Sony
Pop, 1999

Jessica Simpson, like Christina Aguilera, has a rather strong voice. Now, maybe they’re young, but someone should tell them that screaming isn’t the same as emoting. Jessica Simpson’s debut album Sweet Kisses may lack the sass of Christina Aguilera’s Come On Over, for instance, but there are still enough fine pop tunes to make it an enjoyable listen.

And I still wonder if the glorious if the shriek-heavy I Wanna Love You Forever is an innocent tribute to love or something about banana munching. Ahem. Look at the lyrics and see what I mean, especially the part about getting on her knees and – uhm, never mind. The best part of this album? The initial strains of I Think I’m in Love With You (heavily borrowed from John Mellencamp’s Jack and Diane), where she goes, “Yeah yeah-yeah! Oh-oh!” She sounds like a divine angel. Then she starts screaming the verse and the song is ruined for me.

The better moments of the album is when this young lady sings in her natural voice, which are more often than not the uptempo songs like Woman in Me.

The worst moment has to be the full blown sap of Where You Are. It’s scary enough I cannot differentiate her voice from her beau Nick Lachey’s. Then the song is so drippy I have to fear for my blood sugar level.

Other than that one tune, everything about Sweet Kisses is well-crafted, radio friendly pop stuff that is worth a listen. With the volume lowered when she starts shrieking, of course.