Erika Jo

Erika Jo | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: June 14, 2005
• Release Date: June 14, 2005
• Label: Universal South
• Copyright: (C) 2005 Universal South Records, LLC
• Record Company Required Metadata: Music file contains unique purchase identifier. Learn more.
• Total Length: 39:22
• Genres:
• ASIN: B000WITTO8
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #230,915 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Boring, but she has a nice voice, September 29, 2005

By 

T. Snyder "AZMom" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Erika Jo (Audio CD)

I thought the album was boring. I didn't watch Nashville Star but I'm a big country music fan and I like to listen to new artists. I bought the cd and loved the catchy song "I Break Things". The other songs really didn't grab me, even after several listens. I was disappointed in her cover of "I'm Not Lisa"- although Erika Jo has a beautiful voice, I found the rendition lacking emotion. She's a good singer but I hope her next album has some better material.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You Can't Keep Me Down, October 15, 2008

By 

Clinton Ervin "maximus" (Murfreesboro, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Erika Jo (Audio CD)

The line I used for my title is from "Strong Tonight," one of several strong tracks on this 2005 release from this Nashville Star alumnus. This is a very good record which hit #5 on the country chart but did not translate into long-lasting fame for the teenaged Erika Jo. Just as talented as any, she joins a slew of young female country singers, much like the trend of the late-90s.

Erika's clear, unadorned soprano highlights this CD, which includes radio-friendly material as well as traditional ballads. "I Break Things" is full of attitude, as is "Strong Tonight;" it is sassy and spunky, appropriate for an 18 year old. "Go" and "There are no Accidents" are enchanting. Her cover of "I'm Not Lisa," the 1975 ballad by Jessi Colter, was released as a single but didn't chart. That's too bad because its certainly a fervent rendition.

I wish Erika would get another chance to record because she's a better, more passionate singer than much of her competition. My only knock on this CD is that it doesn't do enough to distinguish her from the aforementioned current crop of young female country vocalists.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Erika Jo" Is a Proming Debut, July 15, 2005

By 

Timothy Yap "thy4568" (Sydney, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Erika Jo (Audio CD)

Prime Cuts: There Are No Accidents, They Say Love Is Blind, I'm Not Lisa

Wasting no time, recent high school graduate Erika Jo releases her debut CD in less than a couple of months after she has been crowned 2005 Nashville idol. On this eponymous record, Jo ups the ante on contemporary pop-country with a state of the art production with an occasional nod to the ancient tones of rustic country. Save for the occasional fiddling and steel, stinging guitars and forceful percussions over bubbly pop tunes are the order of the day. Pride of place is also given to the chockablock lineup of songwriters on this record, this includes fellow artists such as Katrina Elam and Rachel Proctor plus tried and true hit writers Danny Mayo, Sunny Russ, Blair Daly, Stephony Smith, Dave Berg to name a few. Nevertheless, the spotlight is Jo's energized and spirited vocals: Jo has the vocal tenacity of LeAnn Rimes and the mellifluousness of a young Brenda Lee. Hence, it's no surprise Jo has been the darling of the million plus viewers of Nashville idol.

In the spirit of Nashville idol, where contestants tend to sing their heads off, Jo's full throated voice is on full display on the midtempo "Good Day for Goodbye." Refusing to take the mediocre as an excuse for a dying romance, "Good Day for Goodbye" finds a determined Jo finally calling it quits with her paramour. Such a strong-willed woman theme resurfaces again on the Sunny Russ' penned "Strong Enough." A popish anthem dedicated to stating over again, there's camaraderie that ought to identify with anyone who has had been emotionally sliced and diced. Written by Jim Collins and Stephony Smith, "Go" continues the theme of taking chances. "Go" has an inherent Tanya-Tucker bluesy grit that makes it quite an experience to be beheld.

However, Jo is even better in the album's slower and more subdued moments. From the first tinkling of the piano on Jessi Colter's "I'm Not Lisa" (which is also covered by Elizabeth Cook on her "Hey Y'all" and Faith Hill on her forthcoming "Homefires" CD lately) every note of this cheating ballad is mesmerized with an emotional intensity that wouldn't let go. The plangent "They Say Love is Blind" brings to mind Lorrie Morgan's "I Guess You Had to Be There," as Jo witnesses her former boyfriend kissing a new love on a romantic street. This is heart rending stuff at its best. On the other hand, "There Are No Accidents," is a gorgeous love ballad that finds Jo philosophizing on the epitome of her relationship. Listen especially to how her astringent voice imparts wisdom as she sings: "I used to talk about coincidence/And how true love is only found by chance/Now I look at you and I'm convinced/There are no accidents."

Nevertheless, there are a few tracks that veer on the contrived side. Lead single "I Break Things" has perhaps one of the most cliché and trite lyrics: "Rain is wet/The desert is dry/That's the way it'll always be/Fire is hot/It's dark at night/The sun comes up in the east." I am sure an eight year-old can come up with better lyrics than that. Perhaps befitting to Jo's age, "Love Is" is at best juvenile and it sounds out of place with the abovementioned gems. "Who You Are," one of those inspirational type uptempo numbers, about searching for one's identity is so blend that one gets lost straightaway as the first note strikes.

"Erika Jo" is a promising debut from a young lady who can sing and when she wants she is able to burn vocally with vivid passion that is hard to resist. Nevertheless, she's often let down by some of her songs. Perhaps, they were hastily chosen and if she has had more time, this CD would have had been even better. Jo is a name to match and with such a copious crowd of fans behind her, over a million can't be wrong