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Mandy Moore, Amanda Leigh

When onetime teenage icon Mandy Moore released her fifth album, Wild Hope, in 2007, it marked the first time Moore had cowritten an entire album. With heavy folk and singer-songwriter elements, it was a noticeable departure from her earlier radio-ready pop tunes.

    by Katherine Silkaitis, External or Unknown
    Published 

Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh
(Storefront Recordings **)

When onetime teenage icon Mandy Moore released her fifth album, Wild Hope, in 2007, it marked the first time Moore had cowritten an entire album. With heavy folk and singer-songwriter elements, it was a noticeable departure from her earlier radio-ready pop tunes. She also cowrote her latest album, Amanda Leigh, and it takes another step away from the preteen MTV limelight and delves further into alt-rock territory. Whether she is performing a Decemberists-inspired orchestral-pop number or belting out lively melodies lifted from the 1940s Broadway stage, there is a compelling earnestness, even innocence, to Moore's vocals. Yet, while songs are well-written and orchestrated, Amanda Leigh lacks anything truly stunning or groundbreaking to bring Moore to the forefront of her new genre.