Disregard the effervescent title
Young Foolish Happy:
Pixie Lott takes a sharp left turn away from youthfulness on her sophomore set, determined to fulfill an imagined need for a diva with the stuffy stylishness of
Natasha Bedingfield and the overworked desperation of
Joss Stone in her modern R&B phase. Being British -- and this album indicates that she and her team have given up on the idea of a U.S. crossover -- she favors pulsating Euro-disco alternating with immaculately tailored showcases for vocal gymnastics, occasionally punctuating these two sounds with a bit of
Mark Ronson-driven retro-soul, such as the Motown-mythologizing "Stevie on the Radio." That's one of the brighter, better songs here, largely because it has bigger beats and hooks; the rest of the record has the form of a blockbuster record but lacks the requisite rhythms or hooks and its scale dampens
Lott's spunky personality, which was her primary charm on her debut. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine