So Real

Je veux cet objet !

In the market for a single album consolidating most of the selling points of mainstream female teen- and dance-pop of the past few years? Try Mandy Moore's So Real . Various cuts here demonstrate her (and her writing and production teams') mastery of the styles of Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, Janet Jackson, and early Madonna. While projecting a playful sultriness much like that of Spears, the younger Moore takes pains to keep things chaste: not only does she promote "trust" on "What You Want," she rhymes it with "crush," not "lust." Complete with a hook that defies interpretation ("I'm missin' you like candy") on the breakthrough single "Candy," and a can't-miss Janet-style ballad in "Walk Me Home," So Real adds a welcome note of CD-length consistency to the current girl-pop formula. --Rickey Wright