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| Mandy Moore
Coverage
(Epic; 2003)
By Heather Yarnell, December 2003
How does one successfully shift gears from second rate pop tart to folk-inspired songwriter enthusiast? For your answer, just look to Mandy Moore, whose music has, in but a few short years, blossomed into something well beyond the artificial fluff formerly produced under her name. Originally grouped in with the Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson brand of late '90s paint-by-numbers pop music, and rightfully so, Moore had a handful of modest TRL-approved teen pop hits on her résumé ("Candy," "I Wanna Be With You," "In My Pocket") before Coverage was quietly released in late 2003. An unexpected collection of covers culled from the '70s and '80s, the album is a surprising work of art that sits among the year's best releases. Produced by John Fields, Coverage is a patchwork of quality artists and songs that, with any truly unbiased listen, should quite easily knock away any preconcieved notions one may have about Moore and her music. Sitting side-by-side with conventional singer-songwriter selections like Joni Mitchell and Carole King are more left field choices such as the Waterboys and XTC. While Coverage's frenzied renditions of Joan Armatrading's "Drop the Pilot," Blondie's "One Way or Another" and XTC's "Senses Working Overtime," which adds deejay scratches and shimmering keyboard work to give the tune a hyper and dizzyingly busy modern pop sound, are irresistible, it's the album's mellow mid-tempo tracks that stand out. Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and Cat Stevens' "Moonshadow" are both given intriguing and emotional makeovers, and Moore's personal favorite song on the album, the Waterboys' "The Whole of the Moon," is a flowing, five minute smorgasbord of sound with a rich, fairy tale quality to it, and each second is absolutely gorgeous. If Coverage is any indication of what's to come, Mandy Moore has just left her former contemporaries in the dust.
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