When picking songs for a new album, Jordan Pruitt invokes her "5-second rule." If the track doesn't grab her in five seconds, forget it. No way that the song is right for her. If it passes the test, then Jordan goes with her instincts. And they haven't failed her yet. Jordan has reaped great success since the release of her 2006 Hollywood Records debut, "No Ordinary Girl." But cross-country tours and a string of hit singles were only the beginning for this gifted 17-year-old. Now a little older and a lot wiser, Jordan Pruitt returns with "Permission to Fly," her irresistible new Hollywood Records Album.

Working with a team of top songwriter/producers – including Shelly Peiken (Christina Aguilera, Michelle Branch, Keith Urban), Arnthor Birgisson (Enrique Iglesias, Celine Dion), Tim James & Antonina Armato (Miley Cyrus, Aly & AJ, Vanessa Hudgens), Adam Watts & Andy Dodd (Jesse McCartney) – Jordan injected a renewed self-awareness into the Album's 12 tracks, several of which she co-wrote. She still sings about the purer pleasures of being a teen, but between the lines, it's clear: Jordan isn't a kid anymore. "I kind of grew up after the first record was done," she says. "I became more of myself. I really found out who I was and what I wanted to be."

The album kicks off with "My Shoes," a fun hyper-syncopated song about seeking a little empathy, punctuated with Jordan's own layered harmonies. In straight-up pop songs like "I Was In Love for a Day," "I'm Gone," and her sensational remake of the Temptations' classic "The Way You Do The Things You Do," Jordan let her fun side run wild. She shows a flash of old school R&B in "Simple Things," and goes back further with the be-bop-flavored harmonies in "Secrets." But Jordan has had her share of life lessons, which she shares in tracks like "I Wanna Go Back" and the title track, "Permission to Fly," which she calls "an empowerment song, about spreading your wings and becoming a young woman."

In "Unconditional," she sings of the abiding faith that carries through the rough patches. "Always," co-written by Jordan is about the difficulties of keeping a relationship going. Perhaps the Album's biggest surprise is "One Love," a bright reggae-influenced song filled with boundless humanity and loving spirit.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Jordan Pruitt Album without an abundance of spirit. Though still young, Jordan takes seriously her responsibility to try to heal the world, even just a little bit, through music.

Hailing from Loganville, Georgia, Jordan grew up in a close musical family (her Dad was a song leader at church). Beginning at age 4, Jordan started singing in public, working her way up to crowds of thousands at venues like Centennial Olympic Park, Stone Mountain, Six Flags Over Georgia and Atlanta's Fox Theater. Soon enough, she entered a Nashville studio, cutting the demos that clinched her Hollywood Records deal.

Even before the release of her debut Album, Jordan generated widespread excitement, with the track "Outside Looking In," generating a million early spins on her MySpace page. www.myspace/jordanpruitt
The track was also featured in the Disney Channel film "Read It And Weep."

In 2006 and 2007, Jordan had four videos featured on the Disney Channel, not to mention constant airplay on Radio Disney. On tour, she opened for the Cheetah Girls and Vanessa Hudgens, and later opened for the sold-out 40 city American tour of Disney’s "High School Musical: The Concert." Over a period of months, Jordan toured with Corbin Bleu, Drake Bell, Plain White Tees, and the Jonas Brothers as well as headlining several shows. More recently, she performed at the International AIDS Conference at Rick Warren's Saddleback Church in Southern California.

Coinciding with the release of "Permission to Fly," Jordan has signed on as the spokesperson for several multi-media national marketing campaigns with Kraft, Kimberly-Clark, Colgate-Palmolive, Samsung and the Limited Too brands. In addition, her revamped Web site www.jordanpruittvip.com features all kinds of new features and exclusive access options. Jordan will even be writing a regular blog while on tour this summer.

Though constantly busy, Jordan makes a point of returning to her small-town Tennessee home as often as she can. There, she hangs with family and friends, and, as she says, "for a day or two I can just be Jordy." But then it's back to work. Fun as that work is, Jordan knows she has a special responsibility. "I have that fan base of younger girls that look up to me," she says. "There is a need for a great girl role model out there today and I'm totally up for that. In singing pop music, I put really positive and uplifting messages in my songs."

That's plainly evident in her new album, about which she says "I put more sweat into this than anything I've ever done." Permission to fly? No permission necessary. Jordan Pruitt's took off long ago, and she will be on the wing for a long time to come.
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When picking songs for a new album, Jordan Pruitt invokes her "5-second rule." If the track doesn't grab her in five seconds, forget it. No way that the song is right for her. If it passes the test, then Jordan goes with her instincts. And they haven't failed her yet. Jordan has reaped great success since the release of her 2006 Hollywood Records debut, "No Ordinary Girl." But cross-country tours and a string of hit singles were only the beginning for this gifted 17-year-old. Now a little older... (read more)