Another Dose of Vitamin C

November 14 -- Vitamin C's post-"Graduation" work — i.e., her sophomore album — has been pushed back to the first quarter of 2001. But the singer isn't complaining that More, now due is stores Jan. 30, won't be competing with the Backstreet Boys, Ricky Martin, and all the other blockbuster releases that come out before the winter holidays.

"Ultimately, it's a better thing," C, a k a Colleen Fitzpatrick, says of the delay. "I busted my ass to get it done so it could come out in the fourth quarter. [But] in the long run it's probably better to have it come out next year, because it gives everyone more time to discover it and for us to kind of prepare … the more boring, bureaucratic stuff like the liner notes, the artwork, stuff like that."

So what can we expect when we finally do hear the follow-up to C's platinum, self-titled 1999 debut — which, besides "Graduation (Friends Forever)," spawned the hits "Smile" and "Me, Myself, and I"? Judging from new album's first single, "The Itch" — which will be featured in the upcoming film Get Over It — and C's choice of a cover, the Waitresses' come-hither "I Know What Boys Like," it seems that she's taking a slightly sexier path.

"It's a much sexier album," C says, "only probably because it's a more fun album. It has a greater sense of humor and shows a bit more personality. I don't know if other people will find it sexier, but I do because I find a sense of humor to be sexy. I wrote it at a really good time, too; I was working on the record at the height of the success of 'Graduation,' which is a great time to do it, as opposed to after the album has fallen off the charts and you're like, 'Oh, jeez, back to reality.' I wrote it at a time I was feeling good about what was happening."

C co-wrote "The Itch" with Jim Harry and Billy Steinberg, who also worked on other songs for the new album. Get Over It stars Ben Foster and Kirsten Dunst appear in the video, and C plays herself in the movie, which is due to open in January. Before that, she'll take to the big screen as Lucy in Wes Craven Presents Dracula 2000, which is slated to hit theaters Dec. 22.