New Kate Nash album is acquired taste

Straight out of the gate, the lyrics to "Paris" repeated something about "listen to me," and listen I did, to the rather attention-grabbing introductory song to Kate Nash's newest album "My Best Friend is You."

Released through the record label Fiction, "My Best Friend is You" is only Nash's sophomore album. She released her first album "Made of Bricks" in 2007, which was met by a mostly positive response. In the time between albums, Nash became part of the band The Receeders, recorded four songs and headlined at a gig in London at the end of 2009. Although she was busy, Nash still managed to finish recording "My Best Friend is You." However, the assumed rush to finish the record may show through the album as a whole.

When I listened to "Kiss That Girl," at first I thought I was listening to "Foundations," a song from "Made of Bricks," but as the song progressed, I realized that was my mistake. This song, although it has the same fast-paced beat that the chorus of "Foundations" keeps, has a much more defensive, accusatory tone instead of the other's melancholy, regretful tone.

Observation one: Nash uses concepts from last album that seemed to work out well and brought them over to the new album with potential success.

Will the fans rejoice? Only time will tell.

I recently saw "The Runaways" and the song "I Just Love You More" reminds me of a tune that should have been included on the soundtrack. Sure, Kate Nash is British and The Runaways are American. Yeah, it's 2010 and The Runaways were at their prime in the mid-‘70s; however, the yelling, screaming and moaning of Nash in this song is very Cherie Curie-like.

Observation two: Nash looks to the past to other successful acts, although I can't say how successful The Runaways were since they are no longer a band. Nash works with what worked for them to make her own combination of song. I like The Runaways, so I enjoy this song.

Ah, "Mansion Song." All I can say is wow. Then after that, a rap song. I never thought I'd see the day that Kate Nash sings, if you can even call it that, a rap song, and yet, "Mansion Song" fills the empty void I never knew I had for a Kate-Nash-Rap-Song. It's really more like a poem read at Open Mic Night at the coffee house with all its passion and non-rhyming rhymes and lyrical flow. After it's over, I feel like there should be a chorus of finger snapping and clapping. I enjoyed the tune mainly for the interesting choice of content and words Nash uses.

Observation three: Nash hits one out of left field and attacks her fans with an unexpected poem/song, and will need to step back and consider whether her fans will stay with her over this decision to step out of the box.

Kate Nash's voice, in all its British loveliness, either picks you up or lays you down, and on this record, she offers a variety of songs that'll incite various emotions of her listeners.

That being said, the downside to "My Best Friend is You" is her voice as well. Fans either love it or hate it, and if they hate it, then they can't enjoy the album because her voice is so obvious in each and every song whether she's singing or talk-singing.

This album will be a hit with dedicated Nash fans that will interpret the complete package as Nash offering them something fresh and new, but with the sprinkling of harder songs, this may be a record for an acquired taste.