Mandy Moore

Coverage

great effort, some gems,

Review Score:

(8/10)
I give this an album an "A" for effort, a B for Ms. Moore' singing and a B- for the production.

I have no argument with the song choice, for the most part. Obviously Ms. Moore (or her management) picked some great would-be standards from the past 30 years. And when the production clicks the result are pretty sublime, but that rarely happens here.

The playing on this record is top notch, don't get me wrong, but so many effects and literal bells and whistles are added that the record ends up sound frantic and over busy. And the placement of Ms Moore's voice is uneven, sometimes pushing way out front of the music, other times getting lost in it.

Highlights-
"Senses Working Overtime"- I remember hearing this the other day (the XTC version) and remakring how odd the lyrics were and how the heck did Mandy Moore think she was going to sing about that!? Well, she handles it very well. But the real star here is the pretty much pitch perfect production work. Yes, a little frantic, but for a fast punchy pop song it works. This should have been the first single...
"Whole of the Moon" - one of the best love songs ever, Ms. Moore's vocals here show some emotion (so the speak) unlike most of the rest of the album. I still prefer the original, but a classy cover.
"Drop the Pilot" Frankly an odd choice from Joan Armatrading's catalog for a singer. There are plenty of other songs that would have showcased Ms Moore's vocals (Show Some Emotion, Cool Blue, I'm Lucky- just to name a few). Still, the song perculates along nicely.

Lowlights-
"Have a Little Faith In Me" bland, washed out. Radio will probably lap it up but it ends the album on a bad note.
"Anticipation" another colorless cover, it suffers from a distinct lack of imagination so clearly present on "Senses Working Overitme"

Mandy Moore Fans try out these to:
The Whole of the Moon: The Music of the Waterboys & Mike Scott
XTC- Upsy Daisy Assortment (best of)
Joan Armatrading - Joan Armatrading - Greatest Hits

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