From Amazon.com
Are Britney and Christina over-the-hill? It's a question the effervescent talents of 15-year-old
Lizzie McGuire star/teeny-pop Hilary Duff fairly begs. While the plot of this big-screen adaptation of Duff's popular Disney TV series (Lizzie and pals take a class trip to Italy; she's mistaken for a Neopolitan pop star; comic complications ensue) hearkens back to the days of Frankie and Annette--or was it Mickey and Judy?--its soundtrack is a downright sunny tribute to the power of contemporary teen pop. Anchored by Duff's performances of the bright, ear-candy single, "Why Not," and her balladeer turn as the film's faux Italian pop princess, "What Dreams Are Made Of" (each in two versions), it's a score whose bubbly energy resonates through its covers--Atomic Kittens' take on the reggae/Blondie chestnut "The Tide Is High"; Vitamin C's peppy version of the kitsch classic "Volare"; Jump 5's faithful reading of EW&F's "Shining Star"--and originals like Cooler Kids' infectious "All Around the World" and Beu Sister's "You Make Me Feel Like a Star" alike.
--Jerry McCulley
