Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

The latest teenage sensation from the USA is being touted as the next Jaci Velasquez and listening to this set of bright pop tunes, it's easy to see why. 16 year old Nikki has the maturity to carry it off and with help from Pamplin in-house producers John and Dino Elefante and some songs from them and Scott Faircloff, well the whole thing turns out just tickety boo! There's only one slight problem, Nikki hasn't quite got the charm of Velasquez so consequently this struggles just a little bit to stand out from the crowd. Don't get me wrong, the fast paced bounce of "It'll Be Alright"; the stringed intensity and huge chorus of "What You Did For Me" and solid groove of "Now I Believe In Miracles" are all faultless productions, top songs and well executed by Leonti. The ballads "Shelter Me" and the wonderful duet with John Elefante "Love One Another" are touching and there's no doubt that Nikki can sing but there's just something missing in all of this. Call me a jaded old hack but this just feels a tad too formulaic to be an absolute classic. However this inspirational pop does go down a storm in the USA so she's destined to be a huge star but on these shores, I'm not convinced that this album is the one to do it. Maybe next time round!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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