Mandy Moore

The Best of

Mandy ain't just about candy anymore...

Review Score:

(10/10)
In 2003, actress/pop starlet Mandy Moore stunned the musical world by releasing a solid, mature covers album -- wow, it was, like, so different from the forgettable bubblegum she had released in order to get her foot in the door. That makes "Best Of" a deceptive title for this tepid gooey collection.

The first several tracks are the aforementioned bubblegum, generally cloying pop tunes that express teen longing and adoration, such as "Candy" and "Walk Me Home." The fluffiness of these songs is not helped by Moore's vocals -- while she has a good voice, she sounds very young in the early songs. A few soundtrack songs are tacked in, such as the competant "Only Hope" (from her screen debut "A Walk To Remember") and pleasant "Secret Love" (from"Mona Lisa Smile").

But things perk up when Moore's "Coverage" songs come on -- she sounds smoother, more assured, and far more mature. The songs are covers of songs by Todd Rundgren ("Can We Still Be Friends?"), XTC ("Senses Working Overtime"), Carly Simon ("I Feel The Earth Move") and Joe Cocker ("Have a Little Faith In Me." She retains the "feel" of the original, while shifting her vocals from mellow to rock-ish, depending on what the song needs.

Moore is a good singer, there's no question about that -- she has some very good musical taste and vocal talent, and she does justice to the songs she covers. But unfortunately this collection appears to be a last minute cash in, since she left Sony in the past year. At least "Best Of" shows just how much Moore has grown as a singer.

The early pop is virtually unlistenable -- as sugary and lightweight as a giant wad of cotton candy, with songwriting that could have been churned out of the Big Generic Love Song Machine. And while Moore did not make the songs on the second half, she chose well-written classic rock and pop songs by respected musicians.

Moore's vocals also grow up in the most recent songs. In songs like "Candy" and "Crush," she sounds like what she was -- a teenage girl whose voice hadn't fully matured yet. But in the most recent songs, Moore's voice has a richer sound and wider range. And she puts plenty of passion into her vocal delivery, something that is definitely lacking in the early songs. Since Moore reportedly detests her first few CDs, it's not surprising.

"Best Of" is definitely a lie. While it has a few tracks of Mandy Moore's that are well-done, the main focus is on the gooey love ballads done years ago. Here's hoping that a few albums down the road, Moore can put out a true "Best Of" album.

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