Hilary Duff "Metamorphosis" Album

	Title: Metamorphosis Format: Album Label: Buena Vista Released: 2003-08-26
Buy Metamorphosis!

Tracklisting & Lyrics

Reviews

Hilary Duff's debut is what teen pop should sound like in 2003. It picks up on mainstream trends, particularly those spearheaded by Avril Lavigne, but turns them light and sweet, making for a very good modern bubblegum album. One of the keys to its success is that Duff is never sexed up, the way that Britney Spears was right from the start of her career. This is also true of Hilary in her acting career, since her TV alter ego, Lizzie McGuire, is a regular teenager with teenage concerns, including (but not limited to) crushes on unattainable boys, getting along with her pest of a little brother, understanding her parents, worrying about money, and negotiating the cliques at her school. is the musical equivalent of Lizzie McGuire, only splashier and savvier and not as silly or Disneyfied as the show. In other words, it's the sound of a preteen turning teenager, finding inspiration in the tough-girl pose of Avril but also being in the fortunate position of being able to work with the Matrix as well. The three songs helmed by the Matrix -- "So Yesterday," "Where Did I Go Right?," and "The Math" -- bear their trademark beats, acoustic guitars, and ridiculous spoken interjections, and they all sound a bit more natural coming from a teenager than they do coming from, say, Liz Phair, but Avril's influence can be heard throughout the record, particularly in how Duff has absorbed how Lavigne appeals to average girls while singing insidiously catchy songs. Hilary does that here, too, but she has a sweeter, more appealing voice than Avril, and the rest of the record follows her cheerful charisma, resulting in a charmingly effervescent listen. While some songs shine brighter than others, there is no dullness here, and the whole thing clocks in at a breezy 43 minutes, which helps keep things light and engaging. isn't a record that will change the world, but like the best teen pop, it sounds right in its moment, which means it's about as good as this kind of music gets. ~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide.

She may have played a teenaged girl mistaken for a pop star in The Lizzie McGuire Movie, but after releasing a Christmas album in 2002, and crooning two songs on the movieÒs soundtrack, Hilary Duff looks like she means business. The only trouble is, she doesnÒt sound like it. Although dubbing her first album Metamorphosis, the disc is anything but. Her singing is as coy and kittenish as her on-screen persona and she mugs her way through most of the 13 songs with charm and aplomb, but little natural singing talent. But to her credit, the actress has managed to cover a multitude of vocal sins by hiring a team of crack producers, who double her voice whenever possible, giving many of the tracks the rather anthemic feel of a cheerleading squad. The best songs on the disc are the three masterminded by the Matrix, the same production team that oversaw Avril Lavigne's hit disc and they give the lissome actressÒs singing some attitude and grit, like on the infectious and spectacularly bratty "So Yesterday," and the cleverly conceived "Math," complete with heavy metal guitar riffs. But Duff is not inhabiting that saucy jailbait territory staked by Britney Spears. At the ripe old age sixteen, sheÒs much more Barbies than bustiers. ~Jaan Uhelszki, Amazon.com.