Common Sense Note
Raven-Symone delivers her first sophisticated album with some surprisingly effective girl-power messages. You can use these songs as jumping-off points to talk about a lot of relationship issues.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Baby-faced teen pop-goddess Raven-Symone delivers a surprisingly sophisticated collection of new tunes on THIS IS MY TIME. Interesting and well-produced, they pack a gentle but empowering wallop for young girls by addressing such themes as flirtation, possessiveness, individuality, and self-esteem while somehow not sounding insufferable.
Starting with "Mystify," a musical lesson in the power of playing hard-to-get, Raven-Symone works her way through romantic disappointment on "Backflip" ("Don't give me that tired act cause you've been running around...don't be cutting corners on me...I need to see it to believe it.") through flirtation (on "What is Love?") and longing ("Overloved"); then things start getting interesting with "Set Me Free," a declaration of independence from an overly-possessive boyfriend. There's a delightful Alice-in-Wonderland fantasy ("Just Fly Away"), and a G-rated dance tune ("Bump"), followed by several songs that seem designed to encourage girls to feel empowered, like themselves, appreciate their gifts and their own and each others' individuality. Her cover of "Grazin' in the Grass" is delightful; other songs show a surprisingly competent (and confident) musical and vocal range.
All of this is done with good strong performances, well-written songs in a variety of styles, interesting musicianship, and a minimum of preachiness.
Despite its glossy pop veneer, THIS IS MY TIME is more intelligent and interesting than anyone might expect from a Disney teen queen, and -- for tween girls in need of a little validation -- definitely a keeper.
Rate It!
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Social BehaviorSome good, empowering stuff for girls. |
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CommercialismIt's Disney. It's commercial by definition. |
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