I don't really follow American Idol at all as I think we have enough reality shows of our own to keep up with in Britain, but somehow this young singer has caught my eye. I first saw her debut video on a music channel late one evening and the catchy melody and lovely voice made me look on the internet to find out more about her. After hearing that song a few more times, I decided I wanted to try her album so I got the mp3 version for Amazon and sat down to have a listen and I hoped it would be good. Luckily for me it was.

Jordin Sparks was only 16 when she entered American Idol, and won the sixth series of the show. Her bdeut single went to number one in America, and since then her popularity has rocketed, releasing a massive hit with R'n'B singer Chris Brown and also cracking the UK market. This album was released back in April 2008 and although not a real commercial success, she seems to be quite well for herself considering she's only the 2nd American Idol winner to come over here after Kelly Clarkson a few years ago. The album contains 13 tracks, and here's the breakdown.

Tattoo

: This was Jordin's debut single in the UK, and it did only manage number 24 so wasn't a massive hit. It is quite an average pop song really, with the song not stretching Jordin's powerful vocals at all. I do like it on as background music as its a very easy-listening track but it's not the best on the album, particularly when it comes to the vocal performance. 3/5

One Step At A Time

: The third released single from Jordin's album, this song is again a typical pop number but I quite like this one. It has a good beat, and it's hard not to listen and not tap your feet to it. Quite a positive song, the lyrics are actually good when you listen to them in depth and Jordin's voice very much suits this song. She's able to let loose some of those high notes without overpowering the song and thats what makes it listenable. 3/5

No Air

: This is Jordin's most popular song in the UK, possibly because of the inclusion of young male singer Chris Brown into the mix. Despite that, this is definitely my favourite song on the album and one of my favourite's of 2008 as a whole. It's a real pop/R n B number and is a ballad which is sung beautifully by both Jordin and Chris. Their voices complement each other really well and the power in Jordin's voice is balanced perfectly with Chris' soft male vocals. A real joy to listen to, and the best song on the album. 5/5

Freeze

: Opinion seems to be really split about this song, but I absolutely love it, and it's a close second behind No Air for me as the best song on the album. I actually heard this in HMV whilst browsing and had to jot down the lyrics as I loved the song and was surprised to see it's a Jordin Sparks song. The beat is incredibly prominent throughout this song, and makes the track stand out from other pop songs. Jordin's voice seems soft on the choruses and blends nicely with the strong beat, but she belts out the chorus with such power it's brilliant. It's very distinctive because its unusual chorus and is a winner for me. 5/5

Shy Boy

: Departing from the straight up pop songs with its electro-sounding intro, this song is most definitely different from the first four songs. It seems like there's less singing on this song for Jordin yet which means it doesn't really sound that much like her as it sounds somewhat synthesised vocally but still it's very good. It's chorus and verse seem to blend together but it works with this song, which again is led by its catchy beat. 3.5/5

Now You Tell Me

: This one starts out like it's going to be our first real ballad on this album yet by the chorus we get more strong drums (sensing a theme yet?) with some good vocals yet Jordin isn't given enough to work with. It's an very average song and one I can probably skip when I'm listening to the album in my car. Again, I feel this really could have showcased Jordin's powerful voice more towards the end but sort of just drops off without any of that, and consequently its a tad disappointing. 2/5

Next To You

: Another slow song follows with 'Next To You'. Again it sounds like Jordin is holding back with those vocals, so much so that those loud drums are overpowering her voice in the chorus which is quite annoying. I really like the lyrics of this song but feel that again vocally it's not the best song in terms of vocals. The melody is relaxing and is a nice listen but I wish Jordin was able to let it go a bit more for this one. 2/5

Just For The Record

: Another medium-tempo number which fits nicely in with the sound of the album so far. It starts off quiet but builds up into the verse with a catchy sounding chorus that we hear glimmers of Jordin's voice but still feels held back. I do like the melody in the chorus however, but its still very much an album track. The lyrics are very much lovey-dovey and Jordin sings with real emotion which is what makes this song better than its predecessor for me. 3/5

Permanent Monday

: When this track came on when I was listening to the album, my first thought was "what on earth is a Kelly Clarkson song doing on my Jordin Sparks album?". It sounds so much like Kelly that its quite uncanny actually, but still I love it. Again another slow start for this song and a nice powerful deep vocal for Jordin which is a bit different to the previous songs. It's much rockier with a powerful chorus and heavy beat. The strong chorus does allow Jordin to belt out those notes well, and this is one of the few tracks on the album where we really hear Jordin let go and blast out that voice. 4/5

Young and In Love

: Kooky - that's the best way to describe this odd song. I'll admit I wasn't fond of it at all when I first listened but it's a real grower and now I love it. Again her vocal is somewhat synthesised so you can't tell at first listen who is singing, but the chorus saves the whole song for me. It's got a catchy melody, with a brilliant electro sound over it with its odd track as well. Odd but different and I really like it, nice to see Jordin trying something a bit different. 4.5/5

See My Side

: At first listen, you'd think this had a child's lullaby beginning because it's very "plinky-plonky" (techincal hey?!) and sweet, and Jordin's softly-softly vocal works well with that. However, I just don't like this song at all. It never really seem to go anywhere and is a bit of a bore to be honest. I am actually scared that it could send me to sleep when I'm driving. This is probably the only song on the album I actually intentionally skip, and it's wishy-washiness does NOT wash with me. Dull, dull, dull. 1/5

God Loves Ugly

: As this one is right at the end of the album, I will be honest and say that I haven't listened to this one anywhere near as much as the others so haven't got too much of an opinion of it, possibly because its another sickly ballad like See My Side. Vocally, it's not at all strong with Jordin having to restrain that powerhouse voice to match the softness of the track, but it just doesn't work for me. Not a favourite at all, and bores me a bit to be honest. I'd have thought from the title it'd be an inspirational song but no, sadly not. 1/5

This is My Now: This was Jordin's winners single, her first release in America after she won Season 6 of American Idol. While it is the typical sort of power ballad with "deep and meaningful lyrics" (I'm thinking "A Moment Like This", "It's My Goal" and "Hallelujah" here people) it is actually one of my favourite winners singles. It is probably the only song to really show us Jordin's voice completely from its soft beginning to the powerful ending where Jordin lets go and finally lets us hear her REALLY sing. It's a shame they've left until last because it's brilliant and deserves to be at the beginning with the much stronger songs.

This album is definitely a mixed bag with some really good songs but there are a couple of real duds on there as well. Luckily for Jordin though, the good songs far outweigh the bad and I could easily listen to the first half of this album frequently. In fact, its one of the only ones which is in my CD player in my car a lot as I really enjoy listening to it. Jordin's voice is fantastic, especially for her age, but I do wish she was allowed to show off its power and strength a lot more on the album. Perhaps her second offering will be stronger and contain even more great musical material. I'd definitely recommend it if you're into pop music as there's a nice variety on there to suit everyone.

Available on Amazon.co.uk for £6.98. Released in April 2008 on the '19' label.

Thank you for reading.