Vitamin C: Vitamin C : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

With her solo debut, singer Colleen Fitzpatrick, a.k.a. Vitamin C, tries for something more nutritious than the fruity pop rock of her former band, Eve's Plum. These attempts include everything from sampling the Clash's "The Magnificent Seven," on "Fear of Flying," to using Pachelbel's Canon and a high school choir, on "Graduation (Friends Forever)." Unfortunately, the slick hand of collaborator Josh Deutsch makes it difficult to tell where the cut-and-paste production ends and Vitamin C begins. The insipid "Girls Against Boys" casts doubt on her lyrical prowess ("Imagine a world where girls, girls rule the earth . . ./ Would Xena be queen / Would there be more magazines?"). And though the album's debut single, "Smile," rambunctiously blends roaring guitars and dance-hall reggae, guest vocalist Lady Saw steals the song with her husky raps while the star plays chirping second fiddle. On the bright side, "Turn Me On" finds C's tenuously sweet voice echoing the song's hard-soft rock dynamic, shifting from sultry spoken-word verses to lush, loud harmonies. This ex-dancer is miles from being an expert changeling of Madonna stature, but Vitamin C shows that she could be on her way to a successful metamorphosis. (RS 821)

NEVA CHONIN