American Juniors

American Juniors' high powered kid pop is difficult to turn off. Where else can you hear Journey's perennial Junior High slow dance favorite "Open Arms" performed by actual Junior High School kids? "More Today Than Yesterday," and "Proud Mary" are rockin', but you get plenty of original songs as well. Good, clean stuff.

Coming from a bunch of precocious preteens, the usual American Idol schmaltz is somehow
easier to take. Like their older counterparts, most of these kids are more suited for
Broadway than the pop world, but the bouncy production on the less obvious tunes ("Build
Me Up Buttercup" -- yuck) could produce a few Radio Disney smashes. CHRISTIAN HOARD
(RS 932, October 2, 2003)