Jesse McCartney-Beautiful Soul 2004 CD ENHANCED

Like his label mate Hilary Duff, Jesse McCartney has both only recently gotten his driver's license and is already a seasoned pro in the entertainment industry. He's already had soap opera parts and a fair amount of success with the sugary teen pop band Dream Street.

Beautiful Soul doesn't fall far from that tree. Where Dream Street relied on silky smooth harmonies, McCartney is on his own here. And he pulls it off -- although with only slightly more ease than, say, a 16-year-old meeting the parents of his first date. Much as he might aspire to be George Michael in looks and pipes, there's no substituting maturity. But if you take into account boyish charm, which he has by the bucket full, there's a lot more to like about this album than there otherwise might be. He didn't make this album for mom and dad, anyway. He made it for their teenage girls, and they're going to swoon over Jesse McCartney.

Which makes him more like Steve Perry, and that makes "Why Don't You Kiss Her?" adorable. Every ninth grade girl has had these feelings and McCartney gives them a voice. He's young, which means he's not yet jaded. It's that fresh sincerity that carries the day for him.

Likewise, that first meeting in the hall with the pretty new girl in school is chronicled in "What's Your Name?" Oh, it's not as clever as a John Hughes movie, but it's still easy to visualize the new brat pack in a video (Lindsey Lohan? Mandy Moore? Maybe even Hilary Duff?)

Nor is there a hint of the cynicism that seemed to surround previous boy band stars NSync, Backstreet Boys, New Kids or New Edition. Someone wisely allowed him to stay a kid and sing to kids for just a little longer. "She's No You" is a sort of litany of adolescent foibles -- jealousy, new found feelings and insecurity, for instance. Parents might imagine that first date for their teenager, perhaps hoping the boy comes across as nice as Jesse McCartney.

Beautiful Soul can't exactly be called "family" entertainment because it's only made for the adolescent members of the family. But for them, it's great. The songs are good, at times very sweet, and McCartney's voice shows the promise of a fine career in the future. And with this album, parents can relax and let kids be kids.

By Ian Reif