Amsterdam-based
Birgit makes a play for the U.S. audience with
True Stories I Made Up, a slightly awkward mash-up of
Faye Wong,
Natasha Bedingfield, Scandinavian electro-pop sweetheart
Annie and an unappealing dose of
Alanis Morissette-style angsty melodrama in the vocals. There are some decent pop singles here, foremost amongst them the extremely
Bedingfield-like single "Baby Please" and the Asian-influenced ballad "Guardian Angel," which brings back fond memories of the cult favorite '90s pop duo
Alisha's Attic. On the other side, the more rock-oriented tunes like "Celebrity Trash" and the ghastly "Hardrockin' Diva" are trite and irritating, and the piano-and-vocals cover of
Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" is the sort of thing better suited for a
Tori Amos B-side.
True Stories I Made Up is extremely spotty, but there's a small handful of worthwhile pop gems to be found here. But there may not be quite enough wheat to make it worth sifting through the chaff. ~ Stewart Mason