I Wanna Be with You (album)

Because Moore's debut album So Real was not released internationally, Epic Records decided to market her with a different version of her debut album with newly recorded material. In April 2000, it was announced that the album would be titled I Wanna Be with You.[5] I Wanna Be with You maintains the same genres of the last album: teen pop, dance-pop and bubblegum pop.[6] The artwork includes a "Special Edition" subtitle on versions released in the U.S.

The North American edition album contains five new songs along with remixes of "So Real", "Candy", and "I Wanna Be with You." Many versions of the album were produced. The Australian, Japanese, and Asian versions all differ from the standard version, with 13, 17, and 18 tracks respectively. The opening track, "I Wanna Be with You," is a string-heavy pop song with slight R&B influenced beats. The song is written in the key of E♭ major and is set in the time signature of common time. It is moderately paced with a tempo of 76 beats per minute. The song also follows the sequence of E♭maj7–A♭–E♭7–A♭maj7 as its chord progression. Moore's vocals in the song spans from the note of A♭₃ to D♭₅.[7] The version used in the film Center Stage has more poppy beats.[8] "Everything My Heart Desires" is a dance-pop song, the song was written by K. Dahlgaard, M. Jay and J. Pederson. "Want You Back" is a romantic teen pop song that draws influences from bubblegum pop, with a length of three minutes and eighteen seconds. The song is composed in the key of B♭ major and is set in time signature of common time with a moderately slow tempo of 96 beats per minute.[9] "The Way to My Heart" was produced by Peter Mansson. The song is a teen pop and dance-pop song that lasts for three minutes with thirty-nine seconds, is composed in the key of D major and is set in time signature of common time, with a moderately slow tempo of 88 beats per minute. In "So Real" (Wade Robson remix), Moore sings that what she feels about a guy is "so, so real".[10] The song was written by Tony Battaglia, Shaun Fisher and produced by The Wasabees. "Lock Me in Your Heart" is a mid-tempo track where Moore asks her boy to "lock me in your heart and throw away the key".[11]

"Walk Me Home" is a ballad in which Mandy daydreams about her lover and she asks him if he "would walk with [her] home." The song was compared with some Janet Jackson's ballads.[12] The next song, "I Like It," co-written by Backstreet Boys member Howie Dorough, is related to when one likes everything a person does and it feels right. "Candy" talks about her feelings, saying that she misses and craves her love "like candy". The melody and tune of the song has a marked resemblance to the 1996 song "Do You Know (What It Takes)", which was written and composed by Max Martin and Denniz Pop and recorded, written and released by Swedish pop star Robyn.[13] "Your Face" is a teen pop ballad that lasts for three minutes and seventeen seconds. The song is composed in the key of E major and is set in the time signature of common time with a tempo of 76 beats per minute.[14]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[15]

Reviews among music critics were generally mixed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic provided a positive review, calling the album a "crass marketing move" but saying that it "works a lot better than its predecessor."

I Wanna Be with You debuted at number 21 on the U.S. Billboard 200. It was eventually certified gold in the U.S. for shipments of 500,000 copies.[16]

In Asia, it almost peaked on the Asia Hitlist due to its massive radio airplay. The album became certified 2× Platinum in the Philippines, where Moore also had later success. The album reached number forty-nine in Japan, selling 15,760 copies. In New Zealand, the album peaked at number six.

As the So Real album was not released internationally, Moore's debut single "Candy" was marketed as a release from I Wanna Be with You in these territories. The song received generally favorable critical reviews, most of whom praised its composition. It received more success abroad than it did in the United States, peaking at #6 in the UK and #2 in Australia. The music video, which was directed by Chris Robinson, had a cameo by the girl group PYT and also briefly features Scarlett Johansson .

"I Wanna Be with You" was the first single released from the album in the US and the second single internationally. It spent 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached #24 in its ninth week on the chart.[17] The single was more successful in Australia, spending over 25 weeks in the top 100 and reaching number 11 on the ARIA charts. It also hit number 21 in the UK, becoming her second and last single to chart there, as well as her second top forty single. The song's video was directed by Nigel Dick. It gained significant airplay on MTV and the song also features on the soundtrack to the film Center Stage. The video shows a 16-year-old Mandy in a dance studio singing to her love interest, who was played by Sascha Radetsky from the movie.

"So Real" was released on June 13, 2000 as the album's third single in select markets such as Australia, New Zealand, France, and Japan. The song peaked within the top 30 in Australia and Top 100 in France. It was also recorded in French under the name "C'est Si Facile".[18]

"Walk Me Home" was first released on December 6, 1999 as the second single in the US from So Real, but did not chart. In 2000, the song was re-released to promote I Wanna Be with You, peaking at #38 on Billboard Pop 100 chart.

Credits for I Wanna Be with You adapted from AllMusic.[22]