By now Hilary Duff's recording success is no fluke. With 3 major hit albums already behind her, Dignity finds her flowering from teen into young adulthood with all of the conflicting emotions that entails. Despite angst over her public breakup and scorn for public embarrassment of other young female celebrities, Duff is as likeable as ever.
Life Gets Complicated
On Hilary Duff's last hit album Most Wanted she was bursting with the energy of a girl entering her late teens who works hard to avoid tempting traps while recognizing the joy in having a great time with friends. "Wake Up" was a ringing anthem for "good kids" everywhere.
Dignity demonstrates that, despite all the effort at being a great young person, life is still difficult and filled with potential potholes. "Stranger" is filled with all of the fear and pain of a young woman falling victim to an all-too-public relationship breakup. The current hit "With Love" recognizes imperfection but pleads to be let down easy. Anyone who believes hooky dance-pop is all lyrical fluff needs to give Dignity a few spins.
Bright Production - Solid Songwriting
For her move into the realm of adult recording artists, Hilary Duff wisely brought in some stellar production and songwriting talent. House music master Richard "Humpty" Vission delivers house-based grooves while the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am lends 80's inspired electronic beats to "Happy."
For songwriting skills, Hilary Duff turned to Kara DioGuardi as a key talent sharing songwriting credits on all but two songs. DioGuardi, who helped write such previous Duff hits as "So Yesterday," "Come Clean," and "Fly," has swiftly become one of the key go-to songsmiths for top young artists. Her recent client list includes Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, and Ashlee Simpson to name just a few. Her clean, hook-filled style works perfectly here.
Top Tracks on Dignity
- Stranger
- With Love
- Danger
- No Work, All Play
- Happy
The Charm of Hilary Duff
If it sounds like Dignity carries the leaden sound of intense self-reflection, don't worry. The album is filled with perky, poppy dance groove after groove. The Disney-fied atmosphere has been dropped, however, in favor of a more adult sound that just might sneak Hilary Duff into dance clubs. You can still singalong, but the music carries more weight than in the past.
In a world in which the mis-adventures of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton fill endless news reports and gossip blogs, Hilary Duff remains a breath of fresh air. She experienced a very public breakup with her 2-year boyfriend Joel Madden, one of the leaders of the band Good Charlotte. However, she emerged from the experience with kudos from even jaded critics for the grace with which she has handled the entire situation.
A number of the songs on Dignity reference Hilary Duff's personal life very directly. However, instead of scatological diatribes, we are treated to thoughtful dance-pop on songs such as "With Love" and "Danger." This album really comes as no surprise. It matches what we've all seen emerging since Hilary Duff first burst onto the scene as Lizzie McGuire. It is a joy to see the expectations fulfilled.
