Willa Ford
Dear Willa Ford: On the chorus of “Tired,” you sing that you’re tired of the clones that look like me/ tired of the people saying Britney. Oh, Willa. Willa, Willa, Willa. You might be one of the loveliest minxes to grace the charts, but your debut disc doesn’t stray far enough from the Brit pack to immunize you against comparisons to Miss Spears. Willa Was Here serves some frothy treats, but it is for the most part another tepid collection of pseudourban ditties sugared up for nonurban kids, with a ballad or two thrown in for good measure. Kudos, though, for “I Wanna Be Bad,” a slice of pop naughtiness that’s much less forced than is suggested by including the word sh*t — spelled just like that — in the liner notes. Did Kid Rock loan his vocoder to you for this song? Perhaps that’s why you give him a shout-out in your thank-you list; or maybe that reference is just another stab at establishing a bad reputation. Willa, your aspiration to be Britney’s evil twin is cute, but the world can’t help but wonder: Isn’t that why we already have Christina Aguilera?
