My very good friend Pearce has been insistent I review this album, so as a birthday present for him, here is the review. And lucky for him, I really enjoyed this album; Hilary Duff's most accomplished album to date.
With little promotion, Hilary seems to have done a great job with chart placing, "Breathe In, Breathe Out", gave Hilary her fifth US top 5 album, and her second highest placing her in Australia with a number 4 album. Well done Hilary, it's well deserved.
While this may not be the best pop album you'll hear all year, it still is a damn fine pop album from an artist who has lost the child star tag and become a pop star in her own right. One special thing that's happened is that she has gone from being an artist with some great singles ("Come Clean" and "So Yesterday" were amazing songs) and an album of fill; to an artist that has an album filled with great tracks - no fill here, just good pop tunes.
The album is very current, it has elements of dance, elements of folk, but all pop. Production is slick and Hilary's voice has clearly grown as she's gotten older, she'll never be a vocal powerhouse, but her voice sounds great here. It's a fun album that's easy to listen to, a solid album most pop diva's wish they could have recorded. The only downfall is the exclusion of the two teaser singles, "Chasing the Sun" and "All About You", the later a top 20 hit here in Australia. Even though they didn't live up to the chart hopes of her label, they should have been included - they are great tunes.
But let's talk about what's on offer here and what is great. First official single, "Sparks" is a contagious pop track with an amazing beat and an awesome whistle track. "Confetti" may be my favourite track on the album. It has an amazing chorus and has a homage to one of my all time favourite songs, "Heaven is a Place on Earth". Title track, "Breathe In, Breathe Out" may have some dodgy lyrics, but is an awesome song with a good beat. My favourite part, "X marks the spot" - gets me singing along.
Other highlights include the Ed Sheeran penned, "Tattoo" and the beautiful duet, "Night Like This", is exceptional. Bizarrely two of my favourite tracks are the bonus ones, "Belong" is a good beat with a good message and "Rebel Hearts" is a great dance song. Reason to get the deluxe release!
I look forward to listening to this album more and getting to know the tracks better. A damn fine album from the lovely Ms Hilary Duff.
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