Music Countdown

Amazon.com

Liking Jordin Sparks, American Idol's season six winner, comes instinctively. How many 17-year-olds are as self-possessed, as big-smiling, as committed to having a good time and keeping it real? Probably none. Liking Sparks' music has been a different story for fans anticipating her debut CD, though. Her gut-busting Idol performance of "I (Who Have Nothing)" was possibly her only prime-time goosebump generator, yet she's seen an instant progression to diva-dom, as chronicled in reports that found her heading into the studio alongside pop/R&B heavy-hitters Bloodshy, Avant, the Underdogs, and others. Was it a little soon for the relatively green Sparks to be throwing off such big-league, beat-heavy sparks? Well, not hardly, it turns out. The ballads here--songs like "Next To You" and "Just For the Record"--reach out at times with overeager sincerity (forgivable!), but the funkier numbers--"Young and In Love" and the Prince-flecked "Shy Boy," especially--slam home her positives. Jordin may still be a juvie, but she's a bona fide pop star. She earns her props as convincingly here as she did on TV. --Tammy La Gorce

Tracks - Disc 1

• Tattoo
• One Step At A Time
• No Air duet with Chris Brown
• Freeze
• Shy Boy
• Now You Tell Me
• Next To You
• Just For The Record
• Permanent Monday
• Young And In Love
• See My Side
• God Loves Ugly
• This Is My Now

More Information

• Studio - Jive
• Publisher - Jive
• Label - Jive
• Binding - Audio CD

Amazon Product ID: B000WQ9U9Y