Arriving about a month before Hilary Duff turned 18 and presumably right around the time her record contract was coming to an end, 2005's Most Wanted is a tossed-off hodgepodge of seven previously released songs (including the hits "So Yesterday" and "Fly"), three new remixes (including one of the hit "Come Clean"), and three new songs. Nothing screams contractual obligation quite like this kind of grab bag, and hardcore fans will be hard-pressed for a reason to add this to their collection, since they not only have nearly everything here, the new songs -- the single "Wake Up," which sounds like a sweet-natured, slightly listless spin on Gwen Stefani's "Cool"; the persistent electro-pulse of "Beat of My Heart"; the lightweight Ashlee Simpson-styled rocker "Break My Heart" -- sound a bit like leftovers. While this isn't a terrible album by any means, it's not particularly a good one, since Duff's two pop albums have distinctive personalities that don't necessarily mesh together (2003's Metamorphosis is unabashed teen pop, 2004's Hilary Duff is a post-Ashlee/Avril rock makeover), and are both more fun than this. If all you're looking for is the two hits on one disc (and you don't really mind that one is remixed, not in the version that you heard on the radio), Most Wanted suits the bill. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A collection that combines previously unreleased songs with earlier tracks and remixes, MOST WANTED serves as a thumbnail sketch of Hilary Duff's 2003-2005 recording career. The three new songs here feature the charming singer pairing up with the Dead Executives production team, resulting in the techno-tinged "Wake Up," the upbeat "Beat of My Heart," and the rocked-out "Break My Heart," which sounds like Duff fronting the Foo Fighters. The rest of the disc presents cherry-picked tracks from her hugely successful first two albums (including the guitar-heavy "Metamorphosis" and the urgent "Fly") and the soundtrack for her 2004 film A CINDERELLA STORY, most notably an energetic rendition of the Go-Go's' "Our Lips Are Sealed." While the remixes don't depart much from the originals, they do give the tunes an added punch and make Duff's assertive and amiable vocals even more prominent. For those unfamiliar with Duff's undeniably catchy pop/rock sound, this is an excellent sampler of her best songs.