Rating: 4 stars
On March 6, singer and actress Mandy Moore released her new album “Silver Landings.” With a retro vibe and the ‘90s sound we have grown to love, Moore shares with fans lyrics from her new life experiences as an adult.
This is Moore’s seventh studio album, following her last album, “Amanda Leigh,” which was released in 2009. 11 years later, Moore’s new album includes 10 songs and has a run time of 41 minutes. Her first album, “So Real,” was released in 1999, and though she took an 11-year hiatus, the release of her new album makes her a music career total over 20 years to date. In addition to her career as a musician, Moore has appeared in dozens of movies, including “A Walk to Remember,” “The Princess Diaries,” “47 Meters Down” and “Tangled” as the voice of Princess Rapunzel.
The cover of “Silver Landings” is impressive and eye-catching, featuring Moore standing outside with arms outstretched in a vibrant orange silk shirt. It very well reflects her personality and the theme of the album that deals with new beginnings and celebrating what life has to offer.
In the first song of the album, “I’d Rather Lose,” Moore talks about the current world of phones and technology that makes everyone able to be watched and seen. In her lines, “If the only way to win is by breaking all the rules / I’d rather lose,” she brings out a country tone in her voice as she expresses herself and her thoughts on things going on in the world today. This introduction to her new sound and more mature personality sets high expectations for the rest of the songs in the albums.
The third song in the album, “Fifteen,” is one of my favorites by far. Moore sings about her young and carefree self at the age of 15 and reminisces in those memories with her soulful lyrics. She was traveling, spending time with her mom, learning how to drive and beginning to discover her passion for making music. Moore sings about old memories, and about how her 15-year-old self will always be a part of her.
Moore reveals to fans a little about her traumatic past and the struggles she has faced in her song “Forgiveness.” She makes subtle references to her relationship with her abusive ex-husband, musician Ryan Adams, throughout many of the songs on this album, and she isn’t afraid to show the dark and emotional parts of herself that she felt needed to be shared at this point in her life. She has accepted the things that she can’t change from her past and sings about forgiving the people who have hurt her and only trying to spread love and happiness from here on out.
As the album progresses, it almost seems like Moore’s autobiography, but written out in lyrics. She takes us through the journey of her life as a teen and how her music career blossomed out of a want for her voice to be heard. She moves to new places, struggles to find herself and her signature musical sound and navigates through new relationships and career opportunities. All of these details are revealed to us in each song with an elegant, soulful rock sound.
