Album Review: Jordin Sparks - Battlefield

Posted by Mack of Sound-Savvy On 8:02 AM

Cause when the sky's the darkest, you can see the stars
And when you fall the hardest, you find how strong you are… - ‘Faith’


Artist: Jordin Sparks
Album: Battlefield
Release Date: 7.21.09

Huge vocals and high sentiments are the tools of war on Battlefield, the sophomore project of American Idol sweetheart Jordin Sparks. In as much as her self-titled debut came with a very versatile approach, testing different sounds to find the perfect fit, this album seems to follow a different formula – focusing on Jordin’s voice more than anything else, but still managing to show a slightly different side. While that approach secures her footing as a good singer, we have yet to tap into the true artist behind the voice; still the singing alone makes this one hell of a sophomore set.

In its entirety, Battlefield is youthful pop that speaks to Jordin’s age and experiences. One Republic’s Ryan Tedder co-wrote the title track, which is also the leading power ballad single. Boldly enough, Jordin takes on rocker Fefe Dobson’s Don’t Let It Go To Your Head and delivers a stunning cover. A soft piano intro makes way for No Parade, another emotional power ballad that goes beyond a simple breakup story, this is about loss: “Nothing in the skies said run for cover… never thought it would end this way. There was no parade, no lights flashin’…” T-Pain lends his pen (but not his voice thankfully) to Watch You Go, a shoo-in for follow-up single. I’d also recommend the other ballads like Was I The Only One, and the powerful closer The Cure. And although I’ll admit it’s a bit of a stretch to hear Jordin giving attitude and playing the bad girl, even the fast songs like Emergency and S.O.S. are at least decent.

Some may argue that this album isn’t deep enough and Jordin is still a “surface dweller” when it comes to her music, and in some ways I do agree. But she’s got her entire career ahead to evolve into the artist that makes timeless classics and with a voice like hers it’s only a matter of time. Battlefield is the album that marks her place among today’s top singers so with a little Faith, I’m sure the best is yet to come from Jordin Sparks.

Sound-Savvy officially rates Battlefield with 4 out of 5 platinum headphones.

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