Unfabulous and More (by Emma Roberts, Pop)

We dare you to walk into the room while your kids are watching Unfabulous and not be drawn in, in spite of yourself. Emma Roberts is absolutely charming as Addie on the Nickelodeon show, in which she plays the part of a teenager with a passion for rock & roll. You'll find yourself rooting for her every inch of the way as she deals with mean teachers and clueless classmates in her never-ending campaign to be Understood as an Artist. She is bright, energetic, adorable, and irresistible. The lyrics of her brand-new CD, UNFABULOUS AND MORE, deal with some issues that are important to tweens -- love lost and found, being one of the unpopular kids, longing for acceptance and respect.

Unfabulous and More attempts to put "Addie's" songs across without the benefit of Emma Roberts' visual charm or acting ability, and it sort of works some of the time -- but not nearly enough to be a good album. There's a baby-doll, nasal quality to the lead vocals that is effective when the songs are heard one at a time in the context of a TV show, but starts to get annoying about three songs in...and the songs themselves aren't terrific enough to compensate. One tune at a time on a compilation or multi-artist soundtrack would be the perfect way to hear Emma Roberts' music, even though she is a natural-born scene stealer as an actress. The best way to enjoy Emma Roberts is still on Nickelodeon.

Released on: September 27, 2005
Label: Sony Music
Genre: Pop