She tweeted that she needed prayer and then wrote this: “Was struck w/ acute appendicitis…took out that appendix last night. Recovering today & the next week or so.”

She’s been updating that she’s still sore but recovering while she also thanks all of her well-wishes for their warm thoughts.  She looks absolutely adorable in this twitpic image that she shared in an update.

She seems to be in good spirits even though she did mention that she can’t go and see New Moon.  Soon, Jordin!

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In other news, it’s been reported that Jordin is lending her voice for the soundtrack for the film Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure. The songs that’s expected to be on the soundtrack is called “Road to Paradise”. The soundtrack will be released on September 22nd, while the movie hits store shelves on October 27th.  

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The first thought I had is the obvious and ironic one.  The American Idol winner has been pretty vocal about her belief that people should wait until they are married to have sex.  She wears a purity ring and, although she admits that it’s sometimes difficult, she seems determined to maintain her values – she even directed some very pointed comments at Russell Brand last year when he hosted the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. 

Meanwhile, it’s pretty clear that Britney is no virgin and the ironic part is that she used to make the very same claims as Jordin does now.  Ms Spears used to swear she was a virgin and even had people offering her huge amounts of money so that they could be the first to take her to bed.  It was pretty outrageous, actually.  As it turns out, none of that was true but was a marketing ploy to make Britney seem more wholesome (it worked!).  I believed Britney and I believe Jordin so… who knows?  Maybe they have more in common than I thought.

Another interesting thing is that Britney obviously lip-syncs during her performances.  I’m so glad that I didn’t pay money to see her in concert!  I’m happy she’s making a huge comeback and all but it would have been nice to see her make an effort to actually sing.

Jordin, on the other hand, appears to be singing live in all of the concert videos I’ve found of her (feel free to tell me otherwise).  In fact, it was her live performances that got her the votes on American Idol. 

So… unless Jordin is going to start mouthing along to a track, the audience is going to get treated to a real, live voice and then a canned one.  I’m not going to even get into how different their choreography is going to be.  Weird concert experience, if you ask me…

Here are the dates when Jordin and Britney will be sharing a stage:

• August 24 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
• August 25 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
• August 26 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
• August 29 Boston, MA TD Garden
• September 1 Orlando, FL Amway Arena
• September 2 Miami, FL American Airlines Arena
• September 4 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
• September 5 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum
• September 8 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills
• September 9 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
• September 11 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
• September 12 Grand Forks, ND Alerus Center
• September 15 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
• September 16 Houston, TX Toyota Center
• September 18 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
• September 21 El Paso, TX Don Haskins Center
• September 23 Los Angeles, CA STAPLES Center
• September 24 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena
• September 26 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center
• September 27 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center

images: Bauer-Griffin

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image: Bauer-Griffin

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Anyway, Kris’ interpretation of Kanye West’s “Heartless” was used during Evan and Janette’s routine.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the dance (I really don’t like the Rumba anyway) but Kris sounded great! 

Brandon and Jeanine delivered an energetic pop jazz routine to “Battlefield” and I really liked it.  At first it seemed like Jeanine was having a hard time but she got it together and the last third of the dance was really good.

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She looked really good too.  I didn’t like the volume control on the backup singers at first but it seems like they got it together.  Talk shows never have great audio anyway. 

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Clearly, Jordin was excited last night about the release.  On Twitter (follow her @ TheRealJordin) she tweeted last night: “Eeeeeee new album out now!!!! (east coast) hit iTunes up now! Find it at a store! Yaaaaaay! Goodnight twittlets! <3”

Now, let’s get down to business.  If you’d like to listen to the full album, check out the listening party on AOL. 

