WILD HOPE - MANDY MOORE
Having stepped out of the musical limelight to focus on her film career, Moore returns with a slight twang in her voice and her emotions laid bare. On “Wild Hope,” the former bubblegum star has traded in slick, catchy pop filler for more substantive, folk-driven material, all of which she co-wrote with Lori McKenna and the Weepies. The country-tinged “Extraordinary” finds Moore in a glass-half-full state of mind, while such songs as “Most of Me” and the stripped-down, piano-led “Gardenia” offer a more intimate glimpse of her personal side. The strident “Slummin’ in Paradise” and “Latest Mistake” boast radio-friendly choruses, and the steel-guitar-backed “Can’t You Just Adore Her?” recalls a folksy Sheryl Crow. The singer-songwriter role seems a fitting departure for Moore, and “Wild Hope” incorporates enough country, rock and pop sensibilities to satisfy any ear. Source: Billboard
