Jennifer Love Hewitt (Jive)
Long before Britney and Christina came along, Jennifer Love Hewitt made her U.S. recording debut in 1995 at 16. Now 23 and signed to Britney's label for her first album since 1996, the actress-singer sounds like she wants to be Pink. Unfortunately Hewitt's sound is a pale imitation of the edgy, introspective pop rock on Pink's latest, M!ssundaztood. With singer Meredith Brooks, who scored a hit in 1997 with "Bitch," serving as producer, Hewitt attempts to bare her soul on organic-sounding, guitar-based mid-tempo tracks such as the title tune. But Hewitt, who had a hand in writing eight of 12 songs, lacks the lyrical insight to pull it off: "You gotta know when to rock and not to roll," she sings on "Rock the Roll." At least Hewitt displays a surprisingly strong voice, especially on her bluesy cover of "Me and Bobby McGee," on which she is accompanied only by hand drums. Still, Janis Joplin she's not.
Bottom Line: Not much to love
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