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Mandy Moore: ‘I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week’

April 23, 2009

Mandy Moore comes back to the pop side with 'I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week' off her new album, "Amanda Leigh"

By Matthew B. Zeidman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (RPRN/HT) 4/23/09 – Though some may find it hard to believe, it’s been 10 years since Mandy Moore first burst onto the music scene, riding the late 90s pop wave and a lime-green Volkswagen Beetle. The recently married starlet has certainly come a long way since her bygone days of girlish glory, evidenced by her first single, “I Could Break Your Heart Any Day of the Week,” off her upcoming album, “Amanda Leigh.”

The song is undeniably pop and playful, which is refreshing after the rawer style of her 2007 album, “Wild Hope,” and the artful vintage contained in 2003’s “Coverage,” but it’s hardly a professional regression on Moore’s part. On the contrary, “ICBYHADOTW,” whose title serves as the hook, reflects a newfound maturity on her part.

The 15-year-old child who sang about missing her boyfriend “like candy” and asking him to walk her home is long gone, and the wave of pain and introspection that washed over Moore all through her last album has also ebbed in favor of a confident and dare we say happy woman.

Moore, now 25, takes the opportunity to boast how she could crush a man even on his best day and that “calendar girls ain’t got nothing” on her. It’s not a cold, vengeful or manipulative boast, but rather an empowering one. After a decade of love, loss and life in general, she’s found her inner strength and externalized it. She no longer needs validation from the opposite sex; she’s the one who doles it out.

Moore has also evolved in style. These aren’t adult lyrics over her old teen rhythms. “ICBYHADOTW” carries a country/pop twang, evocative of some of Juice Newton’s past hits (e.g., “Love’s Been a Little Bit Hard on Me”), though distinct. Unlike Newton, whose crossovers were more country with a dash of pop, Moore’s latest effort is more pop with a dash of country.

The accompanying music video is unlikely to be a staple on MTV Hits, as it’s essentially just Moore standing against a wall in the interior of a dojo, while a bunch of extras practice martial arts. It is good, however, to see her putting her face out there again, and the ending, where she harnesses her feminine wiles to give a menacing sensei his comeuppance for underestimating her, is humorous in a confusing sort of way.

Music-video mischief aside, we’re pleased to see Moore show off her joyful side in “ICBYHADOTW,” which we suppose is a reflection of the nascent confidence, optimism and contentment in her own life. We look forward to seeing what other gems she has to offer when “Amanda Leigh” is released on May 26 and hope Moore will continue to unapologetically experiment in musical styles in the near and distant futures.

Hollywood Today

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