Unwritten

Unwritten
Studio album by Natasha Bedingfield
Released	6 September 2004 (2004-09-06)
Recorded	2004 (New York City, New York, United States)
Genre	Pop R&B[1]
Length	47:01 56:22 (UK) 56:55 (US)
Label	Phonogenic
Producer	Danielle Brisebois Guy Chambers Richard Flack Andrew Frampton Peter Wade Keusch Steve Kipner Nick Lashley Patrick Leonard Wayne Rodrigues Greg Wells Wayne Wilkins
Natasha Bedingfield chronology
Unwritten (2004) N.B. (2007)N.B.2007
Singles from Unwritten
"Single" Released: 13 July 2004 "These Words" Released: 5 October 2004 "Unwritten" Released: 29 November 2004 "I Bruise Easily" Released: 4 April 2005

Unwritten is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2004, where it topped the UK Albums Chart, and in the United States on 2 August 2005, where it debuted at number twenty-six on US Billboard 200. It spawned five singles: "Single", "These Words", "Unwritten" (which later served as the theme song from MTV reality series The Hills), "I Bruise Easily" and "The One That Got Away" (which was only released in North America). The song "Drop Me in the Middle" featured rapper Bizarre of D12 on the international versions of the album, but the US version featured rapper and singer Estelle. In 2006, the album was re-released in North America with new album artwork and a slightly altered track listing. The album was replayed on November 29, 2007.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
BBC Music	(positive)[3]
PopMatters	[1]
musicOMH	(positive)[4]
Rolling Stone	[5]

The album received generally positive reviews from most critics. Earning a 7 out of 10 from PopMatters, Adrien Begrand, who said the album was Bedingfield's "brand of clever, R&B infused pop." Though, he went on to admit that the album was "not without its pitfalls."^[1] David Hooper from BBC gave the album another positive review, writing "there's no denying this is a finely-crafted number with bold, voluptuous harmonies. It's guaranteed to thrill, at least for the first 30 plays." Further, Hollow stated "Unwritten is a textbook quality pop album, lifted by Natasha's strong voice, immaculate production and some absolutely corking singles. Whether you like it or not, you won't be able to get those tunes out of your head."^[3]

UK-based music review website musicOMH critic David Welsh praised the album, compared Bedingfield's success to that of her brother, calling the album "a startlingly accomplished debut outing, letting the whole world know that Daniel is by no means the only talented Bedingfield out there." Welsh continued to add that Unwritten was "both musically note-worthy and lyrically substantial", concluding that there was "no shame in adding this to your collection."^[4]

Commercial performance

Unwritten peaked at number one on Official Charts Company's UK Albums Chart. It sold over one million copies in United Kingdom, being certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In United States, it peaked at number twenty-six on the US Billboard 200. It sold over 500,000 copies in the United States and received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In Australia, it peaked at number eighty-nine on ARIA Albums Chart. It also peaked at number twenty-six in Austria, number twenty in Germany, number thirty-three in Mexico and number twenty-three in Switzerland, making smaller impact outside the United Kingdom and the United States.

Controversy

In November 2005, the Electronic Frontier Foundation identified Unwritten as one of the discs with Extended Copy Protection, a controversial invasive software.^[6] However, the DualDisc release does not contain such software.

Track listing

Notes

• Japanese edition features a booklet with the Japanese lyrics and obi strip.

Charts and certifications

Credits and personnel

• Natasha Bedingfield – primary artist, lead vocals, background vocals, songwriting
• Keith Andes – additional keyboards (on "Drop Me in the Middle")
• Dave Catlin-Birch – bass (on "Silent Movie")
• Guy Chambers – guitar, keyboards
• Justin Clayton – bass (on "Peace of Me")
• Larry Corbett – cello (on "Peace of Me")
• Keith Crouch – Hammond B-3 organ (on "Unwritten")
• Paul Gordon – keyboards (on "We're All Mad")
• Nick Ingman – string arrangements, conductor
• Patrick Leonard – music programming, keyboards (on "Peace of Me")
• David Low – cello (on "Stumble")
• Tim Pierce – guitar (on "Peace of Me")
• Robbie Campos – guitar, keyboards
• Michele Richards – violin (on "Peace of Me")
• Josephina Vergara – violin (on "Peace of Me")
• Greg Wells – bass, guitar, piano, drums
• Joey Waronker - drums (on "Peace of Me")
• Danielle Brisebois – background vocals (on "Unwritten")
• Jessica Collins – background vocals (on "Unwritten" and "Drop Me In The Middle")
• Nikola Bedingfield – background vocals (on "Unwritten" and "Drop Me In The Middle")
• Ryan Collins – background vocals (on "Unwritten")
• J. Curtis – guitar (on "Size Matters")
• Nick Lashley – guitar, keyboards
• Wayne Wilkins – piano, keyboards
• Chris Brown – bass (on "If You're Gonna...")
• Paul Herman – guitar (on "I Bruise Easily")
• Wayne Rodrigues – keyboards, turntables
• Andrew Frampton – guitar, keyboards
• Simon Hill – drums (on "If You're Gonna...")
• Andrew Duckles – viola (on "Peace of Me")
• Tony Hodson – guitar (on "Drop Me in the Middle")
• Paul Stanborough – additional guitars (on "Silent Movie")

Production

• Steve Kipner – producer, vocal arrangements
• Guy Chambers – producer
• Joe Chiccarelli – engineer
• John Hill – producer
• Nick Ingman – string arrangements, string conductor
• Patrick Leonard – programming, producer
• Steve MacMillan – engineer
• Herb Powers – mastering
• Greg Wells – programming, producer
• Gavyn Wright – string conductor
• Danielle Brisebois – producer, vocal arrangements
• Suzie Katayama – string contractor
• Nick Lashley – producer, engineer
• David Channing – digital editing
• Michael Perfitt – engineer, digital editing
• Ryan Freeland – engineer
• James Cruz – mastering
• Wayne Wilkins – programming, producer, engineer, vocal arrangements, string arrangements
• Ian Cuttler – art direction
• Richard Flack – producer, engineer, drum programming
• Robbie Campos – vocal arrangements, string arrangements
• Wayne Rodrigues – producer, engineer, digital editing, vocal arrangements, drum programming, Pro-Tools
• Andrew Frampton – programming, producer, vocal arrangements, string arrangements
• Michelle Holme – art direction
• Kieron Menzies – engineer
• Chris Steffen – engineer
• Peter Wade Keusch – producer
• Lee Groves – mixing programmer
• Natasha Bedingfield – vocal arrangements, writer
• Michael Tafaro – producer, vocal arrangements
• Nathan Winkler – producer, vocal arrangements

Release history

References

External links

• Peter Wade Music – Producer Peter Wade Keusch.