Amazon.co.uk Review
In the most dignified way possible, "Dignity"--the title track to this fizz-bomb of a dance-pop disc--sends a disgusted eye-roll and a flagrant puh-
lease to underwear-eschewing celebutantes everywhere: "You'd show up to the opening of an envelope," sings Duff, who hangs onto her signature sweetness despite having entered full-on diss mode. "It's not news when you've got a new bag/It's not news when you're looking your best/Come on, give it a rest." Well said. And sung. Not that calling out the phony and the full of it is what Duff, or
Dignity, is all about. Mostly, the disc is a beat-studded chronicling of an incredibly healthy 19-year-old psyche: On "Happy," she's happy despite an ex's attempts to make her miserable; on "With Love"--maybe her catchiest, most grown-up song to date--she's willing to accept rejection as long as kindness plays a role in its delivery. Musically, with the help of groove-conscious producers like Tim & Bob and Will.i.am, Duff edges ever closer to adult sensibilities; her goofball
Lizzie McGuire days seem far behind. It's an evolution anybody could have seen coming, actually. Has there ever been a starlet with her head on straighter?
--Tammy La Gorce
CD Description
Given the title and Hilary Duff's sophisticated, uptown-girl look on the cover, 2007's DIGNITY seems to announce that the teen starlet is all grown up. Yet the album is still fullof effervescent dance-pop, as fresh-faced and catchy as fans of Top 40 and commercial bubblegum would expect. The production techniques, complete with electronic flourishes and nods to club music, are well crafted, to be sure, but DIGNITY isn't about cutting-edge sounds or thumping club bangers. Instead, the electro-beats reinforce the pop song structures and make the singalong tunes shine.
The most sophisticatedthing about DIGNITY may be its lyrics. Gossip-mill regularswill be able to parse references to Duff's much-publicized entanglements with other commercial pop stars, but what stands out is Duff's mature response to her life's tumult. The album plays like a confession, but does so with a cool head and a clear eye, underscoring the album's title without detracting from the music's inherently fun, bouncy style.