Mandy Moore - Wild Hope

The lives of pop princesses are generally fairly short lived. By the nature of the gig, its more about partial nudity and shaking what your momma gave you over actual substance and talent. So as those things fade and the public gets tired of yet another copy of a copy of a copy, there's nothing for the pop princess to do but disappear for good. Unless, of course, this princess actually happens to have some talent. This seems to be the case with Mandy Moore. After four years, the singer returns with an album that is altogether different from anything she's ever done previously. Having already attempted to break herself from the expected mold via 2003's covers' album Coverage, Moore took her time to create what is easily the best work of her career with Wild Hope. With the help of such artists as Rachel Yamagata and indie duo The Weepies, Moore co-wrote every song on the album, which bounces effortlessly between upbeat indie-pop tunes (single "Extraordinary," "Nothing That You Are" and "Latest Mistake") and more subdued folk inspired tracks ("Most of Me," "Wild Hope" and "Gardenia," the beautiful album closer). The result is an honest record, that, in spite of a few cliched missteps, is an overall success. [www.mandymoore.com]