Customer Reviews

Wild Hope

5 star:		(73)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I feel like I listened to a different album than the other two reviewers so far did. Mandy Moore started out with So Real, an album that even Mandy admits she didn't like. On that album, she was just another Britney clone, without as many guilty pleasures. The CD I Wanna Be With You featured the title ballad that was a departure, but the CD was pretty much the same. The self-titled album showed growth with some good hooks, but Mandy's vocal maturation wasn't complete. Coverage showed her able to tackle some classic songs. Now, on Wild Hope, Mandy has made a gem of a CD that has confident vocals and sparkling folk/pop songs. Her voice can sound higher on "Extraordinary," or lower and soulful on "Nothing That You Are" and "Few Days Down." Collaborating with acclaimed artists like The Weepies, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Lori McKenna has helped Mandy form her own sound. An album that's a bit comparable is Jewel's Spirit, but Wild Hope is a bit more classic pop than that CD. Mandy manages to create artistic songs that also have strong melodies. The melodies might not all be radio friendly, but listen enough and you will be humming the songs. "Wild Hope," really pure folk, just might be my favorite song. Mandy has really surprised me with this amazing CD!

Some of the reviews for "Wild Hope" are ridiculously divisive and, frankly, I don't see the need for it. People should step back, take a breath, and remember that musical tastes (for both artists and listeners) change over time, and Mandy Moore is no exception. I personally love her old stuff, and it still plays regularly in my deck, but "Wild Hope" has earned it's place there, as well. Instead of comparing this offering with her older collection, it is necessary to examine it in it's own right. Many people are decrying that they expected 'more', be that lyrically, vocally, or in terms of maturation. Mandy Moore is twenty-three years old, not forty. I think "Wild Hope" speaks volumes of where she is in her life right now, and I'm grateful to be along for the ride.

The bottom line: Moore is a superior vocalist compared to most of her contemporaries and manages to make even the weakest songs shine. Her previous CDs were littered with both gems and a few clinkers. Fortunately, there are no weak songs on this album. Perhaps people are reacting to the genre or another nebulous construct, but I consider this to be very fitting with my view of who Mandy is (and BTW, I have no problems understanding her vocals - a lyric sheet is unnecessary). Every note is infused with gentle passion, her interpretation belies her years, and I find her writing interesting and provocative without being shameless or melodramatic. Standout tracks include the much-heralded 'Gardenia', 'Looking Forward to Looking Back', 'Slummin' in Paradise', and the title track. If you like Moore, you'll like this, provided you accept that she's an actual person with thoughts and opinions, and not a mindless corporate drone. This has been in my player 24/7 for almost a week and will undoubtedly stay there for the foreseeable future.

Mandy Moore's musical career has always taken an odd trajectory. Back at the turn of the century, she was one of several teen popsters trying to make a dent on the charts and compete with Britney and Christina. The sad truth was Moore always came in fourth(yes, even behind Jessica Simpson), largely due to the fact that there was always something so earnest about her personality that betrayed the manufactured pop she was shilling(and has since disowned). And that's not to say it was all bad either--"Candy" was one of the better assembly line hits of that time, and to this day her 2001 set remains the classiest teen pop album released in the last decade(and better than anything Britney, Christina, or Jessica have released to date). Nevertheless, Moore took a drastic detour with 2003's COVERAGE, a rather ambitious set of remakes that on a whole was respectable but nothing extraordinary. WILD HOPE is a natural extension of that album, as Moore continues to release her inner singer-songwriter, this time with help from several musicians( most notably Lori McKenna and Chantal Kreviazuk). The results are more often than not fantastic, with some probably comparing it to Joni Mitchell or even Sheryl Crow, but to me more reminiscent of Jewel's last album or even her THIS WAY set. The album is nicely balanced between midtempo tracks and piano ballads(highlights include "Extraordinary", "All Good Things", "Few Days Down" and the the strangely Fleetwood Mac-sounding "Nothing That You Are"), all pulled together by John Alagia's clean production and Moore's increasingly mature vocal work. Considering Moore's previous chart success(or lack thereof), this will probably be well regarded by the press but overlooked by music buyers, which is a shame because it's one of the best things going in pop music right now.

