What happens when bubblegum pop doesn’t stick? While other teen singers like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were reveling in late-’90s pop success, actress Jennifer Love Hewitt’s pop-happy tunes never quite caught on. Unfortunately in the pop biz, a strong voice does little to make up for awful songwriting. The actress, who starred in the TV drama Party of Five and the movie I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, released a staggering six total albums, with her first one at age 12.
The only track to snag a post on the Billboard 100 was 1999’s “How Do I Deal,” which made it to No. 59. A few more albums from 2002 to 2007 saw only overseas success, and Hewitt retreated from the music biz to focus on her CBS show, the supernatural weepie Ghost Whisperer. This year, however, she’s back, and going country: her new album is in the works for 2010. Seventh time’s the charm?