JS “Ice Cream” (Dreamworks)

Compare to: Brandy, Monica, Destiny’s Child

Rating: 2

The Johnson Sisters, or as they like to refer to themselves, JS, have created an album lacking any impact or character whatsoever. Their debut album, “Ice Cream,” is a collection of typical R&B music at its very worst. This CD is truly awful.

The first track, “Love Angel,” is the perfect lead-in to an album of this stature. It introduced me to the uncomfortable and disgusted feeling I would continue to receive upon hearing the remainder of “Ice Cream.”

The breakthrough single from this album is the title track. This song is by far the most ridiculous song on this record. The lyrics it presents contain a seductively cheesy quality. With lines like, “Baby, can’t you picture my body on the cone,” or, “JS got the flavors that I know will drive you crazy,” I couldn’t help myself from having a good laugh at its expense.

And as if one version of this horrible song wasn’t enough, track seven contains an equally bad remix of “Ice Cream.”

The worst part about this album is its tendency to sound like constant backup singing. Perhaps this has something to do with the Johnson sisters’ history as backup singers for artists like The Isley Brothers, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson and Sting.

This backup singing quality makes for a major lack of variation, which ultimately stems into the utter blandness surrounding this entire assortment of music.

R. Kelly and Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers are big helpers on “Ice Cream.”

R. Kelly wrote more than half of the songs on the CD. Due to many of the songs being completely dreadful, this album really doesn’t say much about his song writing abilities.

Isley provides the vocals to the best song on the disc, where — coincidentally — JS performs as backup singers.

— Annie Krumhardt

Eve 6 “It’s All In Your Head” (RCA)

Compare to: Nirvana, Blink 182, Weezer

Rating: 6

The long-awaited second album from Eve 6 “It’s All In Your Head” varies more in sound than their first effort. There are three different styles on this CD: punk, alternative and hard edge rock.

The record starts with the song “Without You Here,” which sounds like BIink 182’s upbeat style. The guitars are playing in full force as the band sings loudly in the background. This song is more punk than anything else — adding to the expressive jive of the record.

Not all of the sound is as upbeat as the initial entry of “It’s All in Your Head.”

“Hey Montana” is a completely acoustic song. The singer, Max Collins, sounds a lot like Kurt Cobain from the Nirvana song “Come As You Are.” It is a refreshing move for Eve 6, showing their creative side.

The second track, called “Think Twice,” adds more flavor. The song is about a guy telling another guy to stay away from his girl — something not often talked about in the music world.

The difference in this track is the anger you can hear from the singer’s voice. It sounds a lot like Weezer’s “The Sweater Song.”

Throughout the tracks it sounds like the same thing over and over again: A guy yelling into a microphone about things he would have changed, or he wished wouldn’t have happened to him.

This gets old fast.

There are a lot of other bands in the music business talking about how they wished something wouldn’t have happened to them. Couldn’t Eve 6 have found something else to sing about?

Despite the difference in sound, this record is still missing something. None of the lyrics really stick out like they did in their previous album. They are more hard-edged in “It’s All in Your Head,” but fail to be the thorn in the side of someone’s body.

— Xiomara Levsen