Secret Fear (special edition) EP Review

Here we have the third release by UK bred, Kiwi born singer/song writer Daniel Bedingfield titled Stop the Traffik – Secret Fear. We’ve seen him as a judge on NZ X-Factor and we’ve heard him crying in the rain on his #1 2001 single If You’re Not The One. You’d be forgiven for expecting a synth laden, dance pop album filled with electronic beats and glossy over the top production but no, everything I expected from the chart topping pop singer was for the most part wrong.

There are so many influences on this collection of songs its almost hard to list them, but out of all the tracks there are clearly some stand out moments which make this 7 track EP a really worth while listen. The opening and title track Secret Fear, begins as a mournful song filled with longing and sadness, then bursts into life and flows into the following track Naysayer perfectly. This (Naysayer), is my pick for the stand out track, it has great flow, heavy guitars, great drumming and a huge hook driven chorus… he even screams towards the last chorus, keeping the listener on their toes from the get go.

There is still a taste of the old for those who dug the dance pop side of things, although I felt this didn’t follow the direction of the rest of the tracks and was easy to loose interest in, this being track #3, O.V.E.R.U – it almost felt like a Justin Timberlake rip and didn’t really sit with the rest of the EP well. Every Little Thing, track 4, is a beautiful ballad, not ground breaking but beautifully sung and played much like Don’t Write Me Off.

Daniel also has a great way of taking very standard formulas and adding some real feeling to them, the production is beautiful yet soft and compliments his voice well. Some outstanding musicianship is very clear throughout the EP which makes me hope that this is a sign of things to come for the pop singer. Really, Stop The Traffik – Secret Fear showcases some top quality song writing and is a great departure from what I have previously heard.

Regardless of what NZ has thought of Mr Bedingfield over his time on X-Factor, I have to say that I have been pleasantly surprised today and some words have been eaten. If you enjoy contemporary pop music and well produced, well written songs then give it a listen, its very worth while….. and Naysayer, what a great track!!