Battlefield

iTunes Review

Two years removed from her breakout victory on American Idol, Sparks returns with her second full-length, Battlefield. The album is filled with pop tunes ranging from modern R&B shakers and electronic-tinged club heaters to emotional ballads, all of which feel like an extension and natural progression from her eponymous solo debut. OneRepublic maestro Ryan Tedder wrote the Battlefield title track, which finds Sparks shimmering amidst clomping drums and delicate piano before erupting on the choruses. Meanwhile, Sparks penned the album’s most breathtakingly classic tune, “Faith,” which she wrote just before performing it at President Obamas inaugural ball. For Sparks fans fond of her ability to reinterpret songs, rest assured: Sparks nails the cadences on a Fefe Dobson cover (“Don’t Let It Go to Your Head”) and sounds remarkably cocksure on body-groovin’ “S.O.S.,” which includes the chorus from Shannon’s ‘80s jam “Let the Music Play.”