"Mediocrity Defined." That phrase is the absolute best way to describe Jennifer Love Hewitt's fourth album (counting a Japanese LP) and her first major attempt at musical stardom since her acting career took off. So she's not really a rookie in the business of singing. She's just hitless. And, judging from the scattershot feeling of this record, she's also easily persuaded and clueless. But, I digress.

Her voice is decent (and, obviously, you would hope it is, since she first gained attention while singing). Having heard anything other than the song she recorded for the soundtrack of the movie I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (the song's title escapes me at the moment), I was pleasantly surprised by the first single from this album, "Barenaked." That feeling of "pleasant surprise" turned to "sick and tiredness" after four or five listens. However, even though I had grown sick of the single several months before the album came out, I still bought it with an open mind.

And thank God I have an open mind, because there is some turgid crap here that had me tempted to turn it off before even getting through it once. "Hey Everybody" and "Rock the Roll" are the main offenders here. "Ultra-sugar-coated" is a nice way of describing them. "Generic," "clichéd" and "trite" work well, too. "Hey Everybody" redeems itself (or, almost) with some of those well-placed "Na-na-na's" I'm such a sucker for. "Rock the Roll" has some funk… but not enough to make up for the lyrics, or the annoying chorus.

Speaking of lyrics, they're spotty here. And it hurts bad. When these lyrics suck, they suck. "You every try your luck/With a pick-up line/But you just sucked/You tell yourself it wasn't you." But at least the choruses are catchy, and most of the songs have something we can all bop along to… So it comes close to making up for it.

The main highlights here, though, are the ballads. "You" is just beautiful pop music, and shows off her better-than-expected voice. Jennifer just shines in moments like this song. "Stand in Your Way" is nice, too. It's a nice, soft recovery after "Rock the Roll" (which, by the way, I have decided is the greatest abomination to ever use the words "rock" and "roll"). "Stand in Your Way" is admittedly syrupy, but anyone who enjoyed Britney Spears' first album should enjoy it. (Or the whole album, really, since they have a similar vibe to them. The only thing Britney had at the time that JLH doesn't have now is the whole jailbait-appeal thing).

So, what's left? I don't know what to make of "I Know You Will." It's a poppy, funky little something about doing her. Seriously. "Don't tell me that you won't go there, baby, 'cause I know that you will/Don't tell me that you won't do me, baby, 'cause I know you will." Yeah. "First Time," as CDnow so eloquently puts it, "[apes] the acoustic pop of Michelle Branch," but it a contender for best song here. It's very catchy, and her vocal delivery is more confident there than anywhere.

"Stronger" and "Avenue of the Stars" are filler. Absolute. Filler. I confused "Stronger" with "First Time," since, well, something like the phrase "stronger than before" appears in the chorus of both songs. Limited songwriting? Yeah, tell me about it. "Avenue of the Stars" is simply nothing special. To be fair, though, it probably has best lyrics of any of the songs here with a relatively fast tempo.

But the album closes with a surprise (!!!), though. "Me and Bobby McGee" is folky, stripped down, and focused on JLH's vocals. Three qualities that are not found anywhere on this album, which might be a sign of how confident everyone involved was with this project.

Still, this album is just… there. It won't change anybody's lives (I hope), and it's not going to elevate JLH as a "major artist." Besides that, her acting career might obscure whatever good points her singing career has. After all, how many actors/actresses (yeah, other than J-Lo and Will Smith) can make it as musical artists who are taken serious? And, in some ways, it's too bad for JLH. There is some definite un-harnessed potential here.

P.S. The black haired stick figure look isn't working. She needs to eat a sammich and go back to the look she had in the first I Know What You Did Last Summer.