The Book of Daniel

"I don't like boxes," says Daniel Bedingfield. "Human, male, heterosexual, Christian — stop there." But people don't, especially with the 23-year-old singer's music. Though his debut album Gotta Get Thru This sprawls from garage to pop to rock, it's the syrupy ballads that stick in the minds of critics. Lyrics like "If you're not the one, then why does my hand fit yours this way?" have won him a label he loathes: "cheesy pop star."

Certainly the star part is true. Gotta Get Thru This has racked up 1.8 million in sales since its debut 15...