It’s pretty easy to make a hit these days: insert 808s, heavy bass, a catchy hook and a cute face. Mix well. Repeat 10 times and you have an album. The difficulty comes in finding a sound that breaks from the mold and enters into the realm of actual high quality. Only time will tell if Kourtney Heart will ever be considered among the R&B greats, but it’s not for lack of trying.

We all know “My Boy,” the bounce music jam featuring Magnolia Shorty. It’s an undeniable hit and the track that got Heart on the map, but greatness is measured by the quality of the songs that don’t necessarily dominate airwaves.

Her debut album Eye Dee Kay is a worthy project that lives up to the hype built by the success of “My Boy”. The album starts with another club banger in the fast-paced “Turn Me Up” and follows with the radio-friendly “Spell It Out,” complete with the very clichéd spelling of “love” on the hook.

But Heart’s musical prowess comes to the forefront on the sexy “Blush,” which uses double-timed drums over slowed-down 808s recalling a Timbaland/Aaliyah hit. Heart is downright sexy, softly crooning through the song.

Unfortunately the album ends with the trite and mildly awkward “Wish I Was Older,” a song about lusting over a boy four years older than her at church. It’s a far cry from the seductress we hear on “Blush” and the introspective ballad “Pretend”.

Eye Dee Kay is a promising debut from a great voice looking for that hit to propel her to the next level (Since this review was written, she was signed to Jive Records.—ED.). If this album is any indication, a catalogue of critically acclaimed tracks shouldn’t be far behind.