by Tom Demalon
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.