Lindsay Lohan Albums (2)
'A Little More Personal (Raw)'
Release Date 12/6/2005
Tracks 12
Label Casablanca
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Lindsay Lohan clearly spells out her ambition in the title to her second album, A Little More Personal (Raw) -- she's going to shed the glitzy trappings of her debut, Speak, and dig down deep in her heart, letting feelings flood onto the page. And, for better and worse, that's exactly what she does, nowhere more explicitly than the opening track (and lead single), "Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)," where she rails against her absentee father, whose transgressions and addictions have been gleefully chronicled by the tabloids. It's a bracing minor-key assault that's honest to a fault, setting the tone for the rest of the album with its somber, self-conscious confession. A heavily stylized Strum und Drang hangs over the album, seeping into the purportedly lighter moments; for example, a cover of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" that arrives after "Confessions of a Broken Heart" reads more as another plea to her dad than as celebration of an unrequited crush. The compulsion to sound serious and mature did no favors for Lohan nemesis Ashlee Simpson's I Am Me, but A Little More Personal (Raw) is a better record than that due to Lohan's sense of conviction -- she really means it, man, when she sings about her father, or when she sings about alienation and heartbreak, and this emotional investment when married to the duly professional, straight-ahead songcraft of her collaborators makes for interesting listening. That's not the same thing as fun, and with so much glossy gloom it becomes hard not to marvel at the fact that Lindsay is expending so much energy on confessing matters that are already part of the public record. At the same time, this knowledge helps Lindsay's teenage angst seem more genuine than Ashlee's on I Am Me, and even if A Little More Personal (Raw) is less than totally successful, it is an intriguing mash-up of heart and commerce. And it does suggest one thing that Speak never did: Lindsay Lohan may have an artistic vision as a recording artist, which is indeed a huge step forward. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lindsay Lohan played a rock & roller in the 2003 remake of the classic Disney identity-change flick Freaky Friday, so perhaps it wasn't a huge stretch for her to leap from acting to singing for the teen idol, yet her 2004 debut, Speak, still feels like a byproduct of an overdriven, overamplified celebrity culture. After all, with just two hit films under her belt, Lindsay wasn't exactly a huge star -- particularly one with a proven track record, one who could regularly open movies or had a fan base ready to follow her to pop music. Nevertheless, it was impossible to read gossip columns, entertainment press, and blogs without reading about Ms. Lohan, whether it was details of her feud with Hilary Duff, debates over the authenticity of her breasts, praise for her role in Tina Fey's Mean Girls, reports of her breakup from That 70s Show actor Wilmer Valderrama, and tales of her partying. This relentless flow of stories made Lindsay Lohan a star even to people who never saw her films, the way that the constant coverage of Paris Hilton turned the heiress into a star. And like that creation of celeb culture, Lohan decided it was time to turn her into a multimedia, cross-platform star, instead of simply an actress, and so Speak was recorded quickly and rushed into the stores at the end of the year. It should come as no surprise that the record sounds like a record that was created in the moment and for the moment, to be the soundtrack to Lohan's wild year. So, there are songs that allude to her partying ways -- most explicitly on the lead single, "Rumors," where Lindsay bats her eyes for the camera as she pleads to be left alone -- and the music is a blend of old-fashioned, Britney-styled dance-pop and the anthemic, arena rock sound pioneered by fellow tween stars Hilary Duff and Ashlee Simpson. Lohan stands apart from the pack with her party-ready attitude and her husky voice, which may be mannered but is fuller than Britney's, and it's perfectly suited for the glitzy music on Speak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
