Sunday, 5 January 2014

Demi Lovato- Don't Forget Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Album- Don’t Forget
Artist- Demi Lovato

After suffering from addiction and various other issues, Demi Lovato has become a world renowned artist who has gone from strength to strength, securing a lucrative judging role on the US X Factor and producing such hit songs as ‘Skyscraper’ and ‘Heart Attack’. Her profile and selling power has definitely increased as the distance between herself and the Disney brand increased, but the singer’s style has always been a bit different from her peers. And so whilst she may be a bigger star now, just how good was Lovato’s music when she was in the throes of her time at Disney? I take a look at her debut album to find out.

Track 1- La La Land

Opening track La La Land is an upbeat pop rock song with a guitar driven edge to it that immediately marks it out as bit more than your average teen pop music. The singer exudes this lovely personality within the song in which she addresses her feelings of being unsure of herself and her place within Hollywood, with the lyrics highlighting this sense of staying true to yourself whilst others may tell you to do other things. The song is lyrically empowering in a certain respect and the attitude that Lovato gives within the track is awesome, with the singer opening up her vocals very nicely within the songs latter half. The more heavy rock sound features an awesome guitar solo and clashing drums that shows a level of maturity intermixed with the teen fun that makes the song that much more appealing.

3.5/5

Track 2- Get Back

Keeping the rock tones going, Get Back is more of a relationship based tune from the singer that lyrically focuses on Lovato telling this person that she wants to get back to the old days when they were so good together. The message is pure and simple and is made catchier by the fun vocal performance that the singer gives, with the verses being particularly strong as she exudes this sense of being a little bit flirtatious, giving the song some added zest and adding weight to the lyrics. The pop rock sound of the track with the thumping drums and guitar is a little bit less polished and accomplished than the first track and is bit more teen typical but it is still a bit different and the harsh sound is complimented by the simplicity of the songs core statement.

3.5/5

Track 3- Trainwreck

The only song on the record to be written by no one else but Lovato, Trainwreck is another forceful pop rock offering but with slightly more of a toe tapping groove and fun stop start rhythm to the production. The song is a romantic track where Lovato sings of how this person thought they wouldn’t make it, but although this person might not be the greatest she loves him anyway. The song sharply addresses this dysfunctional relationship and feels quite relatable, but the vocals could be a bit stronger as at times the singer feels emotionally invested in the song but at other times she can sound a little bored in her delivery. The upbeat guitar riffs of the track and the get up and jump around groove nicely compliments the lyrical content and feels just infectiously fun even if this sound is more radio friendly in its own way.

3.5/5

Track 4- Party

Party is a harsher pop rock offering with a feisty sound that feels a bit juxtaposing with the tween driven lyrics that are all about things being all right if you just party in your own way. The song is fun and the hook is nice with Lovato building up her vocal in a good way, but at times the song feels too frenzied, and the harsh rhythms of the song feel a bit like producer John Fields was accidently producing the wrong sound for a teen album and then just couldn’t be bothered to change things.

2.5/5

Track 5- On the Line (featuring the Jonas Brothers)

Guest artists the Jonas Brothers feature prominently on the record as co-producers and co-writers of many tracks, but here they take on a vocal role to create a cool dynamic within On the Line. The song is a simple break up song where both parties know that things are on the line. The song features more of a bubble-gum pop sound with a catchy hook and simple guitar and drum tone that gives a lighter, more accessible feel to the song. The two artists vocally meld together well and the lightness of the Jonas Brothers vocals compliments the depth and intensity of Lovato’s vocals, and the only real issue within the song is the message is quite lyrically clichéd with some of the imagery employed and statements used being things that teenage stars have been singing for a number of years.

