When Mandy Moore first broke out on the music scene, she was platinum blonde. She wore sparkly, bubblegum pink lip gloss, and her face was plastered on colorful school notebooks that they sold at Limited Too. I know this because my tween self had all of Mandy’s merch. I knew all of her pop songs by heart, and I freaked out over her appearance in The Princess Diaries. I’m sure you were right there with me.
Then, the summer of 2007 rolled around. I was a junior in high school, spending my weekends with my friends at alternative rock shows. Times had changed, and so had Mandy Moore’s music. As a human being, she had grown up, and the topics she was singing about matured with her. Her blonde locks transformed into a deep brunette pixie cut I so desperately wanted to copy. But as an artist, she had developed an incredible new sound. That’s when Wild Hope debuted.
This album was the first time Mandy had a hand in co-writing every track. Her sound was less commercial pop and more folk-inspired, with a singer/songwriter feel. It showcased what her voice could really do. And it was just as worthy of obsessing over.
Now, Mandy has decided to re-release Wild Hope, over ten years after it first hit our soundtracks. With all of her success in wildly popular projects like This Is Us and Disney’s Tangled franchise, there couldn’t be a better time to remind audiences why she’s a powerhouse vocalist too.
You can now find the album on iTunes, Spotify, and Apple Music. It’s the first time this album has been available on streaming services, and it’s back in physical print for the first time since 2009. Talk about exciting!
Here’s the Wild Hope track listing:
1. Extraordinary
2. All Good Things
3. Slummin’ In Paradise (ft. Jason Mraz)
4. Most Of Me
5. Few Days Down
6. Can’t You Just Adore Her
7. Looking Forward To Looking Back
8. Wild Hope
9. Nothing That You Are
10. Latest Mistake
11. Ladies’ Choice
12. Gardenia
Make sure to check it out and re-discover why everyone loves Mandy so much!