As a folk-pop singer-songwriter fan of a certain age, I probably have a different viewpoint regarding this album than some previous reviewers. In fact, I never paid any attention at all to Mandy Moore's CDs until I began reading favorable reviews of "Coverage" from familiar veteran critics. So I bought the album, was pleasantly surprised by Mandy's abilities as a adult-pop interpretive singer. Her latest release,"Wild Hope" not only demonstrates Moore's vocal talents, but also showcases her gifts as a songwriter. (As others have noted, she co-wrote all of the tracks on the new CD.)
Stylistically, the songs range from the pure folk-pop sound of the title track, "Wild Hope" to the 70s soft rock of "Nothing That You Are" (which is very reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac). But most of the tracks fall somewhere between these two extremes. Particularly noteworthy are "Most Of Me" and "Looking Forward to Looking Back", both of which have strong Joni Mitchell influence in the vocal line. A fine effort by Mandy, one which I would expect to appeal to fans of Norah Jones, Jewel, and Sarah McLachlan. One of the best new albums I've heard so far this year - highly recommended!

My heart soars... my mind is boggled! MANDY? Is this really Mandy Moore? Tell me this is not the same girl who sang "CANDY"? I am speechless. This has got to be one of the best albums of the year!! "Few Days Down" and "Wild Hope" are just breathtaking...

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND PICK UP THIS ALBUM NOOOOOOOOOOOW! You won't be disappointed.

The TARGET version has two extra tracks you guys might want to take advantage of. Totally worth the trip... just wow.

I have always said that Mandy Moore sang better than Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson. Yet because Mandy always conducted herself with class and dignity, she got less airplay, and less press than trashy Britney or ditzy Jessica. Now, who has the last laugh? Mandy has a thriving film career and has just released her best CD yet. Every song on here is good, with the best (in my opinion) being Nothing That You Are, and Can't You Just Adore Her. This is music made for adults, laid back and easy going, with introspective lyrics. The shocker though is Gardenia. Just Mandy and a piano. She sings about how she let a former love consume her and how she is learning to be happy by herself. Chill inducing.

I am not a huge Mandy Moore fan, honestly just the sound of her voice used to annoy me. But thanks to broadband at work and a love for new music I gave her a quick listen. The cool thing is that I even played it again after I listened to it the first time. She finally found a sound that works for her. You can feel her in the lyrics, her voice sounds real (instead of like she's trying too hard to sound perfectly polished), and as a result you feel like you are really getting to know and love her. I hope she is very proud of this album, I love "Extraordinary"...makes you feel very empowered

I was 10 when Mandy Moore first came onto the scene with her single "Candy" and album "So Real." Her sound was just like Britney Spears/Jessica Simpson, but at my age then, the bubblegum lyrics were enough to keep me satisfied. However, where Britney/Jessica remain pop clones, Mandy has gradually matured and developed at the same time as I have gotten older and not been content with bubblegum crap anymore. I moved towards artists like Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, etc. and I feel like Mandy's new sound on this album is on the same level as these artists. I loved this album because it has such a wide of emotions, from the moody and reflective to in-your-face and angsty. I was waiting for her to make this album all along, because it represents who she truly is as an artist.

I typically don't bother to review music because usually the fans write glowing reviews and rate it a 5. The anti-fans came in to trash it and rate it a 1. It's boring and not terribly helpful. That said, I felt moved to rate this album. I was not a Mandy Moore fan, in fact I had never really heard her sing before. I previewed the album on AOL Listening Party and loved the country-inflected pop songs enough to go out and buy the album. It's not often I love a whole album and this one is my favorite album released this year. Stand out tracks for me are "Ladies Choice", "Gardenia", and "Slummin' in Paradise".

Mandy already surprised me with her album "Coverage" (2003), but this one is even better! Excellent music, funny and mature lyrics and a beautiful voice: that's the perfect combination for an album, and this is what "Wild Hope" has. Way to go Mandy!