Joy Enriquez

It's funny when a young new pop singer wants to be taken seriously as an artist, then gives in and poses for a succulent skin-laden centerfold on the CD insert. Yes, the 20-year-old newcomer is hot to look at, but can listeners' ears get as excited as the rest of them (assuming they're young males or girls who want to look this sexy)? She's given great intensely hooky surefire pop hits written and produced by heavyweights like Soulshock & Karlin and Babyface, and there's even a fun little gem with a perky Latin groove ("Shake up the Party") to pay homage to her heritage. And yes, she can sing, sometimes sensually, sometimes showing some range that could hint at a poor man's Mariah Carey-type niche, but really, this rises on the success of the grooves and hooks. Think a young J. Lo who was good enough to win on Star Search and who could use a few more sparse arrangements to test out her range. Babyface's "Situation" has a folky shuffle groove that gets her on the way to that, and his "Someday" is a singsongy equivalent. But they're still very slick. The first hit, "What Do You Want," is a bouncy declaration that she's giving listeners the best she can, so they have to admire that. "Tell Me How You Feel" has a classic soul feel, with a few Carey-like moments. The first ballad, "Without You," gives her voice a shot to soar, which helps temper the clichés. Overall, lots of fun, and the pink packaging helps listeners think "party." Pop music and this type of stuff in particular being fickle as it is, the question will be how long Enriquez can keep the party going.