Today’s POP RESCUE is the 2000 second album from Billie Piper titled Walk Of Life, but is this album like a pleasant stroll, or a walk of shame? Read on…

Opening with all three of its belting singles, Day & Night which gave her another UK #1 single, Something Deep Inside (a #4 UK hit), and title track Walk Of Life (a #25), this album takes no hostages.

At times, her sound is like a female Backstreet Boys – big thumping bass lines and synth stabs, and at others, she sounds vocally and musically more mature, along the lines of Louise.

There’s a sympathetic Blondie cover The Tide Is High here – which includes a fairly non-intrusive rap, but aside from that, Billie has co-writing credits on five of the rest of the album’s original tracks.

Safe With Me is a gentle little pop gem, and a perfect stroll out from the safety of the three preceding singles, and into the rest of the album.

Bring It On is tinged with RnB, and sounds like something that girl group Fierce might have dreamed of. This is followed by the sexually loaded Ring My Bell, which again sees Billie continue with RnB sounding tracks.

After The Tide Is High cover, we’re into a sound that is close to the style of Natalie Imbruglia in the up-tempo track Run That By Me – another great track.

Promises and Because Of You are two fairly standard pop album tracks, with the latter being the better. I could imagine these two being on a Louise album.

What Game Is This? is a more interesting track, musically giving a few nods to garage/dub-step, and vocally stronger.

Final track Misfocusing is a great warm, gentle ending to this pop gem, even if you do end up stuck with the mondegreen ‘Gotta stop the worms focusing on me‘.

Sadly, that’s it from Billie, musically. Perhaps one day she’ll return.

Verdict

This album is packed with pop greats. Fat throbbing synths, punchy vocals, and booming beats. The singles really really shine here (particularly the title track), and there’s very little to fault throughout.

It is a great example of late 90s/early 00s musical style, but Billie was up against fierce competition in a crowded market from the likes of Britney, but she was perfectly able to stand her ground.

This was Billie’s second, and so far, it’s her final album, and that is truly a crime against music.

• POP RESCUE 2014 RATING: 4 / 5
• 2000 UK CHART POSITION: #14, certified Silver.
• POP RESCUE COST: £1.00 (from a Poundland store).