Mandy Moore has come
along way since her teen-pop days, where the best that she could muster was the
hit single "Candy'. In fact, apart from her 2003 covers album, Coverage she’d probably prefer us to
forget she recorded the rest.
However, 2007 was an
incredibly good year for Moore. In her own right she become a
well-respected Hollywood actress, and finally released an album that
cements her place as a singer-songwriter.
Wild Hope brings a
seasoned maturity to Moore’s music, and while her voice is not distinctive,
there is something charming about Mandy Moore all the same.
Written by Moore with
the help of other great musicians such as Rachael Yamagata, Lori McKenna, and
The Weepies, the album has songs that will help her find a place among the
likes of other adult-contemporary artists such as Sarah McLachlan, and Anna
Nalick.
One of the things I
like about this album is that while other teen singers such as Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears are still trying to move teens out
onto the dance floor with their music, Moore isn’t even attempting to do so.
Instead she has taken
a leaf from the likes of Sheryl Crow, and remained on the outer, producing
songs that have far more quality and substance and less bump and grind
Wild Hope is an album
that bounces between upbeat indie-inspired tracks and folk inspired songs,
resulting in an honest album. Kicking off with ‘Extraordinary’, which became
her first single and shows a different Mandy Moore, driven by acoustics to
match her whispery vocals.
‘All Good Things’ and
‘Slummin in Paradise’ musically are the same as ‘Extraordinary’ before Moore
switches to a more upbeat approach with ‘Most of Me’, which shows Moore’s
vocals at their strongest.
Another favorite is
the alt-rocker ‘Latest Mistake’ and the country-style ‘Can’t You Just Adore
Her?’, in which Moore paints herself as just a girl wanting to be loved.
In all, a great effort
by Ms Moore, and for fans of female singer-songwriters who want a mixture of
alt/indie/country wrapped into one album then this is the one for you. That is,
if you can get past the fact that this is a Mandy Moore album.
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