Cherie

This French-born singer known simply as Cherie possesses a vocal acumen and presence that belies her nineteen years, fully embodying her material in a way that no one has since Celine Dion in her salad days--but thankfully escaping much of the stodginess and banality that colors some of the Canadian singer's work. Both elegant and saucy, Cherie gives a modern edge to what essentially are power ballads, like the heart-tugging "Older Than My Years," and the winsome and precious "Say You Love Me." But the peak moment of the entire CD is the when Cherie bolsters the anthemic "I'm Ready," with a sample of Foreigner's "Urgent," which gives the already compelling track some flash and grit.

The track "Betcha Neva" is featured on "Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman" DVD (Warner Bros. Pictures) and the track "I'm Ready" has been featured on the hit WB show, "Charmed" (Nov 2003) and on the teenager comedy "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" (July 2004) where Lindsay Lohan stars.