Sounds from two Jessicas

As far as I can remember, while there are plenty of Jessicas moving around in this world of ours, there never seemed to be any in the pop charts. And with strange names like Britney and Shania and Tori constantly making an appearance it seemed strange that there was no pop singer named Jessica. Well, this was so until recently when a song by a Jessica showed up in the hit lists and when I checked out who was singing, it turned out that there were two songs and two Jessicas who released new albums at around the same time.

One is Jessica Simpson, a pretty 19-year-old whose music is an enviable cross between Mariah Carey and Britney Spears. If you don't believe me, you can check out her first album release, Sweet Kisses. It is a combination of pop and R&B with some dance beats thrown in and each song is an appealing showcase of what her pipes are capable of.

First song out is the lovely ballad I Wanna Love You Forever composed by Sam Watters of Color Me Badd and Louis Biancanella who usually works with Mariah. The one calculated to catch the attention of the younger listeners though is Where You Are, which is really a song about death but is inspiring just the same and is a duet with Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees. Some girls might feel jealous about the team up but they will not be able to deny the fact that Jessica and Nick sound good together.

The other song that will surely go down well with the teen-age fans is Did You Ever Love Somebody which comes from the Dawson's Creek original soundtrack. The other cuts in the album are I Think I'm in Love with You, Final Heartbreak, Woman in Me, where she sings with the female R&B group Destiny's Child, I've Got My Eyes on You, Betcha She Don't Love You, My Wonderful, Your Faith in Me and Heart of Innocence.

Jessica comes from Dallas and she learned how to sing as a child in church where her father was a youth minister. She toured with him as a teen-ager and became known as a little girl with a grown up voice. It was only a matter of time before she was discovered by Sony and signed to a contract. Last year she toured with 98 Degrees and Ricky Martin. By this time, she is doing the shows and getting the crowds on her own.

The other Jessica is Jessica Andrews who hails from Tennessee. Like Simpson she is also very pretty and has a grown-up voice that belies her 17 years. In her case the music is country but with a strong dose of pop sweetness that is very similar to the kind that made Canadian Shania Twain a big star all over the world.

Will Jessica prove to be as lucky? Let her album Heart Shaped World show you what she can do. I Will Be There for You, which was included in the Prince of Egypt Nashville soundtrack is the most beautiful song in this batch. It was also Jessica's first big break. What seems to work best for Jessica's style is the upbeat James Dean in Tennessee although I am not sure if most 17-year-olds these days are familiar with the long-departed actor.

Heart-Shaped World was chosen as one of the outstanding country releases of 1999 by the newspaper USA Today. The other standouts are You Go First, Hungry Love and Unbreakable Heart, which are likely single releases. The rest of the songs in the album are The Riverside, Whatever, Heart-Shaped World, I'll Take Your Heart, I Do Now, and Ruby Shoes, which refers to the ruby slippers of the Wizard of Oz. Those were magic shoes that can take you anywhere when you click your heels together.

As of this moment Jessica Andrews is going everywhere and it is her voice that is taking her places. Last year she toured with country music queen Faith Hill and she also got to perform with the biggest country star of them all, Tim McGraw. This year she is drawing the crowds with the Grammy winning Trisha Yearwood. She is also up for an award at the Country Music Awards which will be held in May.