Preteen Frenzy Belies Hilary Duff’s Talent

Jeffrey Lee Puckett of the Louisville Courier-Journal was on hand for Hilary Duff’s Kentucky State Fair concert Friday night, attended by “10,000 preteens chanting ‘Hil-a-ry! Hil-a-ry! Hil-a-ry!’” and “maybe a dozen men… who weren’t fathers in charge of a chattering gaggle of miniature Hilarys.” Puckett writes, “Duff’s music, a slicker, louder take on the power pop of the Go-Gos, isn’t too bad. On songs such as ‘Wake Up’, ‘Beat of My Heart’ and ‘The Getaway’, she and her producers achieve a glossy, low-calorie nirvana. The hooks are huge and undeniable, and Duff sings with a thoroughly professional glee.”