V

Clean, processed, pretty pop for tweens and up.

Artist: Vanessa Hudgens
Genre: Pop Label: Hollywood Records Parental Advisory: No Edited Version Available: No Release Date: 09/26/2006

Common Sense Note

Parents need to know that there is nary a hint of sexual innuendo here. And even though Vanessa is another attractive pop diva wannabe, the album, refreshingly, doesn't resort to overt sexual marketing.

Families can talk about the appeal of someone like Vanessa Hudgens. Does she talk about what you talk about with your friends? Does she seem like someone you'd hang out with instead of someone too glamorous to be a regular teen? When she talks about boys and high school relationships, do you feel the same way she does? Why or why not? Do you think she's that way in real life, or does this have to do with selling her album? If you saw her in High School Musical, does she seem different than her character?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Tony Whittum

Vanessa Hudgens has impressive credentials for one so young: commercials, modeling, TV appearances, theater, and roles in the films Thirteen and the mildly popular Thunderbirds.

Her most successful role so far was starring opposite Zac Efron in the Disney made-for-TV movie High School Musical. The movie spawned a popular soundtrack and garnered her and Efron a (short-lived) #4 Billboard appearance with their duet "Breaking Free."

Hudgens' debut CD is well positioned to win the approval of the tween+ girl market. Her 12 relatively simple, syrupy-sweet pop songs about boys, hanging out with friends, dancing, girrrl power, the trials and tribulations of a very young life, and even more about boys, are all delivered with the latest in slick, recycled, computer-programmed music and hip-hop beats -- unfortunately there are surprisingly few live musicians to be found.

Then there's her capable, if not overly original, voice. Hudgens is strong, steady, and comfortable in the mid-range, as when she's singing the club/dance tune "Let's Dance" and the pop/rocker "Never Underestimate a Girl." Otherwise her voice can range from diminutive and mousy to downright shrill.

V is an ideal vehicle for showcasing and promoting an up-and-coming talent without, thankfully, resorting to the baseness of overt sexual packaging; there's nary a hint of sexual innuendo here, and the liner notes are peppered only with innocuous "candid" and posed photos of the singer. But aside from the rich string arrangement of "Whatever Will Be" -- the album's most skillfully written, original, and artfully performed song -- the CD breaks no new ground vocally, lyrically, or musically. It has nothing new to say, and Hudgens has very little to differentiate herself, currently, from the rest of the wannabe pop divas. She's lucky she was discovered by her core audience in High School Musical.

As her voice and her musical talents mature, it would be nice to see Hudgens take more risks and produce something more original. Then as her audience matures, they won't leave her behind.

Fans of V might also like The Cheetah Girls and the The High School Musical Soundtrack.

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