mixtape maestro (2.0)

Though she was able to snatch up the 2007 “American Idol” crown, winning over Mom’s and pre-teens with her mega-pipes and “good girl” demeanor, Jordin Sparks’ career post-confetti & tears didn’t seem like it was going to produce anything worthwhile. And that notion was kinda sorta proved with her debut album’s jump-off single “Tattoo”, a somewhat awkward mish-mashing of country and urban-pop that skirted the Hot 100 Top 10, but was ultimately forgettable.

Then arrives “No Air”, a surprisingly fetching duet with (a pre-career-in-crisis) Chris Brown that managed to catch ears beyond her central Disney bubblegum fanbase (as well as a Grammy nomination), despite the fact that it’s “can’t breathe without you” premise felt extremely absurd and dated and the two singers sounded like their throats were gonna explode at the way they shout-sung their teenybop devotion for a majority of it’s over four minutes length.

Apparently, Sparks has decided that this ear-bursting diva pop style could be a continually rewarding niche, as she’s dipped into that well over again, employing the writing/ production skills of fellow melodramatic bellower (and OneRepublic principal) Ryan Tedder for her second album’s lead single and title track, “Battlefield”, which takes “Air”‘s OTT midtempo ballad formula, then raises it a few OTT notches.

Once again she’s all “my world’s nothing when you’re gone”, mourning a relationship’s inability to ever get on the good foot, and this frustration is illustrated with the deafening, widescreen scope of a summer action blockbuster: cries of “Why does love always feel like a battlefield?” and the brilliantly WTF “You better go and get your armor” supported with a bombastic barrage of power rock drums and guitars, all elements that get more and more overblown as the song goes on.

Like “Air”, it’s a winning guilty pleasure that’ll definitely inspire numerous worldwide mimickings of it’s ridiculously huger-than-huge hooks (especially that “armor” line) over the next few months. Our only question is if the rest of the album follows this high-volume extreme (as we predict it will), will Sparks even have a voice once it comes to time to hit the touring rounds?

The album, Battlefield, drops mid-July.