Mix a Celine Dion wannabe with a French beauty and an up and coming actress. Here comes Lacey Chabert, a nineteen-year-old French singer and actress, with her debut album titled Cherie. "Cherie," a French term of endearment, is a nickname that Chabert obtained from childhood friends.

Her sampler presents fives songs: "I’m Ready," "Older Than My Years," "It’s Your Love," "Betcha Never," and "My Way Back Home." The album will be in stores June 15, 2004.

Unoriginal and boring lyrics downplay Chabert’s strong yet generic voice. The song "I’m Ready" contains parts of the guitar lick from Foreigner’s "Urgent" written by Mick Jones and published by Somerset Songs Publishing Co. The Disney movie, "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," gave this song high exposure.

"It’s Your Love" is another song that she remakes. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill originally sing this song as a duet. She belts out this song solo but the effect is weak compared to the country artists. Although "I’m Ready" is appropriately cited as not being her own creation, "It’s Your Love," a song that is definitely not her own, is not mentioned as McGraw’s and Hill’s work. This absence of explanation is misleading and confusing.

Chabert connects with "Older Than My Years." The song drones on about a girl telling her boyfriend that she is stronger than he is, singing in the song, " My love is older than my years/ It’s wiser than your fears." This theme might be touching if it were not so overused in the young, female, pop culture.

The CD is targeted toward older teens because of the seriousness of her tone and dramatic words. The overall effect is a mediocre. Her voice is dominating but nothing special to the average listener.

A talented young woman with packed resume, Chabert plays a part in the new movie, "Mean Girls" and has been the voice of cartoon characters from Nickelodeon cartoons such as "Hey Arnold!" and "The Wild Thornberries." She played Cosette for two years on Broadway in the musical "Les Miserable." A native French speaker, she can also sing in English, Italian, and Spanish. Chabert also played Claudia Salinger in the TV series "Party of Five."

Chabert is a name to know for the future, but not for too long. Young girls might enjoy her flimsy hold on the spotlight temporarily. However, as just another pretty face in the crowd, she has not offered anything creative or inspiring to the music world. With her lame lyrics, her CD sampler is barely appealing. More success for this aspiring star may lie in the acting business. "Betcha Never" want to buy this CD.