Kate Nash had a lot to live up to with her sophomore album. Her debut was clever and brash, a deeply personal record filled with wit and the self-made, oddball productions to match. Second album My Best Friend Is You initially sounds like a different artist entirely, almost akin to the uptempo Northern soul of Amy Winehouse. Both the opener "Paris" and the first single "Do-Wah-Doo" boast very busy but very trad productions, featuring plenty of brass and piano with insistent drumming and handclaps -- all the hallmarks of a professional production. The second half of My Best Friend Is You finds
Nash back in the green pastures of her past, biting and bile-filled, with productions that suit her songwriting. It's led by the jagged "I've Got a Secret," in which
Nash puts on her best angelic school-girl impression to drive her point home ("You don't love me"). The other highlight is the simple and successful "I Just Love You More," simply a distorted guitar hook and
Nash repeating the title until she bursts into screams for the chorus. ~ John Bush