Album-Demi
Artist- Demi Lovato
I have wanted to avoid looking at albums from the same
artist on this blog. However, since her high profile role on the X Factor USA
has seemingly had a strong impact on her career, and her statements that this
is the album to truly launch her globally, I felt that I should actually disobey
that thought in the case of Demi Lovato, as I really wanted to test whether
this record actually does what she thinks it will do, especially when I felt
her last studio effort Unbroken was a stellar album, and when she claims that
every track on this album was made with the idea of them being single ready.
Track 1- Heart Attack
The records opening number and lead single definitely brings
the idea of this record being a global selling album to the forefront, as it
ticks all the boxes that you want to make a great and extremely catchy pop
song. The lyrics deal with Lovato having these feelings for this guy who makes
her act all girly and how she can’t show her love as she feels that she will be
extremely hurt if she does fall in love, to the point where she thinks she will
have a heart attack. It alludes to the idea of her being hurt in the point, and
has a simple concept that is strong in the way that it plays on the idea of
love in that here Lovato is vulnerable but not in the way that she has been
hurt from a relationship, but rather she is vulnerable because she can’t
actually show her love. This interesting spin on a relationship is something
that Lovato has done before with her last single Give Your Heart a Break, and this
is great as this isn’t a rehash of that track and really shows how she is
different from the pop crowd around her. The chorus is very simple but powerful
in tone, with lyrics that become instantly memorable, and this memorability of
the track (particularly the chorus) is brought out not just by the lyrics but
Lovato’s vocal performance, which is great. Lovato has always had a strong
voice, but this song definitely shows how she has grown as a singer and can
really give a track some power, with the chorus here having an anthem tone
through the way she belts out the words in a strong and intense way but also
allows that layer of vulnerability to seep through, and so creates a great
layer of catchiness to the song. Producers the Jason Evigan and Mitch Allan
create a great sound to the record that is as equally powerful as the vocal
performance, with the blend of electro pop and drum and bass instrumentation
sounding excellent, and the guitar loop just means that the song cranks up its
level of catchiness. If she wanted a song to make her go global, I think it
would have been very hard to find a better track for her than this.
5/5
Track 2- Made in the
USA
Made in the USA is kind of the antithesis of Heart Attack in
that here Lovato is totally in a love drunk state as she exclaims of how she
wants the world to know how much she wants this man, and that they can’t fail
in love because there love was made in the USA. If she showed a bit insecurity
about being girly in the last track then this song definitely throws that out
of the way, and although the songs are perhaps different in sentiment, the way
that they are placed back to back on the record like this is great, as it shows
different sides of the singer: she is young and wants to have fun in life but
also can be serious and really works hard when it comes to her music, and isn’t
afraid to be vulnerable, and so she indeed can appeal to a wide audience. She
produces a vocal that is light in tone, with the chorus once again showing the
power of her voice and being complimented by the softness and little bit of
sassiness that is the verses. The production has a bit more of an organic feel
than the last track but keeps with the pop vibe, and although it is perhaps a
little bit familiar in terms of similar pop tracks, it indeed a sound that
simply suits this kind of song and still sounds catchy, with the guitar riffs
and thumping bass having an almost euphoric quality when mixed with the lyrical
sentiment. Pop done to a great standard.
3.5/5
Track 3- Without the Love
I have read one reviewer complaining about how this track
feature references to Joe DiMaggio, referring to the fact that she could have
sung of a more current man in today’s celebrity world and not be dated in the
way that the DiMaggio lyric perhaps does. I just wanted to highlight that
because people don’t like this song for the wrong and stupid reasons. It’s
simple a lyric that is catchy and rhymes and I personally think it might lead
to a small education of some young people who will go and find out who she is
referring to. Anyway, the track is another light pop offering that is a little
similar in sound to Made in the USA but has more of a mid tempo feel and some
prominent differences, one of these being that the lyrics here aren’t about
being in love but rather being in this relationship where the guy isn’t
treating the girl right, and the chorus focuses on how the guy is acting as if
he loves her by singing love songs, and yet he simply plays her and she knows
there is really know love between them. The light tone of Lovato gives the
track a nice layer of fragility, with the chorus again being more powerful and
complimenting the softness and also the slightly slower tone of the verses
nicely. The bass is a little similar to the last track but the ‘oooh’
background vocals give the track a different element of catchiness, whilst the
use of strings makes for a bit more of a dramatic tone.
3.5/5
Track 4- Neon Lights
With Neon Lights the pop nature of the record stands firm
but this time we enter more into electronic and dance orientated music. Flipping
back in to a state of happiness and love, here we find the singer telling her
beau of how he is all she can focus on, and that together people we see them in
love as if they are shining in the sky together like neon lights. Arguably this
is one of the best vocal performances on the record as she brings so much power
to the song, with the verses being a little softer and having a slightly
lighter, breathy quality, whilst the chorus is really strong and features a
great wobble on the end of the word ‘lights’ that I think is both subtle and
extremely catchy. The lyrics (helped along here by One Republic frontman and
talented songwriter Ryan Tedder) are another batch of instantly memorable and
catchy rhymes that you will be singing, and this is once again helped by the
vocal. But whilst these elements of the track are once again strong and perhaps
sound familiar, Lovato definitely changes up the sound here in terms of the
production, with sings starting off softly with a simple piano melody that
remains as the base of the record, before being melded together with strong
dance orientated beats and being given an all-round propulsive energy that
makes the song that bit more unique and fun, and offering a great bit of
diversity to the record.
4/5
Track 5- Two Pieces
Things are slowed down with this mid tempo ballad that is a
little bit more emotional and is a song that fans of the singer will likely
find a bit empowering as although a love song, the lyrics have that tone of
finding your place if you feel like a bit of a misfit, and the song can have
different meanings for different people. This is because the song focuses on
how people are just trying to find their way in the world, with the chorus
focusing on Lovato telling this person that she will get lost with them because
they are like two pieces of a broken heart and everything will be fine with
this person, and for many people that other piece of themselves can be a
variety of people, from boyfriends to girlfriends to simply best friends or
even just a member of your family who gets you through life. Lovato brings a
passion to the track that is infectious and touching, with the softness of the
verses having a lilting quality that makes you feel chilled, and then the
chorus kicks in with the vocals that are so loud and intense you just
immediately go on the ride with Lovato and truly believe in what she is
singing. The military style drumbeats, simplicity of the piano instrumentation
and the building of the volume of the sound just sounds so powerful and
attention grabbing, and just means that the song is even greater.
4/5
Track 6- Nightingale
Lovato goes even more emotional and simpler in sound with
this track that was inspired by the death of a close friend many years ago who
she still feels close to. Lyrically the track finds the singing being in a bit
of dark state in the verses and simply wishing for someone to help, with the
chorus being a plea for someone to help her and be her metaphorical nightingale.
The emotional intensity of the track does really grab you in terms of attention
and makes you feel in the same way a little bit, and the song lyrically has
this nice sense of honesty about it. Although I feel that at this point the
vocal is perhaps a little bit too familiar in terms of the transitions of soft
to powerful, by the end you forget the similar quality of the vocals as there
is that tiny catch in her voice that feels heartfelt, and things are made more
powerful by the use of a choir of voices to give a gospel tone to the end. The
production likewise is perhaps a little bit too safe and familiar, but the
piano and string led sound still compliments the tracks lyrical message and
does give a platform for the emotional intensity that is nice.
3.5/5
Track 7- In Case
We keep things going into down tempo state with this song
that is a piano led ballad and that deals with the end of a relationship. The
song focuses on Lovato realises that she will have to let go of the things that
tie her to ex eventually, but even though things have ended she wants to keep
these things just in case the relationship starts up again and this guy wants
to be in love with her once again. The songs sentiment taps into the pain of
relationships ending very nicely and will be something that many of the singers
fans will identify with, whilst the production of the track is great in that
things are kept on a much simpler level by just having the piano and Lovato’s
voice, and so this offers another slice of diversity to the record and creates
a slice of true emotion with the stripped back quality. Vocally the singer is
very good with her voice carrying of the intense heartbreak of the song well,
however I do think that she perhaps should have toned down the vocals a little
as it feels that tad bit as if she is out to prove how great she is at singing,
which we know, and the song perhaps would have just worked a little bit better
on a simpler vocal level in my opinion.
3.5/5
Track 8- Really Don’t
Care (featuring Cher Lloyd)
From the piano balladry of the last track things are kicked
into gear with this up tempo number that is simple pop fun at its best.
Produced and co-written by Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub, leaders of the pop world
noted for the creation much of the work of global boy band One Direction,
Lovato is definitely not in a state of happy, I am in love with this song, even
if the sound is light and very pop orientated. The song instead finds the
singer in a bit of a bitter but for the most point I’m moving on frame of mind
as she tells this guy how she can’t believe what she has done for him (e.g.
writing songs about him) and simply is now telling him that even if fate draws
them together she just won’t care about him. The song has another chorus that
is hook driven and catchy, and the song is really catchy in the way that
vocally Lovato brings some real bite and angst to the song. However the song is
really good vocally in that although the singer still brings some power to the
vocals, her voice feels here a little bit more controlled and doesn’t go too
much into the higher depths of her range, so the song feels different from the
other tracks and brings another layer of diversity that makes her appeal to
some other consumers. The production of the song has preppy beats and guitar
riffs that complement the song nicely in the way that the anger of the track
contrasts the quite happy energy of the songs sound, and so you really get more
invested in the tune, with the production sounding very nice even though it is
very much catered for radio. British singer Cher Lloyd provides a cool guest
feature that gives the song a sassy, fast paced rap ditty that makes the final
chorus that bit more powerful, and by the end you will be letting loose and not
caring alongside Lovato.
4/5
Track 9- Fire Starter
Fire Starter finds the singer in a very confident frame of
mind as she sings about melting hearts and being a fire starter, presumably in
the field of relationships and love. With references to being a female James
Bond and having an S under her clothes (being Superwoman) we are perhaps meant
to take the fact that she is a fire starter as a good thing, but then she goes
on about melting hearts and being a wild child, which is kind of bad. Either
way she is a feisty lady who is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to
relationships. The song has a reserved essence in the verses through the way
singer has a smooth tone and places longer stresses on the end of each line,
before the chorus kicks in with that punchy exclamation of ‘I’m a fire
starter’. The electro pop edge of the track keeps a thumping bass going that
propels the song into a nice state of believability. However, perhaps because
the last track was so catchy, Fire Starter falls a little flat, as the chorus
doesn’t have that sing along quality nor an impressive hook, and the sound of
the track combined with the repetition of the chorus wears thin towards the
end, as you are pretty clear on the message.
3/5
Track 10- Something
That We’re Not
Bringing back the sass and light pop vibrancy of track
number 8, Something That We’re Not is a fun pop affair that is designed to sing
along to through the catchiness of the “ba da” motif that gets the song in that
immediate state of it’s going to be stuck in your head. Lovato plays the song
in well in singing in a simpler tone that doesn’t go too powerful but shows off
a nice slice of her vocal range and has a bit of bite in the chorus that makes
the song memorable. This is very much a typical pop song in terms of the punchy
vibrancy of the production with the use of guitar refrains and bouncy rhythms,
but this works in the songs favour through the way the lyrical message is
feisty and is also a little less stereotypical of this kind of sound: in
today’s pop music world you would expect this to be a bit of a soppy love song
based on the production, but the song has a surprisingly more mature edge
lyrically that invokes the idea of a guy being too clingy when the girl isn’t
interested, with the p’ referencing to ‘hooking up’ emphasising (if only
slightly) that she isn’t a simple Disney teen star anymore, which is cool when
that is kind of the albums aim in a way.
