Kat DeLuna - 9 Lives

With four years of opera training behind her, it's clear that 19-year-old pop singer Kat Deluna -- who was born in the Bronx, spent several years in Santo Domingo, and eventually returned to the U.S. -- wasn't signed merely on the basis of her looks and passable ability to carry a tune. Her debut, 9 Lives, features credible streaks of dancehall, Latin pop, Euro-pop, modern R&B, freestyle and yes, (albeit to a much lesser extent) opera as well. To Deluna (who co-wrote everything) and her producer Redone's credit, the album never quite sounds calculated or unnatural. Read More