CD Review:

Mandy Moore-I Wanna Be With You

by Kevin Fok, Evening MBA

kevinfok@umich.edu

Ok, I can hear the snickers now. Since I have a good sense of humor, I had to review something from one of the latest teen pop queens. I refrained from selecting one of Christina's or Britney's albums since they are overplayed.

I reviewed the "New Special Edition Album". Why is it special? Apparently, there are remixes of several songs, some videos that can be played on a computer, and a screen saver. Why would someone need these? I do not know. I just review the music here, not the marketing strategy.

The title track, "I Wanna Be With You", is a relatively slow song. It is not a bad track, but it gets somewhat repetitive. The song does not require a wide vocal range. "Everything My Heart Desires" is a bit more upbeat and danceable. Again, nothing extraordinary. "Want You Back" and "The Way To My Heart" are more emotional and show that Moore does have some vocal talent.

As for the remixes, the "I Wanna Be With You" remix is better than the original. Since the vocals are not overly complex, this track is better suited for a dance mix. However, the original version of "So Real" is better than the remix. The remix almost has too much electronic enhancement, which distracts attention from the vocals. There is a "Candy" remix, but the original is not on this CD. Moore's vocal style on "Candy" sounds quite similar to that of one of her counterparts.

Moore goes for a disco/soul sound with "I Like It". This is a catchy track, especially with the instrumentation. The pace slows down with "Your Face". This song shows that Moore is capable of singing in lower registers. Also, she can sustain notes and sing more than catchy dance tracks.

So should you buy this CD? I guess it depends on whether you like "teenybopper" music. Most of the music is definitely geared towards teens, but Moore does show vocal talent on several of the tracks.

Overall Rating: 6/10