I have this sneaking feeling that I may be about 15 years out of Britt Nicole’s target demographic. I do have a 2-year-old daughter, but she’s currently more into the Foo Fighters and The Black Keys than pop music. Still, I suppose I won’t be able to protect her forever. One day, I may just hear this sort of music in my house, and there’ll be nothing I can do about it. 

And really, it’s not all that bad. Nicole is basically the Christian facsimile of Katy Perry, with a bit of Kelly Clarkson sprinkled in for good measure. Her music is bright, cheerful and carefully sculpted. She generally pulls it off, too, particularly when it stays within her pop comfort zone. 

On more edgy fare (comparatively), such as “Ready or Not,” she does tend to sound like she’s trying too hard, but on Gold those moments aren’t too frequent. 

Nicole’s message is all about self-worth, encouragement in tough times, and a trust in God to come through. All up, this definitely isn’t the worst thing a young girl could be listening to. 

Three out of five stars