Jordin Sparks

For an artist who's always emphasized her sweet, youthful innocence, Jordin Sparks' second album is kind of dark and twisty. Building on the success of the tormented "No Air," Battlefield trades primarily in intense, relationship-themed mid-tempo and slow jams (the title track, the almost writhing "Watch You Go"), plus a few sexy dance jams (the Shannon-sampling "S.O.S.") and a second half weighted down with dramatic ballads. Sparks' voice has also grown up, taking on a richer, huskier tone, though she's still learning to sing with restraint, one of the hardest things for a young singer to do.