So Real (album)
| So Real | ||||
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| Studio album by Mandy Moore | ||||
| Released | December 7, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Teen pop, dance-pop, bubblegum pop | |||
| Length | 44:30 | |||
| Label | Epic/550 | |||
| Producer | The Wasabees, Tony Moran, Rogers & Sturken | |||
| Mandy Moore chronology | ||||
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| Singles from So Real | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Entertainment Weekly | C− |
So Real is the debut studio album by American pop singer Mandy Moore. The album was released on December 7, 1999, in the United States by Epic Records. The album's lyrical and visual representations maintained the common theme of virginal innocence in the late 1990s teen pop revival. The album was released mainly due to the success of teen artists Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, who released their debut albums that same year to commercial success. So Real became a moderate hit in the United States, reaching a peak of 31 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as well as being certified Platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of over 1 million.
The album spawned a Top 40 hit with "Candy" and went gold within three months in the RIAA, although such success was considered trivial compared to the overwhelming popularity of teen pop's biggest stars at the time.
Moore's interest in singing grew after seeing the musical Oklahoma!. She was also encouraged to perform by her English-born maternal grandmother, who was her inspiration. After several public exposures where she sang the national anthem at several Florida sporting events, Moore recorded some songs that were overheard by a FedEx employee, who sent her CD tape to A&R at Epic Records. Moore was then signed and started recording her debut album. To start the promotion, she toured with the Backstreet Boys throughout 1999 and the album was released in December.
The opening track of the album, "So Real", was also the third single released from the record overall, and the second in Australia. In its lyrics, Moore sings that what she feels about a guy is "so, so real". The song was written by Tony Battaglia, Shaun Fisher and produced by The Wasabees. Its second song and lead single, "Candy", talks about her feelings, that she misses and craves for her love like "candy". The melody and tune of the song has a marked resemblance to the 1996 song "Do You Know (What It Takes)", which was written and composed by Max Martin and Denniz Pop and recorded, co-written and released by Swedish pop star Robyn. Actor John Goodman also appears on the track, playing the chimes.
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