Tiffany Giardina

One thing Tiffany Giardina is not is a chip of the old pop tart block.

On No Average Angel, Giardina is the antithesis of the sexually indiscreet, 7 For All Mankind designer jeans-wearing, Louis Vuitton bag-toting and hair extension-sporting teen queens that have dominated the pop music landscape for the past several years. On her debut album, the 15-year-old, New York City-reared songstress exudes bucketfuls of sass, tossing her long, curly tendrils and singing in a high pitch that will magnetically attract rebellious tweeners to her music. It's probably a coincidence that she shares her name with former mall concert queen Tiffany. But this Tiffany actually does follow in the footsteps of her namesake, thanks to her slightly unrefined, rough around the edges, "I'm just a teenager" panache. Thankfully, Giardina isn't growing up too fast. She comes across as an ordinary kid with an extraordinary voice who has been thrust in (and is thriving in) the abnormal situation of having a fame-based career at a young age.

No Average Angel finds Giardina crooning her way over slickly polished pop punk guitars and drums, but the singer isn't afraid to expose a softer side, with her incredibly loyal cover of The Bangles' smash 1980s ballad "Eternal Flame." Giardina goes the ballad route with "Road to Anywhere," as well. "Sparks Fly" is a hooky, cute and spunky pop ditty with a rawkin' riff, whereas "On to You" emits a cheerleader-like tone. "Don't Want to Let You Go" is tinted with a summery, Rasta sheen. "Candy" and the cover of "Lollipop" may be erected on processed beats, but Giardina's voice warms things up considerably thanks to her inherent, cavity-causing sweetness and innocence. Giardina will certainly appeal to the pre-teen set in a way that Britney Spears no longer can. No Average Angel is a fluffy, frothy collection of bubblegum pop in a day and age where blowing bubbles is still fun!

— Amy Sciarretto
02.11.08