Who are you, Ms. Tisdale?
Published Feb. 13, 2007
Ashley Tisdale's new album seems essentially an effort to separate her from her breakout role as Sharpei in Disney's High School Musical and from the youthful following it attracted. The High School Musical soundtrack easily ascended to the top of the charts with its catchy lyrics and diverse following. Something of the same caliber was expected from Tisdale.
But Tisdale's debut solo album, Headstrong, is anything but high quality. The 21-year-old seems trapped between the catchy, kid-friendly tunes that lead High School Musical to the top of the Billboard charts and the sex appeal that characterizes stars such as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. Tisdale's sex appeal is transparent and clearly only on loan.
Ashley, you can't have it both ways. Either grow up or take a permanent membership to the Disney Channel's airwaves.
If Lindsay Lohan went to Bollywood with Gwen Stefani and Fergie, they might produce something similar to Tisdale's "Not Like That," and then they would consequently lose any connection with their current record labels. Tisdale puts a new spin on Lohan's "Rumors" and laces it with a hook similar to a Fergie song. But though it might work for these artists individually, Tisdale can't pull it off.
Her "borrowing" from other artists doesn't stop there. She takes both a title and general message from Ashlee Simpson in the song "Love Me for Me." But if nothing else, Tisdale's take on the "love me for my imperfections" message is better than Simpson's original track, even though that message has been beaten into our heads recently. It slows down the rest of the album's hyperactive pace and gives the music time to breathe.
Tisdale remains somewhat wholesome throughout the album for Disney fans carried over from the movie. Most parents won't take well to their children hearing the moans and suggestions of "one night with you," as alluded to in "He Said She Said." The song itself sounds like an attempt to emulate Nelly Furtado's new direction — to the tune of Loose and "Promiscuous" — but lacks the catchiness necessary to be anything other than a pre-gaming anthem for a lukewarm evening.
"Unlove You" makes listeners want to beg Tisdale to figure out her relationship issues, and please, move on. The song sounds almost tolerable with a simple piano intro, but it has mediocre lyrics at best. The chorus has Tisdale hitting high notes and then crashing back down. As the song says, Tisdale can do most anything she has to — except hit high notes without a listener hitting mute.
Bottom line: Until Tisdale decides who she wants to be, instead of emulating every female pop star, she won't sell to the post-puberty generation. We've heard it all before, and we're not that gullible.