Aly & AJ Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Trying to move from a tween audience to a teen one, sisters Aly and AJ Michalka eliminated the über-sweet pop covers and songs about kidnapping on their second full-length, Insomniatic, focusing solely on the very teenaged conundrums of crushes and breakups and doe-eyed love. They've also started making MTV movies, and not just Disney ones, appearing together in the network's straight-to-DVD My Super Sweet 16 (yes, a movie based on the "reality" show), for which they also perform "Potential Breakup Song," also found here. They're older now, their fans are older, and they're hoping they can break from the mouse-eared audience and prove themselves legitimate artists with some staying power. The thing is, the songs on Insomniatic, all of which are at least co-written by the sisters, still sound as if they've been written by two teenage girls -- teenage girls with some very adult production help, to be sure -- who are desperately trying to sound older while still not alienating their younger fans. The tracks on the album, excepting the aforementioned opener, "Potential Breakup Song," which is guiltily enjoyable, are that same kind of half-rock, half-dance soulless pop that has been played and consumed for years, and doesn't do much to separate Aly & AJ from the rest of what's out there. Perhaps, in a way, this is some measure of success on their part. They are no longer little girls who sing pop music, distinguished only for that, but instead just another pretty, faceless group in a bunch. Yes, it's a bonus that they seem to actually be able to sing (though it's often hard to tell, as numerous effects have been placed on their vocals, perhaps in an attempt to make them sound more adult), and they do have a hand in writing their own songs, even playing instruments on a few, but there's nothing about the sisters or Insomniatic that proves them to be anything more than just another couple of girls. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
'Acoustic Hearts of Winter'
Release Date 9/26/2006
Tracks 11
Label Hollywood
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Teen pop duo Aly & AJ deliver their first Christmas/holiday album with Acoustic Hearts of Winter. While the album does contain three uptempo rockers, the majority of the cuts here are subdued versions of classic holiday tunes delivered in a light, contemporary pop fashion. Included are such holiday standards as "Let It Snow," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," "We Three Kings," and others. ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Aly & AJ are sort of a double-vision version of Hilary Duff. Like Hilary, who started out portraying the plucky Lizzie McGuire, Aly co-stars as Keely Teslow on the Disney Channel's Phil of the Future. She had her first singing success with a bubbly take on the Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic" that shot to the top of the charts on Radio Disney, and with her younger sister AJ contributed to the soundtracks for the Disney films Herbie: Fully Loaded (another cover, "Walkin' on Sunshine") and Ice Princess ("No One," a melodic descendant of Avril Lavigne's "I'm with You"). In 2005 the Michalka sisters make their album debut with Into the Rush, released like Hilary's Metamorphosis through the Disney-owned Hollywood Records. All of their initial singles are here, which is nice for fans hoping to avoid buying all those soundtracks. And the rest of Rush isn't all that different. It's more ambitious than freshly scrubbed teen pop, but doesn't venture further than offering a few empowering ballads and the concise, professionally processed pop of "Collapsed" and "Something More." Aly & AJ get writing credits on every song here except the covers. But they've worked closely with a bank of producers and co-writers, and that ensures that Into the Rush has the right mixture of personal touch and corporate marketability. "All lead and background vocals sung by Aly & AJ," the liner notes read, so it's nearly impossible to tell who's who. But Aly & AJ can actually sing -- their vocals have more way personality than prefab Disney hopefuls like Hayden Panettiere or Caleigh Peters -- and the arrangements are slick without resorting to flashily empty pap. The sisters are lyrically limited -- "I didn't know what was in store/When I walked right through the door/Then I saw you over there/Our blue eyes locked in a stare" -- but what do you expect? This is music written to entertain 'tweens. It's notable then that Into the Rush is listenable, likeable, and more about being memorable than being Disney product. Smart move -- Duff took a similar route on her first record, and look what happened to her. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
