Coverage by Mandy Moore

I give this an album an "A" for effort, a B for Ms. Moore' singing and a B- for the production.I have no argument with the song choice, for the most part. Obviously Ms. Moore (or her management) picked some great would-be standards from the past 30 years. And when the production clicks the result are pretty sublime, but that rarely happens here.The playing on this record is top notch, don't get me wrong, but so many effects and literal bells and whistles are added that the record ends up sound frantic and over busy. And the placement of Ms Moore's voice is uneven, sometimes pushing way out front of the music, other times getting lost in it.Highlights-"Senses Working Overtime"- I remember hearing this the other day (the XTC version) and remakring how odd the lyrics were and how the heck did Mandy Moore think she was going to sing about that!? Well, she handles it very well. But the real star here is the pretty much pitch perfect production work. Yes, a little frantic, but for a fast punchy pop song it works. This should have been the first single..."Whole of the Moon" - one of the best love songs ever, Ms. Moore's vocals here show some emotion (so the speak) unlike most of the rest of the album. I still prefer the original, but a classy cover."Drop the Pilot" Frankly an odd choice from Joan Armatrading's catalog for a singer. There are plenty of other songs that would have showcased Ms Moore's vocals (Show Some Emotion, Cool Blue, I'm Lucky- just to name a few). Still, the song perculates along nicely.Lowlights-"Have a Little Faith In Me" bland, washed out. Radio will probably lap it up but it ends the album on a bad note."Anticipation" another colorless cover, it suffers from a distinct lack of imagination so clearly present on "Senses Working Overitme"Mandy Moore Fans try out these to:The Whole of the Moon: The Music of the Waterboys & Mike ScottXTC- Upsy Daisy Assortment (best of)Joan Armatrading - Joan Armatrading - Greatest Hits

For those of you 40-something listeners who have reservations regarding the teen pop idol label of Mandy's earlier works rest assure this CD is a very good work and pays homage to a fantastic period of songwriting. The selected material gives her the opportunity to showcase the wonderful voice I first heard in "A Walk to Remember".The DVD interviews reveal a very likable and intelligent young woman who is passionate about her art. Her devotion to growing as an artist and her respect for these songs have impressed me very much. I believe John Hiatt fans will enjoy the video to "Have a Little Faith in Me."Mandy's vocal performances are just amazing and far and above her 19 years of age. I'm definitely looking forward to what this exceptionally talented young woman will do in the future.Peace, AK

I thoroughly enjoy this CD. I love Moore's voice, but her pop stuff gets on my nerves, so this is the perfect compromise!She sings all the songs well; I will admit that I hadn't heard of most of these songs before I bought this CD, but I've investigated a lot of the original singers because of it.My favorite song on here is 'Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters'. But I believe all the songs on here are worth a listen.It's a soothing CD and makes great background music while you are working on other things.

Mandy Moore singing songs she likes from the 70's era. She does a great job on most of them, and especially a really great job on Elton Johns, Mono Lisas and Mad Hatters. Also excellent are Drop the Pilot, The Whole Of the Moon, Breaking us in Two. Being older, I am well tired of hearing the original versions of, Help Me, Anticipation, Moonshadow, Senses Working Overtime, One Way or Another, but if you are younger, she does these as good as anyone ever did. Worth a listen for sure.

I was surprised how good this CD is. I love Mandy's cover of One Way or Another, classic Blondie and Mandy Moore did it justice.

Great cd but there was a hole punched out in the bar code.

Excellent !! For some reason, I decided to give a listen to Mandy's first CD, which I'd purchase when I was a DJ at some middle school dances. I could tell this girl had "some pipes", so I decided to order "Coverage", which was recorded 5 or six years after her first efforts. I was blown away - she is such a good singer and masters a variety of styles on this CD. I highly recommend it !!!

I think all the songs Mandy picked to put on this album suit her voice well. The only reason I give this four stars, instead of five, is because of the song Breaking Us In Two - The way it's arainged makes it have a lazy feel to it and it gets boring rather quick.Every other song on tis album i awesome, tho!