Jordin Sparks: 'One Step At A Time'

She may not be the most recognisable American Idol winner, but Jordin Sparks managed to outperform all her predecessors when each of her first four singles cracked the US top 20. Over here, meanwhile, she became the second Idol alumnus to score a top ten hit when 'No Air' conquered the airwaves over the summer. Now, having been in the pipeline for months, she's finally releasing the third single from her self-titled debut album.

Sadly, 'One Step At A Time' lacks the instant appeal of her Chris Brown duet. It's a fairly standard slice of midtempo R&B that seems to buck every trend going: there's no Europop-inspired beat, no futuristic vocal effects and, perhaps most surprisingly, no Akon or Ne-Yo to be found. This may be a welcome relief to some, but it has the unfortunate effect of making 'One Step At A Time' sound a bit like a Kelly Rowland album track from 2003.

DigitalSpy.com