C Kim 2008-11-25

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Vanessa's style has definitely changed. Her music contains stronger lyrics and her voice is no longer quite as nasal (though you can hear it in songs such as Don't Ask Why), but she lost something from V when she made this album. If she's trying to shed her Disney image with this album, let me tell you, this album brought her a little bit closer to her goal.

~~~

Last Night
3/5 stars
No annoyingly nasal voice in this song - but what's with the lyrics? "I don't wanna know what you did last night...I don't wanna hear that you had a good time." Towards the end of the song, Vanessa announces that she pictures her lover "out meeting someone new". Call me crazy, but does this song imply something that young HSM fans should not hear? Not to mention the fact that the strange beat doesn't sound like it quite matches the lyrics.

Identified
4/5 stars
Overall a nice song, but at the very beginning, the strange snapping noise is irritating. This weird sound recurs throughout the entire song and pretty much made it not so much of a joy to listen to. The chorus is upbeat and lively and the lyrics seem to fit the beat well.

First Bad Habit
4/5 stars
This was actually a song I could tolerate and somewhat enjoy. The beat is catchy. The song itself is about young love and, obviously, Vanessa's first bad habit. If you are willing to subject yourself to this album's weirdness but only want to listen to one song, pick this one. It's the most bearable.

Hook It Up
2/5 stars
"You've got the money money, she's got the hottie body, we wanna party party!" Excuse me? The chorus directly implies that you are only worthy of dancing if you are (a) wealthy, (b) physically attractive, or (c) a hard partygoer. It seems Vanessa meets all three requirements. Do you honestly think this qualifies her as a good role model?

Don't Ask Why
4/5 stars
Oh boy. Yet another song that could have been good has been killed by some quality or other. In this song, it's Vanessa's extremely nasal voice. Just compare it to V's songs (all of which are laced and ruined by Vanessa's nasal singing) and you'll recognize the similarity. Nasalness put aside, Vanessa's voice stays on key and communicates the emotion of sadness. Nice song to listen to if you want something quiet and not blaring through your house.

Sneakernight
2/5 stars
One only needs to watch the music video for this song to realize that Vanessa's moral standards have dropped. Her short shorts could be mistaken for underwear, and what's with the glowing shoes? The song itself is annoying and weird. Her voice sounds as if she's trying too hard to sound hip and upbeat.

Amazed
3/5 stars
Last time I checked, Vanessa is a POP singer, not a RAPPER. Lil Mama's rapping is fine when it's alone, but not when it's mixed with Vanessa's songs! With other songs - such as Avril Lavigne's song "Girlfriend" - it sounds fine, but here it sounded somewhat out of place. A must-not-listen-to. Or, if you're absolutely dying to hear what it sounds like, listen to it but turn it off instantly when the rapping is introduced.

Don't Leave
2/5 stars
To be blunt, this song is pathetic. "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you, and all the loneliness I would go through." I mean, c'mon! This song conveys the message that girls absolutely can't do anything if their boyfriend dumps them. If this message was true, a significant amount of the entire female population of the world would be depressed and suicidal all the time. The whole thing is depressing and overall not what I'd call a happy song.

Paper Cut
1/5
Oh no! Vanessa's boyfriend's love hurts so badly like a paper cut! Get real. Like Don't Ask Why, the song seems to say that the removal of a boyfriend's love results in a desperate and upset dumped girlfriend. Probably would not have been used by the feminist movement had Vanessa existed during that time.

Party on the Moon
2/5
Lame, lame, lame. "There's a party on the moon, and you're invited! Bring your friends too, it's so exciting." Hah. The beginning sounds like somebody's gasping for breath (seems appropriate, considering the song's place setting is in outer space) and Vanessa's first words, "Is anybody out there?" sound weird, computerized, and just plain creepy. This song does NASA shame.

Did it Ever Cross Your Mind
3/5 stars
This one actually seems appropriate enough to belong in HSM. But it remains quiet and dull the entire time, so it would belong in the background rather than as a main track. The volume almost never changes. Its message is not bad, but certainly not the best.

Gone with the Wind
1/5 stars
The song is not too shabby, but what's the point? The song never seems to reach a climax or an invigorating chorus. The whole thing is slow and perhaps would make a better lullaby than a song on Vanessa's sophomore album.

~~~

I would say I was disappointed by this album had I enjoyed V. The problem is, both albums weren't so hot and showed that the talent Vanessa has (oh, yes, she does; simply listen to Gotta Go My Own Way from HSM2) is being used in the wrong way. Vanessa needs to find a real recording company, not that lame Hollywood Records, to train her voice to its full potential and let her sing real songs.

iPod Fan 3 2008-10-22

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Vanessa Hudgens has been very famous ever since her lead role in Disney Channel's most popular TV movie, 'High School Musical'. Whether its her relationship with Zac, her music career, or her nude photo controversy, it seemed at one point she couldn't stay out of the tabloids. Her debut album "V" was a very good pop album with just a few fillers. Easily four stars. After hearing "Sneakernight", I wondered how this album would turn out. "Sneakernight" was an average three star song. It was catchy, had a nice beat, but it was very repetitive lyrically. After hearing this album, it did not have many songs like that. Unfortunately, these songs were either hit or miss, with only a few in between great and bad.

Many of these songs sound like she's trying to rip of Hilary Duff's most recent album Dignity, where they both say goodbye to innocent bubblegum pop and try pop music with a very '80s dance music feel to them. However, of these two CD's, it seems Hilary's is much better lyrically and a lot of times her beats are better also.

