Product Description

Outline 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 re

Track Listing

1. Tattoo
2. One Step At A Time
3. No Air duet with Chris Brown
4. Freeze
5. Shy Boy
6. Now You Tell Me
7. Next To You
8. Just For The Record
9. Permanent Monday
10. Young And In Love
11. See My Side
12. God Loves Ugly
13. This Is My Now

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5247 in Music
• Released on: 2007-11-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

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

Customer Reviews

Fresh and Clean.
First off, who knew a record company would put a girl on the cover with clothes on? Jordin Sparks on American Idol wasn't the best singer ... "Living on a Prayer" still causes night sweats, but what she had going for her was a killer personality. She was like your little/big sis who was just so eager and happy to learn and be there that you had to root for her on some level. And when she belted out Bassey's classic "I (Who Have Nothing)" with enough theatrical flair and pitch perfect notes that would make Mariah Carey pay attention you knew the girl had potential.

This album gives glimmers of that potential. She doesn't go for any power notes at all on this disc, on every track she gives just enough power to let you know that she's able to sing. What the disc is heavy on is R&B/Hip-hop created by today's top producers. It gives her album a current sound without the need to inspect the disc for trashy lyrics you don't want your kids to hear. The song "Young and in Love" is a great example. It's stuttery hand claps and cute ditty chorus will get stuck in your head the same way Britney's "Toxic" did not too long ago -- it's done by the same production team.

The first single "Tattoo" is done by the same producers who gave Beyonce her smash "Irreplaceable." It carries the same: acoustic guitar and drums. The shocker on the disc is duet with Chris Brown "No Air." To say that Sparks out sings him is an understatement, but there is a sugary sweetness to the song that'll work for parents and kids alike.

This is a teen/tween album -- and it should be. Sparks is only 17 and the youngest American Idol winner. It almost has everything her personality had but the album lacks any sort of power behind it. There aren't any show stopping tunes here. But I must give her credit for knowing her image and wanting to make something universal in a time when being a female singer means you can double as a suitcase girl on "Deal or No Deal."

'Jordin Sparks' mixes positivity with pop
What kind of album do you get when you give a 17-year-old powerhouse singer an assortment of catchy hooks and well-written lyrics? American Idol-winner Jordin Sparks' self-titled effort, that's what. Since wetting fans' appetites with the Stargate-produced "Tattoo" in August, Sparks is looking to inch her way into the pop music scene with her debut.

Although not every track on `Jordin Sparks' is worthy of the teen sensation's vocals, the vast majority are. Obviously, lead single "Tattoo" is a standout thanks to its masterful production, but where Sparks truly shines is the ballad "Permanent Monday." She uses her signature emotional vibrato and power notes on this Christina Aguilera-esque lovesick track. "Monday" could easily dominate the Adult Contemporary circuit if given the chance.

Where Sparks has the hottest potential hit on her hands is her duet with Chris Brown, "No Air." The production on "Air" is comparable to anything Timbaland could whip up, and the bridge is one of the busiest, most beautiful "disasters" ever heard because the two teens' vocals harmonize perfectly despite the complexity.

Another gem on `Sparks' is "Freeze," as its instrumentation bears a striking resemblance to Nelly Furtado's "Say It Right." Sparks offers an interesting scenario on "God Loves Ugly," as she takes a stand against discrimination against people not seen as "ideal-looking." The lyrics on "Ugly" are the best on the entire album, and really strikes a chord no matter what the listener thinks of their body type.

The album also provides a variety of Top 40-ready, catchy mid- to up-tempo tracks like "Now You Tell Me," "One Step At a Time," and "Just For the Record," which are all harmless and age-appropriate for Sparks. "Next to You" is comparable to something an early Mariah Carey would record, and showcases Sparks' lower register better than any other track on the album.

Sparks' `Idol' coronation song "This Is My Now" makes an appearance as a bonus track, which together with the sleep-inducing, tedious "See My Side" create a few speed bumps on the album.

But the two tracks that have no business being included on `Sparks' are juvenile "Shy Boy" and juvenile-er "Young and In Love." Sparks' voice is rendered unrecognizable thanks to the overused synthesizers and the loud, obnoxious 80s' beats drag the tracks to the lowest of lows. To say these songs deserved to be on label-mate Britney Spears' latest album `Blackout' would be considered a low blow.

Thankfully these disappointments are countered by Sparks' superb performances on the majority of the album, which set the foundation for her still very young career.

Jordin has a gift
Jordin Sparks cd is simply great, i love it! She is young and talented and I hope she will be a success for many years to come. An Idol. Songs that I can relate to: Permanent Monday and This is my now . She is a rising star *