After seven years of American Idol and its growing popularity, the standards set for the winners have clearly fallen. Very few holders of the title have gone on to success in the ?real music world?. With the release of the 2007 winner Jordin Spark’s new album, it is clear she has succumbed to the syndrome of fading into unoriginality.

Past winners have struggled to find a niche after following rules in the competition. 2005 winner Carrie Underwood succeeded immediately when she immersed herself in the country industry, focusing on her strengths.

Sparks, the youngest winner at age 17, is still discovering where her voice is perfectly suited. This causes a bit of misdirection in her album.

Sparks released her highly anticipated self-titled album on Nov. 20. Her singles ?Tatoo? and ?No Air?, featuring Chris Brown, have been adored by fans and plastered all over Youtube since their August release. However, these disappointingly bland songs failed to impress me.

Throughout the American Idol competition, Sparks displayed her huge vocal ability and range. She showed the capability and courage to sing ?risky? songs.

After grabbing the title of American Idol, Sparks seems to have abandoned that philosophy. At least six of the tracks could be mistaken for one another – while equally nice, they are equally indescript.

The album first showed its potential due to her two catchy singles, both romantic and easy to listen to. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is exactly the same.

One high point shows itself through ?Permanent Monday? where Sparks exhibits more of her tremendous range. The love-centered lyrics may be trite, but the melody is pleasant and makes one want to sing along.

The chord progression contains an upbeat electric guitar paired with somewhat melancholy lyrics: ?’Cause every time you go away/ the sunshine starts to fade/ frozen by the hands of time/ into a permanent Monday.?
Despite simplistic lyrics, the ballad will surely have many preteen and teenage girls sold by the somewhat cutesy words and traditional pop melody.

While the words to “Permanent Monday” might seem frivolous, they are profound compared to other songs like ?Shy Boy?. Sparks sings; ?He?s all mellowed out/ and tonight/ I don?t mind/ be a shy boy?, which makes neither grammatical nor poetic sense.

One uplifting point in Sparks’ career shows in her refusal to abandon her Christian upbringing. In “Save Me”, she uses a bubblegum pop song to cry out to God, along with “God Loves Ugly”, where she exhibits beautiful high notes along with a message about image and acceptance.

While most songs fall into a similar style, Sparks manages to throw in some variety, however vague. “Shy Boy”, which feels very hip-hop (perhaps explaining the aimless lyrics), differs from the gentle and soft “See My Side”.

This makes Sparks’ debut pleasant and fun but decidedly mediocre. The buzz it maintains currently will die as it fades for lack of innovative songs or unique style. However, there is hope for Sparks: her American Idol status will reign until the next winner, and even then she will most likely maintain original fans of her TV debut. After she discovers her place in the music world, Sparks’ next CD may far surpass her first.

Jordin Sparks’ self-titled album can be purchased at any local music retail center for around $15. For more information, visit iTunes.