The CD starts off with "Last Night". Lyrically, this track is good. Not great, but good. However the beat to this song is very odd sounding and the words aren't very well in sync with the music, making it one of my least favorites on the CD. The CD picks up on the next song, which is the title track. This just happens to be the best song on the disc. It has a great beat, catchy lyrics, and nothing too repetitive at that! I find myself humming or even singing that song to myself on occasion. When you think the disc might not be a complete waste of money, things get just plain boring as you find yourself skipping "First Bad Habit" after the first listen.

Next up is "Hook It Up" , which is weird. It starts out with a nice beat. But it's down hill from there. "Hook It Up" sounds like it's written by a five year old. (You Got the money money/She's got the hottie body/We wanna party party/hook it on up!), and when she sings the chorus, she speaks it, almost like she's trying to rap. Plus, if you were offended by her saying the word 'hell' in the song "Let Go" from her first album, it says it in this song to, although she is not the one who says it. "Don't Ask Why" is a nice ballad after all those bad to mediocre pop/dance songs (minus the song "Identified" which is wonderful.) I would consider it another one of my favorites.

"Don't Ask Why" is followed by the single "Sneakernight", the amazing "Amazed" where she channels her bubblegum pop and a little hip hop. Lil Mama helps make this one of the best tracks on the disc, only behind "Identified". "Don't Leave" is a forgettable ballad. "Paper Cut" is a much better ballad. Then "Party on the Moon" gives us a great beat, but lyrics that many might find childish and stupid. (Just read the title.)
"Did It Ever Cross Your Mind" is another one that I tend to skip.

The CD ends with "Gone With the Wind", which is about growing up and not being afraid to speak her mind and do what SHE wants to do. This is the best ballad, and third best track on the album. When it's over, you find yourself trying to decide if it was worth it. You might find yourself add a few songs to your iPod and then putting the CD where you might not pick it up for a couple of months/years. Either way, I suggest buying "Identified", "Don't Ask Why", "Amazed", "Sneakernight", and "Gone With the Wind" on iTunes and not waste money on the whole CD.

J. Yoon 2008-10-11

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

This album was not good. "V" was a much better album. Vanessa Hudgens has talent and sounds well only with the right material. The way that she chooses to use her voice does not work with the songs that she sings. I bought it because I was interested in the difference between her first album and her second. I would give the first on 4 stars, but this one just can't be rated as high. I would give it a 1.8

The only songs worth listening to are: "Identified," "Don't Leave," and "Paper Cut," which sounds a bit too literal in the lyrics. Most of the rest of the songs sound cheap, and extremely unpleasing and unenjoyable to listen to, with the strange and alien way that Hudgens uses her voice. Some have catchy choruses, but the chorus does not make up the song. (Check out Avril Lavigne's "When you're gone.")
These songs include: "First Bad Habit," "Hook it up," "Don't ask why," "Amazed," "Last Night," and "Party on the Moon."
Other songs like "Gone with the wind" and "Sneakernight" get very irritating after a while. As a younger teen, which is the target audience, nearly all the people at my school scorn Vanessa hudgens and do not like her.

The only real thing that saved this album from 1 star is that the lyrics are some-what well written, and the background vocals aren't that bad. but seriously, Vanessa Hudgens needs to take voice advice from other singers like Natalie Horler (singer of band Cascada) for catchy tunes, Carrie Underwood to widen vocal talent, Avril Lavigne for plain old fantastic and popular music, and/or Ashley Tisdale for good lyrics. It wouldn't hurt to listen to Hilary Duff and Ashlee Simpson, either. They are both natural sounding, and all of the other mentioned singers have both catchy choruses, as well as catchy verses.

andersbo 2008-09-29

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I'm sure this could be good if you had made this download available to customers living OUTSIDE the United States as well as American citizens... I really hope this album will be available (as a download) in Scandinavia - Denmark, Sweden and Norway as well as other European countries

MizKyGirl 2008-09-20

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Vanessa Hudgens makes a comeback with her sophomore album, "Identified" in the summer of 2008. Unlike her previous album, Vanessa takes a different direction for her second album which will surprise and excite any Vanessa Hudgens fans. Here is my review on the album:

#1.) Last Night: A cool, upbeat R&B\soul-like song to start the album off right. It's got a catchy melody and Vanessa sounds wonderful on the song.
#2.) Identified: The title song is a great, upbeat techno-like dance song that is fun to dance to.
#3.) First Bad Habit: One of my favorite songs from the album. It's got a cool pop\R&B-like melody to the song and a catchy chorus to sing along to.
#4.) Hook it Up: A upbeat dance song, but to be honest, I don't like it that much. (You can agree or disagree. I don't mind.)
#5.) Don't Ask Why: The first ballad on the album is very soulful with a pop music twist to it.
#6.) Amazed: A cute little hip-hop\soul song that features rapper Lil Mama on the song.
#7.) Don't Leave: The second ballad on the album that's got a mixture of soul and pop to it.
#8.) Paper Cut: The third ballad on the album and it sounds more pop-like rather than soulful.
#9.) Party on the Moon: An upbeat, dance song with a catchy melody. Even though the title of the song might sound a little weird, but at least the song is good.
#10.) Sneakernight: A cool upbeat pop\R&B-song with a catchy chorus, melody, and beat.
#11. Did It Ever Cross Your Mind: An upbeat dance song that kind of reminds me of Janet Jackson's "Feedback" song.
#12.) Gone With the Wind: A cool, jazzy soul ballad that is absolutely perfect for ending the album off right.

If you loved Vanessa's first album, you'll love her second album. I totally recommend this!!