Before being known as the well known actress she is today, Mandy Moore was a pop singer. She came out around the same time as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson. Her first album, "So Real" didn't become the hit album that the label had hoped for so they re-tooled the album as "I Wanna Be With You". Her next two albums, the self-titled "Mandy Moore" and "Coverage" were much different from her previous records. "Mandy Moore" was more R&B and pop while "Coverage" had an adult-alternative/folk-rock sound. After "Coverage", she released two greatest hits albums, "The Best of Mandy Moore" and "Candy" before parting with her label at the time, Epic Records. Today I'll be reviewing her third album, the self-titled, "Mandy Moore", so here's my track by track review.
1) In My Pocket: The first single from the album. The song was musically different and mature from her previous singles. Although it wasn't a hit in the U.S., it did chart very well in Australia. The video for the song was pretty cool. 10/10
2) You Remind Me: Another great song. I love the chorus, "You remind me of a love I knew, feels so weird it must be deja vu." 10/10
3) Saturate Me: This song was released as a double a-side single in Asia, along with the song, "17". I think this song should've been released as the fourth single in the U.S. and everywhere else because it probably would've charted better than the other singles did. The third verse is my favorite. 10/10
4) One Sided Love: The guitar part in the intro gets stuck in my head a lot. The song talks about how you're sick of giving your all in the relationship when the other person isn't giving their all. This should've been a single! It's my one of favorites as well. 10/10
5) 17: Compared to the previous four songs, this one feels a little weak. It was released as a double a-side single in Asia along with the song, "Saturate Me". I get "Saturate Me" being a single, but "17" not so much. Although it's a relatable song to anyone who's 17, and it was for me at that age, it kind of gets boring after a couple listens. 7/10
6) Cry: If you're a hardcore fan of Mandy Moore than you know this song. It was released as the third and final singe from the album. It was also in the movie "A Walk to Remember", which Mandy Moore started in. Although it didn't become a huge hit in the U.S., it's a fan favorite as well as Mandy's favorite song on the album. The video was the first to show Mandy as a brunette, her previous videos showed her as a blonde, and the video in a way acts as a conclusion to the movie. Awesome song. 10/10
7) Crush: The second single from the album. This is my favorite song on the whole album. The video for the song also became Mandy's first number 1 video on Total Request Live. The video used a slightly different version of song and showed Mandy performing with her band, wearing a red jacket similar to the one in Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video, as well as her smiling at her crush at the end of the video. 10/10
8) It Only Took a Minute: Despite it's great production, the song itself is weak. I go back and forth from liking it to hating it. 5/10
9) Turn the Clock Around: I love this song. It's around liking someone but you know nothing can happen between the two of you because the person you like is leaving town the next day and on top of that you haven't told them how you feel so you wish that you could turn the clock around to have more time with that person. Who can relate to this one? I'm pretty sure a lot of people. The sad part is the last verse where you're about to tell the person but they're already gone. It makes me sad but I still love the song. 10/10
10) Yo-Yo: Ever have someone who keeps bringing you down and then all of a sudden they want you back and keep do the same thing they did before? This song is about that! I can relate to this song too well. I love the part where she sings "I'm not a yo-yo, I don't come back when I'm thrown." meaning she's done repeating the same thing with the person because that person won't change. 10/10
11) From Loving You: Talks about the first time you felt what love is. Despite being written by Diane Warren and that Mandy's vocals are great, the song's not good but it's not bad either. It's just in between. 6/10
12) Split Chick: The song is pretty catchy and is a guilty pleasure of mine. It also seems like Mandy's having fun singing the song. But it's still not as good as some of the other songs on this album. 8/10
13) When I Talk to You: The only song on the album that Mandy co-wrote. It starts out on acoustic guitar and later a violin is added onto this ballad. Although it highlights her amazing voice, I don't listen to it much. 8/10
After she parted ways with Epic Records, she released two new albums, "Wild Hope" and "Amanda Leigh." I still love this album though. My favorite songs on this album are "Crush", "One Sided Love", "Turn the Clock Around", "Yo-Yo", "Saturate Me", "You Remind Me", "Cry" and "In My Pocket". Out of 130 points I give the album 114 points which is 87%, a B+. Mandy Moore is working on her seventh album now and I can't wait to hear it!
No comments:
Post a Comment