Plot: What’s it about?
The latest teen pop sensation is Hilary Duff, the girl who rose to fame as Lizzie McGuire on The Disney Channel’s popular series of the same name. She did her time on the network, then had a spin in the feature film version of Lizzie McGuire, and now, Duff has set her sights on the music business. The debut album was Metamorphosis and while some doubted Duff’s chances, the record went on to sell millions of copies. In an effort to promote the album and take her music to the masses in person, Duff embarked on her first ever concert tour. In The Girl Can Rock, we’re taken into the front row of Duff’s concerts, as she tries to prove she can indeed rock. She is beautiful and has a great voice, but is her concert that good? In truth, Duff lacks the kind of stage presence I expected, but she is still fun to watch. Her band is loaded with thirty year old musicians, which is kind of weird, but Duff herself is a solid performer. You can tell she isn’t a veteran, as she is a little reserved at times, but it all comes across well enough. Below is a listing the songs performed in this release, each is found within its own chapter on the disc.
1. Come Clean
2. So Yesterday
3. Why Not
4. Metamorphosis
5. The Girl Can Rock
6. Little Voice
7. Anywhere But Here
8. Sweet 16
9. Where Did I Go Right
10. Love Just Is
11. The Math
12. Workin’ It Out
13. Party Up
Video: How does it look?
The concert is presented in full frame, as intended. As expected, the image looks a little rough at times, but this is common on live performance recordings, so no real reason for concern here. The show features a lot of colorful lights and such, which this transfer handles with ease, so hues remain vivid and bright. No issues in terms of contrast, as the black levels are accurate, even in this rather dark setting. The main problems are minor ones and due to the nature of the feature, so I can’t blame it all on this transfer. I saw no compression flaws or the like either, leaving me to score this one quite well.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which allows the music to be full and very immersive at all times. I’ve heard a lot of live performance tracks and this is a very good one, well mixed and the surrounds are used to terrific ends. The music has a lot of presence throughout, with a perfect balance between the instruments and the vocals at all times. Each instrument is well presented too, so none of the elements wind up drowned out or overpowered. All in all, not much else we could want from this soundtrack, as the concert sounds about as good as possible. So fans of Duff should be most pleased here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a behind the scenes look at the tour, a peek inside Duff’s new album, and a look at the Come Clean video production. You can also view other brief featurettes and interviews with Duff, watch a couple of Duff’s music videos. plus browse some assorted photos of the teen star in her natural element.
