Julia Fordham
Falling Forward
(Virgin) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Julia Fordham takes a stutter-step, opening her melodic album “Falling Forward” with a song “I Can’t Help Myself” that bumbles along a silly refrain of backing soul singers answering her with “The girl can’t help it.” Then the album breaks into a gallop with stronger-and largely self-penned-songs. With a rich voice that rekindles the huskiness of Anne Murray, Londoner Fordham captures a sound that’s strictly VH-1 cabaret. That middle-of-the-road approach is no crutch, however: Fordham’s vocal prowess is considerable. The superb recording quality of “Falling Forward”-her fourth album-coddles her lush voice, particularly on the title song and “Blue Sky.”
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