Mandy Moore - Mandy Moore

These days there are more pop tarts on the charts than on the grocery shelves, and it's awfully hard to tell the kewpie pies apart. Granted Mandy Moore isn't exactly heading into Björk territory, but at least the 16-year-old is attempting to stake her own space. Jon Secada and Emilio Estefan Jr. supply Moore with percussive cuts like the single "In My Pocket" which is laced with a sinewy Middle Eastern sound. Moore also offers up jangly, breathy cuts like the heartfelt "17" which suit her cotton-candy vocals nicely. This isn't great art, but it is enjoyable, disposable pop, and that ain't shabby. --Amy Linden Amazon.com\'s Best of 2001

More mature with improved vocals, yet not super strong

I'll start off by saying that I'm a big fan of pop and I like all of the major U.S. pop singers/groups from 1997-2001. I even own at least the debut albums of Mandy, Jessica, Christina, and Britney, and I like all of them. And I think all of them have some type of talent or charisma (or both).

I must say that from what I heard of this album, I feel it was a step in the right direction for Mandy. Sure, she had a few catchy songs on the So Real album in terms of beats and lyrics, but her vocals weren't too good, and overall, the album was a little bit on the too cutesy side. After she released the "I Wanna Be With You" song, there was a major change in her vocals, in which she showed she had a nice quality to her voice, and I think it made people notice more that she was talented. She continued with the new style of singing on this album, and it helps to make this album a breath of fresh air compared to So Real. In fact, I must say that out of the four major young pop divas here in the U.S., Mandy is the only one who I feel has actually improved her vocals, while the others have gotten slightly worse or way worse, in my opinion.

However, I feel that though this album had better vocals and a more mature style that reflected Mandy growing as a person and an artist, it still suffers from something So Real did, and that is a lack of strong songs. I think that on a whole, the Mandy Moore album is more listenable, so I would call this album an improvement over So Real, but there are only a few standouts, and the rest of the songs are lukewarm and sort of dull to me. I believe she released the best songs ("In My Pocket," "Crush," "Cry"), but several of the other songs weren't enough to hold my attention.

For fans who prefer more "pure pop" or R&B tinged pop that some of the other pop stars are doing, this album might not be for you, because it's more rock influenced (think Michelle Branch, Avril, Ashlee, etc). I just think Mandy needs to get more strong songs for the whole album overall the next time she releases an album, and I think she'll be fine. Had this album even come out a year later (in 2002), I think it could have been more successful because other pop-rock artists such as Michelle Branch and Avril Lavigne were starting the young-female-pop-with-a-rock-edge movement in music, and I think Mandy could have fit right in. Best of luck in the future Mandy.

August 17, 2006

"Save my best behavior for a little later..."

Mandy Moore's self-titled third album is her all-time best work. She only penned one track, When I Talk To You but the rest of the songs are quite good and interesting. Standout tracks include: In my Pocket, Turn the Clock Around, 17, One Sided Love, Saturate Me, Cry, and Crush. The rest of the songs are just ok, kind of strange like the songs Yo-Yo, Split Chick, and From Loving You. On the song, Turn the Clock Around, Mandy shows tremendous growth as a singer, she sounds surprisely like Jewel on this particular track, "Maybe I never knew the rightaway, kept my love hidden underground..." She rocks, she soothes, she can intrigue a very stubborn listener into liking her unique sound. This album is not bubble gum pop, it's a very mature album from one of the better pop princess' of the late '90s. August 7, 2006

Widely overlooked and underrated

Out of all the albums that came out from the teen pop machine, I think Mandy Moore's self title album is a widely overlooked gem that deserves to be heard by all pop music lovers. Due to the lack of promotion, this album generally bombed though it managed to sell over a million copies worldwide and enabled Mandy to produce her final album for Epic 'Coverage'. This album is an artistic feather on Mandy's cap as it displayed the purity and appeal of Mandy's voice matched with diverse musical backdrops and brilliant songwriting that encapsulated the spirit of youth.

Most notable are the songs helmed by mega-producer Emilio Estefan who gave Mandy an eastern-asian vibe to all her songs never displayed before. Songs like 'In My Pocket', 'One Sided Love', and 'Saturate Me' would make you want to dance and get lost in the intoxicating rhythms and tribal yells. While on the other hand, heartfelt ballads like 'Cry', '17' and 'From Loving You' are perfect for a lazy, drippy Sunday afternoon. Perhaps a foreshadowing of Mandy's new alt-pop oriented direction are discerned in the album's best tracks: 'Split Chick', 'Yo-yo', 'Turn the Clock Around' and the unabashedness coyness of 'Crush'. Overall, I would recommend this album to everyone--the ballads sparkle, the guitar based tunes are spunked with attitude and the Estefan tracks are perfect for the dancefloor. Give this one a try--I'm sure you'll love it. March 22, 2006

A Discovery I Was Never Expecting....

All right ever since the age of thirteen I have broken away mainly from the pop scene, seeing it as shallow and unrealistic and with many pop artists they all sounded the same so I went out looking for new sound. I ended up hitting the adult alternative scene and never looked back. I am known for actually being fan of all the anti- Spears singers such as Alanis Morissette and Anna Nalick. Matter of fact the only reaosn I bought this album was for two songs- The Crush and In My Pocket songs that actually did catch my ear and I had a little extra money to play with so I thought why not get two fun songs?
For a long while I had put this album on shelf and only two weeks ago did I put it back in my computer just to listen to for fun from the first to last song. I found an amazing discovery- Mandy Moore is pretty good.
I will admit her songs are still layered with a lot of sugar but this light- hearted tenderness laced throughout the songs make for an enjoyable listen. Instead of acting like sex- craved tennager like Spears she actually seems like a girl who wants to mature and is proving it through songs such as Cry, Crush and When I Talk To You. These three songs show the blossoming maturity that Mandy could come well into if she follows an honest road to music. Her songs though are like fellow singer Cherie's, they are on only one subject and she should try to stretch into more mature songwriting. Her sound though is lovely and addictive after a few more listens. This is music you listen to when you're relaxed or want just a little tenderness to fill an otherwise stressful day.

I'll be interested in hearing Mandy Moore in the future, I hope she only grows more strong.

Best songs: In My Pocket, You Remind Me, Saturate Me, 17, Cry, Crush, It Only Took A Minute, and When I Talk To You. The rest of the songs fade compared to these tracks. February 16, 2006

Great album--needed more promotion

Britney Spears remains the most successful and influential of all the late '90s female pop stars, but Mandy Moore is the most believable. Sure, her late 1999 debut So Real didn't really do anything on the charts or musically ("Candy" proved to be the only real hit single from the record); 2000's I Wanna Be With You featured a nice title single, but lacked anything more. In 2001, though, Mandy Moore put out a self-titled truly sophomoric record she can be proud of. Even though it doesn't feature anything as indulgent as Britney's 2001 smash "Slave 4 U," Mandy Moore (the album) proves its prowess in terms of musical genius: "In My Pocket" combines Middle Eastern Bollywood with dance floor Top 40; "Cry" is the album's best song and most original; "Crush" is sweet, like "Walk Me Home," but like it lacks a major hook. Surely Moore's effort, deemed Best of Pop for 2001, would get the recognition from listeners as it did from critics; sadly, though, the record stalled soon after its release despite its critical acclaim. Never the less, Mandy Moore is a release truly worthy of its critical success, no matter what listeners think. January 31, 2006

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