Elise Estrada

Album Review

After three successful singles over the past two years, the debut album by Canadian teen promise Elise Estrada hits record stores ready for battle in today's pop market. At only ten tracks long, the self-titled release seems meek. After all, ten tracks on a pop album don't allow for much opportunity for artistic definition, and Estrada's voice is not necessarily strikingly different. However, because the album has credibility with three successful pop singles ("These Three Words," "Unlove You," and specifically the first single, "Insatiable," a spunky pop treat), the album allows for some versatility and some meat on the bare bones of the Canadian teen. The overall feel of the album is straight-up, never wavering from mainstream teenage pop, which means that the tunes are forgettable in time. Quite inconsistently, the album floats around themes and dips into exciting hooks, yet doesn't fully stick to an artistic path enough to warrant grade-A merit. However, through the three released singles and with the addition of a couple of fiery new tracks ("Crash and Burn," "SOS"), the short and sweet album by a short and sweet pop star is a perfect example of how a teen-pop oriented album should be made; with a handful of successfully penned tunes, a series of slick beats, and a pretty young vocalist with enough personality to carry the album.