On debut, Sparks retains her innocent charm

The ‘American Idol’ winner didn’t want to sing about certain subjects.

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY

AP MUSIC WRITER

NEW YORK — When teen music stars approach the age of consent, they often test the boundaries of what’s appropriate by taking on projects with adult content. “American Idol” champ Jordin Sparks took the opposite approach as she sought out material for her CD debut.

“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to sing about,” Sparks said, “but I knew what I didn’t want to sing about.”

“I wanted to stay away from ‘Oh, put your hands all over me’-type thing, because I haven’t experienced that yet so the fact that I would sing it would be really dumb — plus I don’t feel comfortable singing stuff like that,” Sparks, who turns 18 in December, said with a giggle.

It’s that kind of wholesome charm, along with her powerhouse voice and striking good looks, that endeared her to “American Idol” audiences this year, making her the youngest winner in the TV phenomenon’s six-season history after defeating semifinalist Blake Lewis. And on her Jive Records self-titled debut, record executives — and Sparks herself — wanted to make sure she retained that sweet-as-pie image.

“She’s one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met on this planet ... you immediately get a sense of who she is and her values,” says Jive A&R executive Jeff Fenster, who helped Sparks and her management team select songs for the album.

“You have to make a record that is representative of who the artist is. We tried to keep that in mind from the beginning of the process,” he says. “I said to her from the beginning, a big part of my goal was to help her make a record that she was proud of and represented who she is, and I think she felt that way at the end of the day.”

To that end, the “Jordin Sparks” CD is decidedly family friendly — much like the talent competition that launched her career. Thanks to her “American Idol” success, and her age, Sparks’ fan base has a large kid contingent, but also includes the parents and grandparents who, along with their children, watched as the Arizona teen went from a potential also-ran to the odds-on favorite to win it all.

Sparks wanted to make sure that she didn’t alienate any age group with the material she chose.

“I never really thought of targeting a specific audience. I just want to make music and whoever likes it likes it,” says Sparks, speaking via phone a few days before the CD’s release.

“I do love the little girls who come up to me and they are just so excited, and I like meeting the older women who are like, ‘Oh my gosh we love you ...’ It’s really cool,” she says. “I’m kind of just making good music, so hopefully there’s sort of a balance there to where adults will like it but it’s not so adult that little kids won’t be able to listen to it.”

It looks as if she has found that balance on “Jordin Sparks,” a thoroughly pop CD with a mix of romantic ballads, dance grooves and inspirational anthems. The album’s first single, the guitar-infused “Tattoo,” got a slow start on radio but has been steadily rising on the Billboard pop chart and is a top 20 hit.

The CD was crafted with the help of pop’s top producers, including Stargate, the team behind Beyoncé’s ubiquitous “Irreplaceable.” But Sparks makes clear that her contribution was more than vocals, including a co-writing credit on one of the CD’s 13 tracks.