2004 was a significant year in the 2000s teen-pop culture. The Disney network was now the main distributor of glossy, unabashed teen pop, so a solo album for Lindsay Lohan, who is arguably one of its biggest stars, was inevitable. After all, she turned 18 in July 2004, a date in which every Disney star must have a recording contract under her belt. However, Lindsay has arrived pretty late in the game, as her rival Hilary Duff and other contemporaries Avril and Ashlee have already secured their debuts (Avril and Hilary have even made their sophomore albums already). So, to successfully turn Lindsay into a pop star, she was basically required to go where the mood of the times went. This year, the sound of teen-pop had drastically shifted towards a gaudy rock ambience, driven home by Avril’s terrific “Under My Skin”. However, Lindsay is not Avril. Remember, she’s an actress, not a singer, so she hired pop makers Kara DioGuardi and John Shanks to pen and produce the bulk of her debut, simply titled “Speak”.
The reasoning for this title is anyone’s guess, because apart from the closing track “Rumors”, “Speak” doesn’t really say much, at least, as far as personality goes. But maybe this was Lindsay’s intention: to produce a record not as controversial as her party girl persona. She definitely delivers on that promise, as none of the songs here are autobiographical in nature; they’re proud and loud pop products meant for her core audience of tweens and teens. That means that “Speak” wasn’t built to be a cohesive set of tracks, since teen-pop rarely is. Instead, it’s a sound collection of songs; some good, some not, but often times, DioGuardi and Shanks are allowed to steer Lindsay in the right direction. Indeed, this album doesn’t escape the pitfalls of a debut (especially one coming from an 18-year old actress), but it’s not just a throwaway record, either. In fact, it could be one of the best teen-pop releases that Disney has produced in the 2000s. It’s not groundbreaking or original, but Lindsay’s execution is confident enough to push the hooks into your subconscious. While many won’t warm up to her growl of a singing voice, it’s more powerful than Ashlee’s whining and especially Hilary’s mouse-squeaks. And in fact, Lindsay sings just how she should for a pop/rock album produced in 2004: her voice soars above the roaring guitars and cold synths in “First” and “Nobody Til You”, and she strains her range in “The Very Last Moment in Time”, but the production more than makes up for it. And that’s what makes “Speak” a strangely addictive album, while Lindsay is not an accomplished vocalist, she’s given the material her voice deserves, and she has enough swagger to make the songs palatable. Best of all, while “Speak” is decidedly a teen-pop record, it doesn’t exactly play as one, mostly due to the fact that it doesn’t play like any other pop/rock record of 2004. Lindsay chose Casablanca Hollywood Buena Vista (Disney’s labels), so she’s not dragged down by Disney’s cheese and hollow confectionery. Also, she also includes some very catchy dance-pop, like the heavy groove of “To Know Your Name”, or “Rumors” again, with its blend of hip-hop beats and pop atmospheres. These tracks are actually what shine the brightest on this otherwise dark album, they offer more hooks and cater to Lindsay’s underdeveloped voice better than the noisy rockers do. Is “Speak” sometimes overblown? Yes. Can it be nerve-grating and desperate? Of course. Is it unfocused and sometimes tedious? Absolutely. Even though it packs more hooks and a bigger punch than most teen-pop releases of 2004, “Speak” is not an artistic statement. However, for what it is, it gets the job done, and that’s what makes it the best Disney release so far in the 2000s.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. First 2. Nobody Til You 3. Symptoms of You
4. Speak 5. Over 6. Something I Never Had
7. Anything but Me 8. Disconnected 9. To Know Your Name
10. Very Last Moment in Time 11. Rumors
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