Paris Hilton -- party girl heiress? Obviously. Actress? It's a stretch. Singer? Surprisingly, yes.
The transition from celebrity/amateur porn star to actress/singer has been a bumpy one, fueled by stigma and mockery. Regardless of what the supermarket tabloids say, however, this Hilton's clearly been to enough parties to know more than a thing or two about what makes a hot jam. And it pays off in her debut CD, Paris.
It's only appropriate that Paris Hilton, America's most notorious socialite and arguably one of the most successful businesswomen in the nation (last year she independently grossed $6.5 million for doing what exactly?) would eventually make the jump from famous name to actress to musician. Her musical debut, however, contrary to that of her major motion picture debut (remember House of Wax?) presents something more typical of Paris. And no, it's not nudity. The CD is flavorful and fun -- not to mention every track has a sick beat.
That's not to say, however, that Ms. Hilton is a musical genius. In reality, the only true musical value of Ms. Hilton's album is the palpably dance-worthy rhythms and addictive melodies. Each of her songs does sound remarkably similar to the last, and her voice does sound as though it's been put the proverbial synthesizing ringer, but the CD's lack of brilliance doesn't underscore the fact that each one of the songs could be turned up at a club and have the dance floor moving. And that's exactly what Paris intended.
While "Nothing in this World" does have a remarkably distinct Hillary Duff bubble-gum pop sound, "I Want You" and "Do ya think I'm Sexy" (a cover of Rod Stewart's classic) resonate with a Seventies vibe. The remaining tracks on the record, notably "Fightin Over Me" and "Turn You On" mix dance rhythms, just enough self-obsession ("Girls and boys are looking at me / I can't blame them 'cause I'm sexy") and good old fashion Paris Hilton morality ("Just 'cause I dance with you / Don't mean you're getting some").
The first single off the CD, "Stars are Blind," was released in June and debuted on the Charts at number 18. The video features a scantily clad Paris on an exotic beach being groped by a hunk who looks strangely like Stavros Niarchos, Paris' ex-flame. The video is mildly reminiscent of another of Paris's classics (which wouldn't be found on MTV), as Paris bumps and grinds with anything that moves and even some things that don't.
The entire CD has hints of self-obsessive mockery throughout -- she moans variations of "That's hot," the CD is self-titled in a fit of self-obsession and the eighth track is ironically titled, "Screwed."
Other celebs have attempted to make the jump from acting to singing -- most notably, and abysmally, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Love Hewitt and most recently young starlets like Lindsay Lohan. Of course the opposite is also true with occasionally less detrimental results. While Britney Spears's debut in Crossroads doesn't exactly fit this bill, Jennifer Lopez in Selena and Eminem in 8 Mile certainly do.
Paris Hilton has managed to create a well-produced, danceable CD, even with critics shooting her down. In my book, that's hot.
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