Jessie Daniels CD Review: New Artist Conjures Avril, Kelly Clarkson Comparisons

The latest Ashlee Simpson album is… oh, wrong artist. The newest from Avril Lavigne features… whoops. Hillary Duff. Stacie Orrico. Kelly Clarkson. These names are all interchangable with Midas Records newcomer Jessie Daniels. And this is either a great thing for you or else you have already stopped reading.

What sets this apart? Absolutely nothing. But within the girl-pop genre, Daniels actually stands up well with the aforementioned artists. The music may be over-produced and the melodies are as manufactured as you can sound, but the formula almost always equals memorable hooks and strong pop sensibilities. And Daniels’ debut is no different.

Daniels’ voice stands strong on songs such as “Hold Me Now” which is actually one of the better tracks here. The music and production is kept minimal enough throughout the majority to allow Daniels to range from soft to loud and she shines through on this track. Lead single “The Noise” does radio pop/rock well enough to guarantee spins for this infectious track.

Then there are others that belong on the pile of “Sk8r Boi” made famous by Avril. “Next To You” even features a very similar rock groove, harmonies that don’t belong, and is too predictable even for this genre. “Hello/Goodbye” has Daniels shouldering a bit too much attitude to be believed.

Yet through it all, there are definite pop gems here. Then again, you knew they would be here since the formula is all too familiar.