1. Walking On Snow – I think this is a great opening track and I don’t know why but I see this being used in some teen drama on TV.  I just feel like I could blast this while I drive along the California coastline with my windows open.  Weird, I agree, but that’s what I think of!
2. Battlefield – I’m sure you’re all pretty familiar with her first single from the album.  I feel like this is a more spirited and feisty Jordin.  It’s like she has shed some of that juvenile “beginner” image and she’s making a name for herself as a young woman.
3. Don’t Let It Go To Your Head – this sounds like something else to me but I’m not going to get hung up on trying to figure it out.  The lyrics are a little more risqué than what she delivered on her first album (“just ‘cause I think of you in bed, don’t let it go to your head”).  I like it but it’s not my favorite track and I really dislike the bridge if I’m being honest.
4. S.O.S. (Let The Music Play) – Even before I looked at the title of this song I thought it was a little in the vein of Rihanna (who had a song called “S.O.S” but this reminds me more of “Disturbia”).  Of course, the chorus is sampled from Shannon’s 1983 hit “Let the Music Play.”  This is an okay summer track but it’s a little lightweight to me.  She delivers more “cutesy” vocals which is fine since she can’t belt out the lines of ever track but I’m not too fond of it.
5. It Takes More – I really liked this song a lot because the lyrics are good, the melody is interesting (even though it is a bit predictable) because of how it is delivered and paired with her quirky vocals.  There’s a little autotune going on here which is the au courant thing to do but it’s minimal so it’s very tolerable. 
6. Watch You Go – This is a very simple track.  It’s not great, it’s not bad but it’s also not very memorable.  It’s the kind of song that if it played, you might not remember if you’d heard it already as you make your way through the album.
7. No Parade – When this song starts (just the piano part), it felt like a continuation of “Watch You Go.”  This sounds like any generic pop song you might hear on the radio and the drum kit is reminiscent of the one on “Battlefield.”
8. Let It Rain – This song a little bit (a smidge) more of a rock edge it’s got pulsating barebones verses with just Jordin and sparse backups singing with minimal music (just an organ of some sort?) which contrasts greatly from the guitar-driven choruses.  I always think it’s risky to pretend to cry in a song since it could come off sounding cheesy (as it does in this song). 
9. Emergency (911) – Jordin tries her hand at being an obsessive and/or angry girlfriend who verges on being a stalker.  She thinks it’s an emergency because her boyfriend is late, she doesn’t want to dance alone and believes her desire to have him by her side is worthy of being called a 911.  Despite my tone, I’ve got to admit that I like this single.  It brought the album out of the doldrums from the last few tracks, if you ask me.
10. Was I The Only One – This was another breath of fresh air.  It almost sounds like it could be re-recorded as a country song.  It’s all strings, guitar and voice at first and I think it’s gorgeous!  I understand the need to build it up by adding drums but I think they could have added a less busy beat because it distracts from her singing and the beautiful strings.
11. Faith – Again this song reminds me of something else but I’m not going to drive myself crazy trying to figure it out.  This is another track that has a nicer melody and the music and vocals are understated.  The style of the backup vocals also reminded me a bit of early Mariah Carey in some ways.  Anyway, I like it even though it’s a little odd. 
12. The Cure – This song returns to the more predictable sound that is featured throughout the album although it does remind me “Better in Time” by Leona Lewis at times during the verses.  The one thing that is really nice is how sweet and gentle Jordin’s voice comes across during the chorus.

Bottom line – too many of the songs have the same chords and feel to them.  Yes, it’s a better effort than her first album and I do think this is a decent effort but I do worry that listeners may grow bored by the lack of distinct and/or strong melodies.  Some songs really do blend in to each other. 

image: Amazon

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images: Boston Phoenix

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Her actual performance was pretty great!  I loved what she was wearing and her voice has really matured since her time on the show!  Good for her!

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The album details on Amazon don’t include previews of the songs yet, but you can check out the tracklisting below:

1. Walking On Snow
2. Battlefield
3. Don’t Let It Go To Your Head
4. S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)
5. It Takes More
6. Watch You Go
7. No Parade
8. Let It Rain
9. Emergency (911)
10. Was I The Only One
11. Faith
12. The Cure

Have you pre-ordered the album?  I’ve noticed that the first single “Battlefield” (watch her perform it live with the Jonas Brothers) is getting more and more airplay (I can’t go shopping without hearing it).  I’m happy for her and I hope this album is a huge success.  It seems like she’s matured as an artist so I’m very interested in hearing the whole thing.

Jordin Sparks sophomore album, Battlefield, becomes available on July 21, 2009.

image: Amazon

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