Posted by
Robert J. Ballantyne
While Sophie Ellis-Bextor isn’t gifted with a five-octave vocal range, her very mannered British vocals give her songs a touch of class that her pop peers lack. However, Shoot from the Hip isn’t selling that well on the British charts, which is a shame because it’s a fine progression from her dance-pop debut. Most of the tracks on Hip are subtle, stylish pop affairs (credit due in part to ex-New Radicals, turned songwriter-for-hire Gregg Alexander) with great hit potential in “I Won’t Change You” and “Another Day.” It’s far from flawless, though, as the last quarter of the album includes blah filler like “Hello Hello” and a cover of Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” that is rightly a hidden track. Perhaps there’s a second chance for Ellis-Bextor to make a big impression on the charts with her second single.