With divas Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston revamping their pop images towards R&B credibility, a new pretender to the throne was needed. Step forward Jessica Simpson, a Britney Spears look-a-like and early Mariah/Whitney sound-a-like (she even sends out a huge thank you to Tommy Mottola in her sleeve notes--Mariah's ex husband and the man responsible for Carey's early career). Initially dismissed as a Britney wannabe, Jessica's music has far more of an R&B-lite feel to it, with fluid basslines and guest appearances from scene luminaries Destiny's Child. Sweet Kisses is essentially a great pop album--plenty of belting ballads ("Where You Are", "Sweet Kisses"), showcasing the full impressive range of her voice and poppy up-tempo numbers which stop the album from slipping into slushy sentimentality ("Final Heartbreak", "I've Got My Eyes On You").