Paula Abdul

Released in 1989, Paula Abdul's debut dominated the airwaves with four No. 1 singles and sold several million copies, propelling the former cheerleader and choreographer to superstar status. Sassy vocals and energetic production work together perfectly, especially on classics like "Straight Up" and "Cold Blooded."

If Debbie Gibson already has platinum imitators, there's more to the world than is dreamt of in Madonna's philosophy. This unthreateningly dusky disco-dolly-next-door plays the field romantic-metaphorwise, with a weakness for can't-help-myself. She's less imitator than imitation, short on tokens of self-creation--her only writing credit is also the only time she threatens to play around. (Grade - C)