Hilary Duff’s self-titled sophomore release pushes toward a more rock-inspired sound than her previous album, Metamorphosis. The album was Duff’s first real attempt in helping to produce her album, co-writing the songs “Mr. James Dean,” “Haters,” and “Rock This World.” While she wasn’t as confident to make suggestions on her first time around, this time she was “very involved.”

“I worked with the songwriters, telling them what was happening in my life, and what I wanted to sing about,” said Duff.The album portrays a vulnerable side to the pop rock princess, taking experiences she wouldn’t normally talk about as inspiration. Her tabloid rivalry with another actress is obvious in “Haters.”

“Everybody knows which feud I’m singing about,” says Duff, “It’s not directed at anybody in particular; it’s about anybody that comes down on your for no reason. I know girls go through this in high school. It’s supposed to be sarcastic. People will recognize they’re not the only ones who have to deal with stuff like that.”

“Who’s That Girl,” a song about a love gone wrong, is probably Duff’s most personal song on the album. “I cried when I first heard the song. There’s this part of me that everybody knows about and there’s this other me, at home or with my friends and family, that’s completely different. And sometimes I step out and watch while the ‘other’ Hilary is working and wonder how I’m able to do all this stuff… It’s like two sides of the same person.”

While the album is juvenile compared to her pop-rock teen rivals such as Fefe Dobson and Ashlee Simpson, the CD can’t be completely categorized as a post-Avril rip-off. Duff does her own thing, and that’s something to be respected. With years of experience ahead of her, we can only hope that Duff will break that actress-turned-singer stereotype and become something amazing.