Jessica Andrews - Who I Am (2001)

OK, it's happened. Jessica Andrews, the teen sweetheart who steered clear of diva aspirations and bombastic production on her 1999 debut, Heart Shaped World, has succumbed. No, she's not dead. She's just artistically challenged, thanks to Byron Gallimore, the man who pushed Faith Hill into megawatt success. Now she's warbling for the soundtrack of Dawson's Creek (the album-closing "Show Me Heaven"), and largely mining the same musical wasteland as LeAnn Rimes. Gone is the refreshing innocence, soulfulness, and quiet charm of her first album, replaced by the manufactured emotions and aerobicized lyrics of Los Angeles pop. Example? How about "Uh uh, uh uh uh uh," from "I Don't Like Anyone"? That said, if generic, bouncy pop is your thing--especially when it's performed by someone who just got her driver's license--you're gonna eat this one with a big spoon. --Alanna Nash