Cherie

It’s easy to dismiss a singer like Cherie as a Celine clone, a Shania clone, a fill-in-the-blank derivative diva with a nice set of pipes and no style of her own. But her ability to echo so many other belters in a single album may actually be her greatest strength. The self-titled debut from this 19-year-old French prodigy cuts a wide swath across the easy listening/vocal pop landscape, and hits all the right notes along the way.

Don’t let Cherie’s French connection scare you; every track here, except the vaguely Middle Eastern (by way of Shakira) “Betcha Never,” is pure, all-American pop, and her remarkably clear voice carries not a trace of an accent. Like her obvious influences Celine Dion and Whitney Houston, Cherie’s preferred vehicle is the soaring ballad, and three-hankie numbers like “It’s Your Love” and “My Way Back Home” don’t disappoint. But her powerful alto is equally appealing on harder rocking tracks, which reveal that she has the gutsy, soulful delivery of a Sarah McLachlan or an Alanis Morissette to complement those stunning high notes.

Musically, Cherie plays it safe; there’s no obvious smash hits and no clunkers, just well-crafted, uplifting tunes that showcase the many strengths of this promising young talent. Cherie the album may or may not take off, but Cherie the singer is clearly destined to soar to great heights. - Andy Hermann

Cherie first made a splash as the featured star of a July 2003 New Yorker profile of Atlantic Records A&R executive/record producer Jason Flom, who was convinced that the French teenager was the next international superstar, the next Celine Dion, the next Faith Hill. After that article, all was quiet on the Cherie front for about a half-year, until her first single, "I'm Ready" (then titled "Ready"), appeared on the soundtrack of the Lindsay Lohan comedy Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen in early 2004, and it was another half-year until her anticipated eponymous debut finally was released in August. Clearly, Flom and his colleagues at Lava/Atlantic took their time crafting Cherie's debut, making sure that every song was perfectly chosen, every arrangement was flawless, every note was immaculate. That's both a blessing and a curse for the album, since it is an expertly constructed and recorded album, but one that plays it a little too safe. While it's admirable that Cherie and her producers have chosen to bypass teen pop in favor of the middle of the road, it means that the songs aren't as flashy or hooky as much of the mainstream pop of the mid-2000s. In fact, the songs and the arrangements appear to be vehicles for her voice, which is admittedly very impressive. Unlike most post-Whitney and Mariah divas, Cherie doesn't strain for high notes, nor does she wallow in vocal pyrotechnics; she sings confidently and strongly, never belting out glory notes unnecessarily, which makes the times that she does hit the high notes all the more powerful. Skillful as she is, she's still developing her persona as a singer, and the blandly professional songwriting, as pleasant as it is, doesn't give her the opportunity to develop her own personality on record. Still, this has to qualify as a promising debut, since there are few mainstream adult contemporary pop albums as benignly enjoyable as this in 2004, and Cherie, if not an undeniable star, is a powerful singer who is a pleasure to hear. Hopefully, the next time out, she'll have a record that's a little looser, one that's not overthought and overplanned, one that makes good on her potential. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide