You don’t have to have a sister to score a hit on the pop charts, but sometimes it sure does help. At a time when the Simpson, Spears, Duff, and Lohan girls are steadily oozing sisterly love across teen magazine spreads and whatever other medium will have them, sending a pair of tight-harmonizing teen queens into the studio to take on the world together makes a certain sort of business sense. Never mind, for a moment, that it’s the kind that generally turns the stomach of music snobs, because the girls appointed to the task–Aly & AJ (full names: Alyson and Amanda Joy Michalka)–display genuine vocal talent. Aly, the star of the Disney Channel’s Phil of the Future and AJ, a sometime presence on shows such as Six Feet Under and General Hospital, already lit up the soundtrack to Now You See It (a Disney Channel Movie) with their rendition of the ’60s chestnut “Do You Believe in Magic,” and Into the Rush arrives as solid reinforcement. Leadoff track “Rush” pelts listeners with a feel-good, sweet-sounding salvo on keeping it real, “Speak for Myself” aims itself insouciantly at stifling parents, and “I Am One of Them” takes down the self-importance factor a notch by addressing the issue of missing children. That all these songs save the last two (”Do You Believe In Magic” and another can’t-miss ’60s fave, “Walking On Sunshine”) were written by Aly & AJ bodes well for them–Hilary Duff started writing and singing at Hollywood Records, too. –Tammy La Gorce

Atists:  Aly & AJ
Audio CD:  Enhanced, Extra tracks, Deluxe Edition
Company: Hollywood Records  (2006-08-08)
List Price: $19.98
Amazon Price: $8.68
Used Price: $7.98

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