AS much as you really, really don't want to like him, Daniel Bedingfield is a talented guy.

A first listen to his make-or-break second album may leave you thinking his sister Natasha is poised to snatch his crown, but stick with it - it's a grower. The songs are slick and make nods to the great male solo pop artists, such as Michael Jackson, Robbie Williams and Justin Timberlake, but without aping them. A surprise is Bedingfield's constant lyrical reflection on his Christian faith and relationship with God. It's not your usual "pop" subject matter but works nonetheless. R'n'B tinged Growing Up, U2-esque The Way and Show Me The Real You, with a Spanish guitar soundtrack, are particular gems, but the hidden rock-out I'm Not Dead is a corker. Give it a listen for that alone.

Updated: 09:01 Thursday, November 25, 2004