Album Review: "Victorious 2.0: More Music from the Hit TV Show"

Artists Featured: Victoria Justice, Leon Thomas III, Elizabeth Gillies, and Matt Bennett Number of Tracks: 6 (+1 bonus track on iTunes) Year Released: 2012

Synopsis: The kids at Hollywood Arts High School are at it again! Tori Vega and her classmates Jade West, André Harris, and Robbie Shapiro belt out a few more tunes with just as much energy and talent as they had the first go-round.

Production Values: 4/5
Technically, this isn't an album; it's an EP, which stands for "extended play," though it is actually shorter than the previous VICTORiOUS album, so I have no idea how the play time would be extended.  Still, what Victoria and crew did well before, they continue to excel at here.  The catchy pop numbers, especially "Take a Hint," are amazing musically.  Where the EP fails a bit is with the slower songs; "Countdown" isn't that great, and "I Think You're Swell," though not as annoying as Matt Bennett's previous song, is probably the low spot on the album, music-wise.  Still, no song is below mediocre quality.

Moral Content: 4.2/5
Let's do this track by track:

1. "Make It in America" -- Another song becoming famous, the only offensive part being when Tori sings, "I wanna show some skin!" 3.5/5
2. "Take a Hint" -- A female empowerment anthem where two young ladies openly refuse to be patronized by jerk guys.  In a time where violence towards women is rampant, such a song is a good thing, though young kids might not understand it.  As explicit as it gets is when Tori and Jade sing, "Stop your staring at my--HEY!" 3.5/5
3. "Shut Up and Dance" -- Nothing worse than the usage of the phrase "shut up." 4.5/5
4. "5 Fingas to the Face" -- A silly hip-hop-style track; the title is a reference to being smacked, but the song explains it as being directed towards a jerk who wants to win a woman using money.  Still, the meaning is lost within the presentation of the song. 4/5
5. "Countdown" -- An honest, clean love song. 5/5
6. "Don't You Forget About Me" -- A cover of the Simple Minds hit; completely innocuous. 5/5
7. "I Think You're Swell" -- The guy who sung about broken glass on the last album now tries his hand at a love song, though some of his analogies fail ("You're my mother; I'm your father!").  The closest it comes to offensive territory is when Matt/Robbie sings, "You’re the Father and Ghost; I’m baby Jesus in the manger," which is just as silly as the rest of the song. 4.5/5

Conclusion: The cast of VICTORiOUS is full of talented young people, and this album has some good spots...but it's the worst of the three.  Those unfamiliar with the music of Tori and crew should check out their debut album first, or even their next and final album (VICTORiOUS 3.0 - Even More Music from the Hit TV Show), both of which are better than this one.  Every musical group or artists hits a rough patch at some point; this is theirs.

Final Score: 3.5/5