Belgian singer Sarah Bettens will probably always be remembered for the song Not An Addict, one of the greatest alternative hits of the nineties by her then band K's Choice. On her first full-fledged solo album Scream (2005) she mainly sang her relationship woes, which turned out to be surprisingly rough at times. The title of her second album (which was already distributed for free by the Belgian
… newspaper De Morgen before its official release) speaks at least as many volumes. Because Bettens is now feeling better about herself, which is reflected in a repertoire of alternative rock songs that occasionally come close to the work of singers such as Aimee Mann and Sheryl Crow. It is mainly (and still is) her warm, hoarse voice that lifts the songs above a certain mediocrity. Responsible for the extremely American and radio-friendly sound is producer Brad Wood who previously worked with Placebo and Smashing Pumpkins. As a bonus, five more live songs were added to the CD. Recordings that have just that raw edge that the studio recordings lack. (MR)more
