| It's easy to see why this Irish quartet was written off as a backwoods version of the Spice Girls when it debuted last year. Not only does the group's music lack the simple sophistication of their beleaguered London rivals, but there are points at which you could swear they were actually making an extra effort to sound dumb. How else to explain inane lyrics like, "TV, TV we watch it all the time/ What ever happened to the roses and wine and dine," or songs with shameful titles like "Red Indian Girl"? That said, Awake and Breathe does mark a considerable step forward in other areas for B*Witched. For better or worse, they set aside the wild Irish jig outbursts and get the expected Madonna-approved electronica makeover on songs like "Leaves" and "It Was Our Day." But that hardly prevents this set from being second-rate mall fodder. |