Ok I won't post any more reviews

Most teenage girls would love to get a birthday makeover, and Hilary Duff is seemingly no exception. Her second, self-titled release, out today as she turns 17, attempts to revamp her image into a tougher and edgier pop singer. But whether she's aiming to compete with Ashlee Simpson's brasher sound or crib street cred from teen rebels such as Avril Lavigne, Duff was actually better off just as she was.

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Her new album loses much of the girl-next-door quality brought to bear from her "Lizzie McGuire" TV character that was on her previous outing, last year's "Metamorphosis." That album's best songs, three of which were penned by the hit-making machine the Matrix, were catchy and simple and made good use of Duff's girlish, fresh-faced voice.

On her new disc, she pushes her sound with harder, darker tones, but her vocals still sound more polite than impassioned, and she fails to convince that she's any different than before.

There's an energetic freshness to songs such as album opener "Fly," a midtempo number that finds Duff's voice soaring over a sinuous piano melody and loose, pattering beat, and "Weird," on which her vocals build from innocent to brassy over a catchy, Weezer-esque vocal harmony. But they feature neither the free-spirited zing of great bubblegum pop nor the maturity of a more nuanced sound.

Other songs seem to get in the way of themselves, like the ballad "Hide Away." In that simple melody, Duff initially sounds tender and natural but then gets swept up in orchestration that leaves her stridently emoting. "I Am" sounds more like a rhyming exercise than a statement of identity.

The songs that work are those that don't try to be more than they are, including "Underneath This Smile," a stripped-down rocker with an organic, Michelle Branch quality, thanks to loose guitar and the low, scratchy moodiness of Duff's voice. On "Dangerous to Know," her vocals build before bursting forth into a dramatic rock ballad, and on "Shine," which contains a looping vocal hook, her voice is clear and bright.

Although all teenagers undergo growing pains, it's hard to be sympathetic to those missteps backed by a highly conceived, produced, and market-researched musical machine. Based on her past success, Duff is clearly a poised, hard-working young woman with natural spark. Perhaps she'll be given the means to express those qualities better on her next birthday.

so ur not posting more reviews

[Sk8er gurl]

arnt there any good ones?

I haven't found ANY i'm sort of surprised

From Suleski Reviewers Inc. c.2004

I overall rate this album an A+ for a wonderful second cd from todays up and coming star Hilary Duff. Some songs had so simialirity. I noticed in this album Hilary is singing about growing up and stuff. I personally can't wait for a third album from Hilary Duff.

- Scott Suleski, Suleski Reviewers Inc

That one is just damn brutal too, who are these people??? *Loads and cocks a second shotgun* They better hope they dont live in LA, lol, j/k. Whats the DEAL????? That Album is the best one so far!

Originally posted by Mxer:
That one is just damn brutal too, who are these people??? *Loads and cocks a second shotgun* They better hope they dont live in LA, lol, j/k. Whats the DEAL????? That Album is the best one so far!

did u not read my review hehe