The New Vitamin C?

Nothing is more annoying than a new artist.

Whenever a newbie hits the scene, there tends to be an overwhelming gust of buzz surrounding his or her "fresh and new" sound. If that artist can play her own instrument, the kudos is doubled.

Jem, a young Swedish pop singer/songwriter, attempts to stall that revolving door of fads with her debut release, "Finally Woken." All within the confines of tidy, radio-friendly pop, Jem's beats randomly dig burrows into hip-hop, orchestral rock and the sweetest of bubble gum pop.

Opening the disc with a sort of Dido-meets-The Streets bopper, "They" is as bumpy as any Outkast song, but without their irreverent irony. Mixing sampled orchestral music with a Casio keyboard-like bass line, it's easily the catchiest track, and a nice opener. It hints early on that good things are to come.

Sadly, it all comes tumbling down soon after.

Jem's monotone and airy whisk of a voice, often compared to that of Dido, is the dullest-sounding on "Come on Closer," which also utilizes "They's" orchestral pop sound, a sound that has gained popularity lately with the Verve Remixed collection.

The tides turn on "Save Me," a pseudo-reggae snooze fest that not only fails to transport the listener to a sunny tropical island, it can't even save itself. It drags on and goes absolutely nowhere.

Not until the Vitamin C "I think I'm a surfer" poppycock of "Wish I" and "Just a Ride" does it become clear that Jem's future in the music industry is probably not as secure as her opening track might have suggested.

Thankfully, the disc caps itself off with a bare-boned acoustic ballad, "Flying High." It's actually the only truly original track Jem offers, and it's sweet as can be.

It's easy to call a new artist incredible just because they're new. Jem's debut isn't incredible - far from it, actually - but its valiant opening and closing tracks do warrant at least a partial listen.