Hitting the highway with a pre-teen? Give this a drive.

Vanessa Hudgens, better known as Gabriella from smash success High School Musical, released her debut solo album in 2006. I'm not sure if she's recieved any exposure on MTV or VH1 but if you watch the Disney Channel you would think she was the Jennifer Lopez of the pre-teen set. Blessed with a pretty voice, a pretty face and decent producers V is a decent album. There are some fun songs in the mix but there is also your run of the mill generic dance pop as well. She does a lot of genre hopping and you can tell she's still trying to figure out if she wants to be a dance diva a la Britney or rock chick a la Ashlee Simpson. She has moments where she pulls off each persona successfuly but it makes the album sound a bit schizophrenic and disjointed.

"Come Back To Me" is the song I've heard the most. Baby V starts off the album with this song giving off some serious J-Lo vibes and this song samples The Players "Baby Come Back". Vanessa Hudgens does this rap that sounds very similar to Cassie on "Long Way To Go" (which I have to admit grew on me with repeated listens). The song isn't the best dance song I've ever heard but its harmless for the teens and tolerable for the parents. "Lose Your Love" ends the album in the same fashion: a prototype dance song with a prototype beat that is engaging enough. "Let It Go" overall is a generic pop song even if mildly catchy. But about three fourths of the way through it takes an unexpected turn and has this swing bridge that is sassy and fun. This elevates the song considerably. This could have easily been on J-Lo's debut album as well. "Psychic" is a bit bouncy and sparkly as little bells and beeps go off giving the song a bit of a whimsical feel. "Promise" sounds like pretty much any run of the mill R&B song at the start but blossoms into a pretty well done pop song.



"Say Ok" is a song I've heard before. Must have been on the Disney Channel between Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. This is a good one though and her voice is soft and pretty. It shows what she's capable of. It's like Mandy Moore post "Candy" era pre "folk-pop" era. This is a decent song with its engaging beat. It's a bit faster than a ballad traditionally would be but I still say its more in that category. "Afraid" is another fantastic song and this is definitely a ballad. It's a beautiful song with a slight Jessica Simpson flavor. Even though she doesn't have her pipes, she has a quality that makes her unique and engaging.

Then we venture into the more pop rock category. "Drive" is definitely best example of this. This song could definitely be a hit with her teen flavored anthem of freedom. It's pretty good for the group its targetting. She sounds a lot like someone but I can't put my finger on who it is. Maybe Ashlee Simpson and Hillary Duff. Anyway, it's a decent song as well. "Rather Be With YOu" sounds like it could have been on Christina Aguilera's first album. It would have been perfect between "What A Girl Wants" and "Genie In A Bottle". It's more pop than rock but it's definitely not in the dance category. It "rocks" more on the chorus than the verses.

There are a couple of songs on the album that completely miss the mark. "Never Underestimate A Girl" sounds so familiar to some eighties new wave song that I can't put my finger on it drives me crazy. I'm thinking The Romantics "Talking In Your Sleep". Either way, the song is more annoying than anything. "Let's Dance" is a rock/pop hybrid with highly distorted vocals. It sounds like Britney and has this highly sexual sound even though the lyrics are innocent enough.

Basically this album is the perfect album if you are a pop music fan who has a girl between the ages of five and thirteen. It's appropriate, charming and a good compromise on road trips when its the kids turn to have a CD. Even better, mix it in on your Sansa between J-Lo and Britney and you really won't be able to tell the difference. I'm not sure I would listen to it much on my own but out of all the pre-teen albums I could be stuck with....this one's pretty good.