Critical Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Entertainment Weekly | C |
| RTÉ.ie | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Slant Magazine | |
| Stylus Magazine | D+ |
| Teen Ink | (Positive) |
Speak received mostly mixed reaction from critics. Linda McGee, of RTÉ.ie, says "What makes the album most impressive is Lohan's apparent ease in carrying various styles. While her vocals are not sensational, their gritty edge keeps Lohan more than afloat throughout this album."
"She still has room to develop as a singer, but her songwriting skills are already impressive," says Teen Ink, who gave the album a positive review. The magazine continues saying, "For her first attempt, Lohan does a pretty good job. “Speak” is a joy to listen to from beginning to end."
CD Universe says "'Speak' proves that Lohan has the mettle and talent necessary to compete with other young pop superstars." "ith just two hit films under her belt, Lohan decided it was time to turn into a multimedia, cross-platform star," wrote Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic, "and so Speak was recorded quickly and rushed into the stores". He called her music "a blend of old-fashioned, Britney-styled dance-pop and the anthemic, arena rock sound pioneered by fellow tween stars Hilary Duff and Ashlee Simpson. Lohan stands apart from the pack with her party-ready attitude and her husky voice."
IGN gave the album a mixed review, stating, "As with her contemporaries—Britney, Christina, Ashlee, Avril, Hilary—it remains to be seen if she will transcend the generic pop princess model and grow into a mature, insightful artist. For now, Speak offers up sugar coated, prefab pop that is easily digested, but just as easily forgotten." Entertainment Weekly also gave the album a C, stating "The Mean Girls star's debut album has some guilty pleasures: "Rumors" dramatically slams the very stalkerazzi who made her a household name, while the tween-slumber-party-friendly "Over" is perfect for singing into your curling iron in front of the mirror. But somewhere, Avril Lavigne — whose influence is clearly at work here — is rolling her eyes." People Magazine music critic Chuck Arnold gave the album a "promising" review, stating that the album is a "competent collection of teen pop."
Read more about this topic: Speak (Lindsay Lohan Album)
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