Album Review: Mandy Moore – ‘Wild Hope’

By Jeff Swindoll Jul 10, 2007, 21:10 GMT

Back in the 1990s, when Mandy Moore was still trying to outmaneuver fellow junior glamazons Britney, Jessica, and Christina up the pop charts, the best song she was able to pull from her bag of tricks was "Candy," a tune that was way more Twizzler than Starburst. Cut to 2007: Moore, a respected Hollywood actress (never mind the Diane Keaton dud Because I Said So), has made a record that ...more

I’ll have to admit that my familiarity with Mandy Moore comes from her film roles and not from her music.  Although that may not be true to a degree since I reviewed the film American Dreamz where she both sang and acted. 

Moore has been on the music scene since her debut album ‘So Real’ was released in 1999.  I probably shouldn’t say anything to invoke the wrath of her fans, but I can’t help but compare ‘Wild Hope’ to Kelly Clarkson’s ‘My December.’  Before you start sharpening the knives, I come here to say nice things about Mandy Moore not trash her.   

Actually it probably wasn’t helpful that I had to review these back to back since they seem to be the flipside of each other.  Is it a good album?  Yes, and very listenable.  However, it has more radio friendly songs than Clarkson’s album. 

Even when Moore does a bit of introspection on the title track, “Wild Hope,” it still has an upbeat quality to it (to my untrained ear).  Moore wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album and there are some good ones. 

I can’t say that one album trumped the other.  Moore’s album is more mature than what I recall of some of her previous output but it does have a bounciness (even when repressed) that probably makes it more palatable to radio audiences. 

I’m sure Moore’s fans will be pleased and those that hear it on the radio will be as well.

‘Wild Hope’ is now available at Amazon. Visit the music database for more information.