| Blindingly sunny and too cute for words, B*Witched's debut spices up its familiar blend of dance-oriented synth-pop with an array of fiddles, flutes, and Celtic-y hooks. At first the combo will hit you over the head hard enough to cause concussion -- the "jiggy" drum and bass/fiddle intro is almost embarrassing in its lack of subtlety -- but from the first single "C'est La Vie" on down, it's a fetching little mix. B*Witched is all about living it up and partying every day. There doesn't seem to be a single negative word in the band lexicon. And by the way, the girls make it clear they love everything and everyone, including you -- you'll be invited to burn it up and freak it out so many times you'll wonder how in the world you ever got so popular. Even though the girls oftentimes sound as if they're just happy to be hitting the right notes at the right time, give them a chance. "Freak Out" is an insane postmodernist clash of "Wham! Rap," "Wordy Rappinghood," and "Rapture" over the acoustic hook from "Venus," and the better-than-average sappy ballad "Oh Mr. Postman" features some classy Beatles-esque harmonies and a deliberate nod to Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky." So what do us big kids have to say about B*Witched? It like an Irish Spring thing -- girly, yes, but we like it too. |