Reviews

What a difference a year makes! In 2003, {$Hilary Duff} crossed over from television to music with the light, effervescent {^Metamorphosis}, a post-{$Britney Spears} {\teen pop} album that kept things bubbly and cheerful. Not only was its innocence a bit of a relief after the highly charged sexuality of {$Spears} and {$Christina Aguilera}, it was a hit, embraced by a new generation of preteens who were born in the waning days of {#The New Mickey Mouse Club}. Despite its success, it seemed a little antiquated by the spring of 2004, when {$Avril Lavigne} returned with a somber sequel to her trendsetting debut, {^Let Go}, and when {$Jessica Simpson}'s little sister {$Ashlee} turned into a star with her {\rock}-based {^Autobiography}, ushering in a new phase of {\teen pop} -- one that was more mature than the bubblegum of {^Metamorphosis}, but only in the sense that it dealt with the angst and preoccupations of early adolescence. Gone were the fluffy party tunes -- gone too was the overamped sexiness of {$Spears} and {$Aguilera} -- and in were heavy guitars, anthemic choruses, {\rock} beats, and songs about growing up and finding your identity. {$Hilary Duff} and her producers were smart enough to have her go with the flow, shedding all the bubblegum trappings of her debut and releasing a second album that's a virtual companion to {$Ashlee Simpson}'s {^Autobiography}, from its {\rock}/{\dance-pop} fusion to its earnest demeanor, right down to {$Ashlee}'s producer {$John Shanks} helming a couple of tracks. This makeover may be trendy, but it's also admirable since it results in a varied, ambitious album, even if that ambition sometimes gets the better of {$Duff}. At 17 tracks, the album is way too long and its straight-faced seriousness can be a little oppressive at this length, particularly since {$Duff} can't quite pull off everything she tries. While she has a likeable, girlish voice, she's not a great singer and that occasionally hurts the album -- witness how she struggles to reach her lower register on the dirge {&"Hide Away."} Nevertheless, those very limitations are quite appealing when they're matched to the right song, whether it's a sweet {\ballad} or on the heavy rockers, of which there are many. There's silliness here, such as the hipster putdown {&"Mr. James Dean,"} but that makes the album feel endearingly adolescent. And that's the greatest charm of {^Hilary Duff} -- it might take itself a little seriously, it might be a little uneven, but it feels like the soundtrack to the life of a smart, ambitious, popular teenager trying to sort things out. [This version of the album includes bonus material.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide