The self-titled debut by France’s Jenifer (Mercury, France) has made her an overnight pop sensation, selling out concert after concert all over the country. Not to mention a lot of CDs. But is she worthy of the hype? Compared to their Britney-esque Lorie, absolutely. Even when compared to her contemporaries around the world, she still holds up. The highly-infectious yet melancholy “Au soleil” calls to mind Natalie Imbruglia’s rendition of “Torn,” just daring you to try not to sing along, while “Je garde,” a duo with Mario, is simply, however intentionally, haunting. As for her voice, well, it’s mostly soft and sweet, but she sounds so at ease with the songs that one gets the feeling she could easily hit higher notes should the occasion arise.
(www.jenifer.com.fr)