Sterling sophomore efforts

Second albums are such potential pitfalls of disaster. After the heady success of one’s debut CD, it’s far too easy to just churn out more of the same, or drastically change musical directions and not have your adoring public play "catch up." The 15-year-old JoJo and soft rap-artist Akon have both come up with sophomore efforts that show growing maturity (relative, in the case of JoJo), while maintaining deep respect for their fans. And if you missed out on these artists on their first CDs, these are wonderful opportunities to acquaint yourself with these breakout performers.

JoJo: The High Road (MCA Music)

You can now officially disabuse yourself of the notion that JoJo is nothing more than a teenybopper with a great set of R ’n B pipes. She may have given us that impression with her debut CD, but if anything, The High Road is more than ample proof that there’s a whole world of maturity and talent that’s just aching to emerge from the young songstress. The title of the new CD belies the attempt to break the shackles of teen-dom, and establish herself as a recording artist relying solely on the merits of her material, and not the fact that she’s some teenage wonder.

Too Little Too Late is the very radio-friendly first single off the CD. It is indicative of the strength of the material on the CD. The songs are very smartly structured. These are not mere pop ditties. Anything even samples from Toto’s Africa, and the cut Like That is a pop gem. From faster-paced R ’n B tunes reminiscent of Beyoncé Knowles and Monica, to mid-tempo cuts and scorching ballads, if R ’n B is your cup of tea, then JoJo’s High Road has much to offer.

Akon: Konvicted (MCA Music)

Smack That with Eminem is the first single off Akon’s new CD Konvicted and if you can resist this tune, you must be six feet under. Eminem has not sounded so alive and hepped up in a long time. Akon is the son of legendary African percussionist and jazz legend Mor Thiam, and originally hails from Senegal. He makes ample use of this musical heritage and his version of soft rap is an appealing blend of hip-hop, African rhythms, full out soul, snatches of reggae and other Caribbean influences, and rap. He has a somewhat whiny voice that takes some getting used to, especially when rapping about gangstas and sexually explicit notions, but getting past that should be easy when the tunes are so infectious.

The new cut enjoying heavy airplay is his collaboration with Snoop Dogg, I Want to Love You and a chockful of the F-word, the tune simmers and boils in typical seducer-fashion. Mama Africa, I Can’t Wait and Don’t Matter come in the last half of the CD, and they are my favorite tracks. More straight on R ’n B, the tunes show the versatility of Akon. He may lack something in terms of pure voice or swagger, but his reaching out for various styles and not ending up looking pathetic on any of them augurs well for this artist.