Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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48 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mandy has shown amazing growth, June 19, 2007
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!
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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Was Worth Waiting For, June 24, 2007
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.
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29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Will Go Down As An Underrated Pop Gem, June 21, 2007
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.
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