Those who turned up at the Mandy Moore show Sunday at the Paradise Rock Club ready for some turn-of-the-century pop ditties like “In My Pocket” and “I Wanna Be With You” may have left a bit disappointed.
But those who followed Moore’s surprisingly long-lived (albeit not very fruitful) music career were treated to an intimate show that showcased much of her latest album, Wild Hope – along with a few surprises.
Released this summer, Wild Hope is Moore’s first self-written album (with help from The Weepies, Rachael Yamagata, Chantal Kreviazuk and Boston native Lori McKenna). Moore also enlisted uber-producer John Alagia of Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer fame to produce the record.
To the greeting of a small yet enthusiastic crowd, Moore kicked off the show with the upbeat “Slummin’ In Paradise.” Though she hasn’t toured since her childhood days as an opener for the Backstreet Boys, Moore seemed extremely comfortable onstage.
The 13-song set continued with a few interjections from Moore’s 2003 collection Coverage, including her tolerable takes on Cat Stevens’ “Moon Shadow” and Joni Mitchell’s “Help Me.”
Moore showcased her work-in-progress guitar skills on “Adore Her.” She also brought out opening act and collaborator Rachael Yamagata to sing their co-written tune, “Ladies Choice.”
While some of the audience seemed unfamiliar with Moore’s latest material, the venue was completely hushed by the ballad “Gardenia.”
Moore, accompanied by only a piano, belted, “I’m the one who likes gardenia / I’m the one who likes to make love on the floor.” Coming from the girl who rose to fame singing about candy, the lyrics offered a refreshing adultness.
While Moore seems to have found her niche with the breezy, guitar-pop of Wild Hope, she closed the show with a return to her pop routes featuring a cover of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” and a spruced-up, bluesy take on “Candy.”
“I can’t do this part! I have to have some dignity, I’m 23 years old,” Mandy told the audience when it came time for the cheesy, spoken middle of the song that brought her to fame when she was only 16.
And although she won’t sing it these days, perhaps her love is still “as sweet as candy” – but only while she’s making it on the floor.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
