Deep Thoughts on 'Amanda Leigh'

Mandy Moore’s new album, Amanda Leigh, was released last week (a day early, in fact), and I’ve had time to give it some good, thorough listens. Since I promised that I would be back with a more detailed review, it time for me to declare that this album is

AMAZING!!!

Amanda Leigh is a collection of songs that will undoubtedly wow you. I’ve been amazed at the level of growth Mandy reached between her two “legitimate” albums. After 2007’s Wild Hope, I made the mistake of assuming that Mandy had proven herself—successfully severing those childish pop days from the rest of her career—and there was no more room for people to keep going back and saying, “The girl that sang that ‘Candy’ song did THIS?!” but I was wrong. In fact, I’ve even found myself thinking, “The young woman who made ‘Wild Hope’ just two years ago did THIS?!”



With this record, Mandy has stated that she and co-writer/producer Mike Viola were, “trying to do a '70s Southern California/Laurel Canyon vibe,”* and that she was influenced by the likes of musicians* Todd Rundgren, Joni Mitchell and Paul McCartney. And this is the part where I talk about what I love most about Mandy Moore: When she says she was “influenced” by something, she really takes whatever it is and makes it her own. She works elements of it into her natural style rather than just making a record that sounds entirely derivative. That is why I adore her (can't you just adore her? Mandy puns!).

Compared to Wild Hope, I’d say that Amanda Leigh is far more stripped down, perhaps even a little less produced. Working with one producer rather than an entourage of writers and producers as she did on Wild Hope really helped her to find a rhythm for Amanda Leigh. The album exhibits a natural theme that comes out effortlessly without seeming as though the songs were purposefully threaded together or that the record itself was conceived entirely on paper and in the minds of the performers before one note was written. It’s the most organic record Mandy has ever made, and it’s gorgeous.



Pretending that I had a giant backyard with a porch and that I ever cared enough to make my own fresh squeezed lemonade, Amanda Leigh is the record I would listen to on that porch while I drank that lemonade. It’s beautiful, calming and warm. I wholeheartedly believe in this album as a whole, but to throw out a few recommendations I admit that I possess a fondness for “Fern Dell,” “Everblue” and “Love to Love Me Back.” “Pocket Philosopher” is also amazing, as is the lead single “I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week.” While I could go on naming tracks, I will stop myself now and leave you with the bit of advice that if you enjoy genuine music, then this album is for you.

Click here to listen to samples of the songs from Amanda Leigh and/or to purchase the album for download.


*Note: From a December 2008 interview with E! News.

*Note: Look, some people didn’t have hippie folksy parents.



*Images: Walmart Soundcheck and Laist*