Haylie Duff - New Album - Walk the Walk

After years of anticipation, it looks like Haylie Duff will finally be releasing a studio album. I can remember talks of this happening literally since the beginning of Hilary's music career, with Haylie's quote always being something along the lines of "I'm recording an album soon." Well it looks like she finally did record that album, titled "Walk the Walk" which is set to be released this summer on the same label as Hilary - Hollywood Records.

Check out what Prefix Magazine had to say in this early review:

"Walk the Walk," to be released by Hollywood Records in the coming months, is an excellent debut from an artist who was destined to become a footnote. The album is a classy affair of quality pop as well as a statement of Haylie's own individuality, an indication that she's moved beyond label-mate Hilary.

And a confidence is present on each of the twelve tracks here. From the sound of it, a lot of time was put into crafting the album. Despite flashes of rock and Christina Aguilera-style soul, "Walk the Walk" plays more like a vintage Liz Phair record, resting within a pleasant mid-tempo groove. It's all light pop, such as the breezy lead single "Holiday" and the equally enchanting title track "Walk the Walk," which sounds like a fresher, more modern Ashlee Simpson song. The entire first half of the album works on this level, mixing orchestral productions with excellent arrangements and confident vocals.

Haylie is no Christina when it comes to belting out, but she competently carries the album with her fierce and assured performance. One standout is "Faded," which bumps with savage energy thanks to Haylie's solid delivery. Even the up-tempo tracks work well here, in part because Haylie has a more down-home, organic vibe than Hilary could ever pull off. She seems more comfortable on tracks such as "Crush" and "Just a Minute" than Hilary sounded on her Radio Disney hit "Come Clean." And therein lies the real statement of Haylie's debut. She has effectively separated herself from her kid sister in the only way possible: by creating great music.

She may never truly escape the comparisons to Ashlee Simpson and Nicky Hilton, but with her self-titled debut, she has resurrected her career in high style.

Although I'm guessing that review was a little biased towards Haylie, since it was released in a press release - presumably by the Duff camp, it still sounds good. My only problem with it is that it compares this music to Hilary's "Come Clean." That song might be Hilary's most well known, but it was recorded in 2003... Hilary has grown by leaps and bounds since then musically. Either way, I'm still looking forward to giving this CD a listen, although I probably would have been more excited for it if it was released a few years ago.