Review: Isabela Moner's STOPPING TIME

Isabela Moner may only be 14 years old but her career thus far is envied by many performers. She made her Broadway debut at 10 in the revival of Evita and is currently a household name amongst most young people in America, starring in 100 Things To Do Before High School on Nickelodeon. She also has numerous other TV, film and theatre credits under her belt. With a view to giving her a platform into pop music, Broadway Records swiftly signed Moner up and this 12-track album - Stopping Time - is the finished product.

What the production team behind this CD have done brilliantly is to showcase Moner's assets without playing down her age or making her grow up before her time. This balance has been found brilliantly. The selection of songs is eclectic but this shows her versatility and it has a carefree feeling throughout. There is an acoustic vibe whereby Moner also plays instruments in a number of the tracks. She doesn't 'over-sing' but has some really nice inflections in her voice. It is unbelievable to think what Moner will be singing like in ten years if she is this good now!

The album is a mixture of covers and original songs, the first of which ('Dream Of Me') she co-wrote with her father. Even when performing songs previously sung by other artists, she is able to add her own contemporary flavour to them - particularly 'Wonderwall' made famous by Oasis and her sassy version of 'Mercy' by Duffy. She also revisits classic songs such as 'The Boy From Ipanema' which has a Latin air appropriate to Moner's heritage, being half Peruvian. Furthermore she returns to her professional theatre debut Evita and sings 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina'. It's brilliant to hear her singing Spanish for the first verse as well. Here, she sings beyond her years and gives listeners a glimpse of what is to come later down the line in her career.

A very promising debut album from a rising star.

Isabela Moner's Stopping Time is available from iTunes, Amazon.com, BroadwayRecords.com and other major retailers.