Joining the ranks of George Bush, fanny packs, and the growing trend of obesity, Hillary Duff is giving my fellow Americans yet another reason to cringe and apologise for their country. So here it is: I’m sorry. I am truly sorry, Europe, that Ms. Duff felt the need (or sensed a commercial imperative) to release what is essentially a greatest hits album at the age of 18, without some sort of caution or warning to the unsuspecting and unarmed general public.
Most Wanted, the follow up to Duff’s Metamorphosis, her second album, features only three new songs. Current single ‘Wake Up’ echoes the sounds of past pop burnouts Debbie Gibson and specifically Tiffany’s ‘I Think We’re Alone Now.’ This simple melodic teenage dance anthem, featuring the repeat of the title as its prominent lyric, does nothing special. ‘Getaway’, the second new venture on the album, is a typical cookie-cutter relationship angst-ballad in a similar vein to arch-rival Lindsey Lohan’s ‘Over.’ The album picks up again with the last new song, ‘Beat Of My Heart’ featuring an upbeat tempo and rhyming Dr Seuss lyrics.
As for the remixes, there’s nothing particularly worthy of a €20 re-purchase. ‘Our Lips Are Sealed,’ the back and forth duet Go-Gos cover between Hillary and her sister Haylie, is by far the most enjoyable to listen to. It’s a cute song, but what I’m both highly perplexed and amused by are the unrelated pronoun choices used in such lines as, “They talk about us,” ‘There’s a weapon which we must use in our defense,” and the refrain itself, “Our lips are sealed.” Us? We? Our? Haylie, sweetheart, you had 15 lines in Napoleon Dynamite and a guest spot on a canceled television show. I seriously doubt the jealous games are for you, but go ahead and include yourself if it’s going to seal those lips of yours.
Since Most Wanted contains the exact same songs as Hillary’s first two albums, chances are if you’re a fan you’ll probably enjoy this one. That's assuming you can listen to it without choking on your bubblegum.