3.5/5

Track 6- Don’t Forget

Title track Don’t Forget is a mid tempo pop rock ballad that focuses on Lovato lyrically tapping into the idea of being in love, and then the other person just walks away, and you have to try and forget about that time. The song’s lyrics are sharp and there is a pure quality to the message that is much more resonating and welcoming. Lovato vocally works really well in this track as she utilises her falsetto and imbues the song with this palpable essence of vulnerability, making the song feel more like an honest revealing of Lovato’s feelings. With the production of the track things are kept simple with the guitar riff before the final minute of the song kicks in and we are treated to heavy drums and emotive string notes, creating a nice glam rock texture to the song. This is definitely the most mature offering from the record at this point and to me seems to act as a blueprint for the artist that Lovato could grow to be (and maybe has).

3.5/5

Track 7- Gonna Get Caught

Taking things back to more of a pop rock style, Gonna Get Caught still keeps the theme of moving on from a relationship going. But here we find Lovato telling this guy to stop messing around with other girls because he is just going to get caught eventually, and he is really just wasting his time trying to fool Lovato and tell her sweet things. The song is a fun kiss off to a cheating ex that sees the singer giving us a fun, lively and snappy vocal performance that perfectly embodies the feeling of a girl who is fully in control and just doesn’t care anymore. The pop rock production is smart and sophisticated with some nice melodies, and the addition of the more prominent background vocals towards the songs end is nice touch.

3.5/5

Track 8- Two Worlds Collide

Two Worlds Collide is sweet mid tempo track that has an inspirational tone and could also easily be identified as a love song. The song’s lyrics focus on Lovato describing this situation in which these two people find strength because they share the same dreams. Although the song has the potential to go into dumb cliché territory Lovato manages to keep things feeling sincere and nice, with the song definitely benefiting from the singers vibrant and emotive vocal tone. The mix of strings and drums creates a steady but equally emotive sound that just makes this a sweet tune that shows off the singer’s softer side to nice effect.

3.5/5

Track 9- The Middle

From the sweetness of the previous track we head into slightly darker territory it would seem with The Middle, which has this dark guitar based rhythm with subtle electro notes. However, as the lyrics progress and the forceful pop rock chorus kicks in you realise that this is just an up tempo pop number about Lovato wanting to go for a thrill ride with this guy, with the song having a love based metaphorical edge. The blend of the subdued verses with the hard hitting chorus does work well, and once again this is a track that benefits from Lovato’s vocals, particularly in terms of the way that she goes higher into her range with the final chorus, making for an even catchier end to the track.

3.5/5

Track 10- Until You’re Mine

Until You’re Mine is a sombre musical offering from Lovato that finds the singer wishing to fill this emotional vacancy with this boys love. The song simply focuses on that clichéd notion of teenage obsession, and whilst the initial soft, acoustic guitar led sound is really interesting, the song quickly dissolves into a typical teen pop rock offering when the drums start. The only thing that really is good about the song are Lovato’s vocals as she brings this sense of strength within her vocal performance and embodies the role that is created within the track very well, although the layered style towards the end is slightly annoying.

2.5/5

Track 11- Believe In Me

Final track Believe in Me is an acoustic guitar led down tempo piece which also acts as an empowerment anthem for the singer. Here we find Lovato in a vulnerable state as she is unsure of herself, but she realises that she needs to change and she just wants to believe in herself. The lyrics are slightly clichéd but the singer’s message is overall nice. Also in looking back on this song after the singers speaking out about her addiction and image issues, the track actually has more of an emotional resonance. The vocal is soft and situated nicely within the realms of vulnerable and strong, whilst the light pop instrumentation is typical but suits the message well. Another song where it seems like this is a blueprint for the artist to be, as this song almost foreshadows the smash hit that was Skyscraper.

3.5/5

Final Review

Don’t Forget is just a fun pop rock album from a singer that back in the days of her teen stardom was well worth the attention. This is because even with this album the singer’s voice shines, and although at times the style is annoying, overall the vocals are emotive and passionate. The album is definitely a teen album with the lyrical concepts and some of the records clichéd style, and so you can definitely see that Lovato was a Disney star with this record. But the pop rock sound sometimes adds more interesting flavours to the teen style, and so this is a strong debut that shows that there is the ability for artistic growth.

6.5/10

Best Track- Don’t Forget

Worst Track- Party

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