Jordin Sparks’ latest album, Battlefield, debuted last Tuesday, and unfortunately for Sparks, no one cared. The youngest American Idol winner probably hoped to make a splash with her sophomore album, but the only thing produced was more mediocre music.

Besides the lame sound, the album revolves around generic lyrics that sound like a 16-year-old’s take on a breakup. The fact that most people have thought the same things her lyrics describe when they were somewhere around halfway through high school does not make her relatable, it just makes her boring.

The album starts off with “Walking on Snow,” which has a kid-pop feeling. It is upbeat, has light music in the background and is not hurtful to the ears. These qualities are not necessarily negative, but in the music business they are not exactly what artists aim for to set themselves apart with a unique sound. “Walking on Snow,” like the rest of the album, sports moving lyrics like “Ur love was a waste of time, you’ve been left behind/ You made no mark on me, you’re gone and you left no sign.” Congratulations to Sparks, who would like everyone to know she can rhyme.

The next track, “Battlefield,” is probably the worst on the entire album and the one that has made some sad radio appearances. It is graced by more meaningful lyrics like “I never meant to start a war/ You know I never wanna hurt you/ Don’t even know what we’re fighting for,” and “Can’t swallow our pride/ Neither of us wanna raise that flag/ If we can’t surrender then we both gonna lose.” Besides the dorky lyrics, Sparks’ sound hits a disappointing low. While belting her “Battlefield” chorus she loses herself in a whiny, pitchy sound that would make anyone slam the off button on their radio.

Usually on an unsuccessful album there is at least one standout hit that allows it to drag along the charts for a while. “Battlefield” attempted that and failed. The rest of the album is more of the 5th and 6th grade music scene, which is fine if that is the audience Sparks is aiming for, but it seems doubtful kids that age can relate to love as a “battlefield.”

There is no doubt Sparks has an amazing voice but the actual content she is producing continues to disappoint. It in no way showcases her talent and makes her only marketable to the tween scene. Any of the songs could have been handed off to Ali Lohan or any other semi-talented 16-year-old and been executed to the same degree.

It is another disappointment for Idol as none of the tracks on Battlefield are even worth downloading. If Sparks keeps choosing music that puts her on a similar level as the kids that sing on Disney Channel, the real life battlefield of failure she is probably dealing with right now is only going to get worse.

1 star out of 5