Wild Hope

Back in the 1990s, when Mandy Moore was still trying to outmaneuver fellow junior glamazons Britney, Jessica, and Christina up the pop charts, the best song she was able to pull from her bag of tricks was "Candy," a tune that was way more Twizzler than Starburst. Cut to 2007: Moore, a respected Hollywood actress (never mind the Diane Keaton dud Because I Said So), has made a record that reflects the artist that--against some heavy odds--she's become. Wild Hope, co-written with the cred-conferring team of Rachael Yamagata, Lori McKenna, and the Weepies, should earn her a spot on adult-alternative radio alongside format regulars Dar Williams, Sarah McLachlan, and Jonatha Brooke. Its songs, like the achy "Gardenia," sung over a gently plunked piano, aim at confession and clarity: "I'm the one who likes to make love on the floor," the chorus reminds a vacant-eyed lover. Earlier, on first single "Extraordinary," Moore pours her rich, country-rubbed, Anna Nalick-like vocals into self-scrutiny and renewal: "I was a starling, nobody's darling/Now I'm ready to be extraordinary," she sings. Talent will be Moore's ticket to the transformation she's going for--no wild hoping necessary. --Tammy La Gorce

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