3.5/5
Track 11- Never Been
Hurt
I remember reading one comment on the album on YouTube
highlighting the similarities between this record and her last studio effort in
terms of the songs that were on display, and whilst for the most part I
disagreed with them, it is hard not to admit that when you listen there isn’t a
spark of this being a simple rehash of the title track of her last album
Unbroken. This is because the lyrical sentiment of rising from hard times and
loving someone completely without this sense of baggage is pretty much
identical, and the way the song builds into each chorus is very familiar. If
you ignore the similarity here you can enjoy the track, but here there is a
distinct lack of this dark, intense sense of passion that made Unbroken quite a
fan favourite, and the way the final word of the chorus (‘hurt’) is stressed so
prominently doesn’t do her vocals justice and comes off as a bit whiny. The
electro pop production also burns with the same energy, and although it starts
of in a nice way that is a bit intense, it all to easily falls into typical pop
territory, and so this is very easily the poorest track on this record.
2/5
Track 12- Shouldn’t
Come Back
Another Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub collaboration, this time
things are kicked down into a much slower and chilled rhythm, and we find
Lovato in a vulnerable mode that is made more prominent by the acoustic level
of the track. The song find Lovato singing about this boy who she is having a
little bit of a hard time getting over, and tells him that he shouldn’t come
back to her, because with him she does not feel the good way she should in a
relationship. The chorus is very nice in the way that it acts as a simple plea
to this former love, whilst the verses have a nice storytelling tone to them.
Vocally the stripped back nature of the track really illuminates both the power
of Lovato’s voice, but also the way she is able to really convey this true
sense of emotion to the listener, going from quiet vulnerability to intense
hurt in a way that seems seamless. Yacoub and Falk are stellar in keeping the
production based in light guitar instrumentation and potent strings that give a
nice tone to the record that layers the track with this added sadness, but also
never goes too powerful in its sad tone to become annoying.
3.5/5
Track 13- Warrior
Designed as a little bit of a sequel to her 2011 hit
“Skyscraper”, which announced her musical comeback after her highly publicised
treatment in rehab over a number of issues, Warrior ends the track on a very
vulnerable and poignant note that reminds us that at the heart of all this fun
and vocal power Lovato is like many people: simply a vulnerable human being. An
there is a touching sense of honesty, particularly in the terms of the lyrical
content, where Lovato confronts the demons of her past and comes out of the
hard times a stronger person. I wouldn’t say that this song has the power and
drama of Skyscraper, but the lyrical content does have a little bit more of a
personal tone, which makes sense when Lovato actually had a hand in writing
this track compared to Skyscraper. Vocally she is really strong, showing some
vocal runs that are very powerful and just giving this song and innate sense of
strength that perfectly goes with the lyrical message. Keeping things on a
simple level in the production with the piano and strings just makes things
feel more potent and shows how she is really letting herself go here musically,
although I do feel there is touch of drama missing to the production, as
although I perhaps shouldn’t, I can’t help comparing this to Skyscraper, and
that just had much more of a finish to it and felt slightly more impactful,
even though this song packs a serious emotional punch.
3.5/5
Final Review
If Demi Lovato wanted to create an album for global success,
she has done a very good job with this record. Although I disagree with the
idea of every song on here having the potential to be a single, the album does
feature a number of tunes that are impactful and would stand out on radio. The
lyrical messages do have a touch of cliché but there is always a catchy quality
to every song, and Lovato nicely offsets the happy pop numbers that are great
to bounce along to with strong, emotional ballads. And at the centre of
everything is the fact that with this album Lovato really does show why she has
the potential to be a great artist, as she uses her voice so powerfully and
knows how to make a song commanding every time, although on the odd occasion I
feel she might just go overboard slightly. She is still kind of growing as an
artist, but here she sounds like she is having fun making her music and creates
a collection of songs that many people can easily find enjoyable.
8/10
Best Track- Heart
Attack
Worst Track- Never
Been Hurt
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