Vitamin C is the nom de plume for singer Colleen Fitzpatrick, who fronted
Eve's Plum for two very good, and overlooked, albums released by 550 Music in the mid-'90s. Here she steps out on her own for a self-titled solo debut that is every bit as engaging as those two releases and more so. The album shows a wider range stylistically from Fitzpatrick than she did with her former band, and the result is a stunning collection that mixes pop, alternative, and dance music. Jamaican dancehall diva
Lady Saw guests on the single "Smile," which fuses dancehall and alt-pop to good effect on the opening track. There is no shortage of hooks on
Vitamin C. "Turn Me On" is raucous pop with quiet spoken passages and a neat lyrical twist, and "Me, Myself and I" cops the vibe of
War's "Lowrider." Fitzpatrick adopts a breathy delivery over electronic bursts and a hammering drumbeat on "Not that Kind of Girl." She gets funky on "Do What You Want to Do" and explores role reversal on the electro-pop of "Girls Against the Boys." And just when it seems that she can't pull one more hook from her bag of tricks, Fitzpatrick delivers the provocatively playful "About Last Night" and the nostalgic, string-laced "Graduation (Friends Forever)." She even takes an admirable stab at the
Split Enz classic "I Got You." There's not a weak track on this stellar record. ~ Tom Demalon