POP
On her second album, Ashley Tisdale makes like Ashlee Simpson with punchy pop rock that results in frothy fun. By not taking herself too seriously, the High School Musical actress, though still only a passable singer, graduates to a new level of respectability. The CD kicks off with the bratty "Acting Out," a rebel yell for any good girl who longs to be bad. When Tisdale, who cowrote this and three other tunes, sings, "I'm gonna break these chains, I'm taking control now," she might be referring to the shackles Disney has had on her. Now 24, Tisdale admits to grown-up desires on the naughty highlight "Hot Mess": "You wake up in your bra and your makeup." But singing about a guy who messes up her tresses in the sack on "Hair," she still has bouncy tween appeal.
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