretha Franklin. Anastacia can put on a nice throat but it remains a surrogate for real soul. Freak Of Nature is yet another cleverly produced record that will consolidate its hit status in Europe. But if Anastacia wants to belong to the real greats, she will have to play less safe. The extra disc contains three songs that were not on the original album as well as remix versions of hits such as Paid My Dues and One Day In Your Life. (MS)more
