Before Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato became stars on Disney channel with Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, and Sonny with a Chance, Hilary Duff was around with her show Lizzie McGuire. Over the years Hilary has released a couple albums, done some TV shows and movies, got married, had a kid, and is now working on a new album. On top of that she's also managed to remain a positive model through the years. Today I'll be reviewing second album, the self-titled "Hilary Duff" which was released after 10 years ago, so here's my track by track review.
1) Fly: This was the album's first single and in some places in the world it was the only single from the album. The video featured Hilary performing at her "Most Wanted" concert tour. Although an uplifting song it failed to chart on the billboard charts. 9/10
2) Do You Want Me?: When I bought the album, this song was one of the songs I skipped. A year later I gave it a chance and was pleasantly surprised. The verses start slow with an upbeat chorus. Very pop/rock and different from her last album. 9/10
3) Weird: This was apparently Hilary's favorite song on the album. At one point she even wanted it to be a single. She did get her wish but it was only released in Spain. The name of the song title says it all. It's just WEIRD. No other way to describe it. 7/10
4) Hide Away: An amazing ballad. Although she struggles trying hit some notes in the chorus the song is great, especially the third verse. I would've loved to see a video for it. 10/10
5) Mr. James Dean: One of the three songs that Hilary wrote as well as her sister Haylie. The song was rumored to be about her ex-boyfriend Aaron Carter. Hilary never confirmed or denied it though. Lyrically it's great but vocally it's alright. It'd be great if she didn't shouting the parts she does in the chorus and at the end of the song. 8/10
6) Underneath This Smile: "Underneath This Smile, my world is slowly caving in". How many people can relate to this? I know I can. On this song Hilary doesn't sing the first two verse but instead does spoken word but just saying them. Although it fits the song it kind of takes away the message of the song. 8/10
7) Dangerous to Know: I wouldn't have expected Hilary to do a song like this since it has a done-undertone to it. It seems like an outtake that Evanescence or Kelly Clarkson did. Although it's perfect for Halloween, it's hard to believe Hilary singing a song so dark when she's known for her Disney background. 8/10
8) Who's That Girl?: Another song that I used to skip. Although the music to the song is great it takes a couple of listens before you think it's a decent song. It tells a great story though. 7/10
9) Shine: It seems that the theme of this album was self-empowerment with song like this one, "Underneath This Smile", and "Fly". I like this song and after "Who's That Girl", it's good to hear a happy song like this. 9/10
10) I Am: "I'm an angel, I'm a devil, I am sometimes in between". With lyrics that are so relatable, it's hard not to listen to it. It is strange, however that the song was written by Diane Warren who is known for writing songs for Toni Braxton, Brandy, and Celine Dion. It was released as a single to Radio Disney but didn't have a video. 9/10
11) The Getaway: This was supposed to be the second single from the album but apparently do to what some people called "a sudden drop" in sales for the album, the single ended up being cancelled. That really sucks especially when it was a great song and probably would've been a hit on radio. Although it did get some airplay, it's a shame we never got a video or full release as a single for the song. 10/10
12) Cry: This song is kinda boring. I always skip it. 4/10
13) Haters: This song was also co-written by both Hilary and Haylie Duff. The song gained a lot of controversy when it was rumored to be about Hilary's supposed rival, Lindsay Lohan. Hilary said that wasn't about her though. At one point Hilary had considered releasing the song as the second single from the album (maybe that's why I heard it on my radio a few times in '04), but she changed her mind to releasing "Weird". I wonder if it was because of the controversy that "Haters" got that she changed her mind. Hmmm... 10/10
14) Rock This World: This was the third song that Hilary co-wrote and she co-wrote it without her sister. It sounds like a mixture of bubblegum pop mixed with pop rock music. The song was later remixed for her greatest hits album "Most Wanted". I have to say this version of the song is not as good as the version on "Most Wanted". 8/10
15) Someone's Watching Over Me: If you saw Hilary's film, "Raise Your Voice", then you know this song. It was released as the second single in Australia. The song did have a video but the video was the performance scene taken from the film. 8/10
16) Jericho: Like the previous song, this song was also in "Raise Your Voice" where it's heard in the beginning and at the end of the movie. It's my favorite song on the album and I wish it was released as a single in the U.S. A remixed version of the song was released as a single in Japan though. 10/10
17) The Last Song: Hilary's sister, Haylie co-wrote this one. The song, being less than a minute and a half, serves as an outro for the record. I question why it's on here since it's not really needed. 4/10
Hilary had attempted to make this album more rock than her first album, "Metamorphosis", and although it's pretty good it does feel like she tried to make it sound like something Avril Lavigne or Ashlee Simpson would've released. But that's probably one of the reasons why I like this album so much. My favorite songs are: Jericho, Haters, The Getaway, Hide Away, Rock This World, Fly, Shine, Mr. James Dean and Underneath This Smile. Out of 170 points I give the album 136 which is 80%, a B. Awesome job Hilary and I can't wait for the album!
No comments:
Post a Comment