Selena Gomez – Rare (Album Review)

ALBUM RATING: 7/10

Genre: Pop, Teen Pop, Dance Pop

ALBUM STREAM LINK: https://geo.music.apple.com/ng/album/rare/1488413282?mt=1&app=music

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First album review of the year and who better than Selena Gomez?

Selena Gomez is one of the many artists who haven’t dropped an album project since around mid-last decade. These artists include Adele, Rihanna, and her two ex-boyfriends Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.

For a while, it seemed as though Selena was done with the concept of albums after the release of “Revival” in 2015 seeing as she was getting massive success from hit EDM-based singles like ‘Back to you‘, ‘it ain’t me‘, ‘Bad liar‘, ‘Wolves‘. Also coupled with the fact that the former Disney star is attracted to Hollywood and the acting scene in general.

Gomez hasn’t had a wonderful past few years. She was diagnosed with a Lupus infection that needed a transplant (the surgery for which had a complication when the artery burst). Her mental health also took a blow with she not being able to fully find her feet after break ups with Bieber and Weeknd. This – funny enough – would turn out to be where she drew inspiration from for this album as Gomez resorts to Good old-fashioned boy troubles.

This is an album polished designed to talk about Love, Heartbreak and dating. With catchy lyrics that remind you about the kind of content the likes of Taylor Swift and Julia Michaels, who are close friends of Selena.

RARE talks about rising up after falling from something you put your heart into, being able to find life and hope even after being let down by love. It is a 13-track full package that is Pop central with dashes of RnB, Dance Pop and electro-pop.

Personally, I feel Selena’s not as great as we’ve been forced to believe. I definitely believe she’s better being on EDM-inspired singles and features. She is the kind of singer that tends to prioritize her ‘Storytelling’ over every other musical department which might although give a set of people an amazing feel, it could also give a very weird feel to other sets of people.

The arrangement of tracks in any given album is a very important factor in determining a Project’s quality. It sets a cascade of emotions in which listeners could wriggle through. A lot of artists fail to realize this. Not Selena though, the tracks arrangement for RARE is perfect with brilliant songwriting from the Selena herself and close friend Julia Michaels (both are probably top 10 best Heartbreak songwriters)

As usual, here are my top 5 songs off #RARE according to musical quality:

5.) Cut You Off

Gomez’s voice is neither powerful nor possessed of a wide vocal range but her assertive delivery of amazing lyrics is exceptional and one of the best in the Pop game.

‘Cut You Off‘ gives a Taylor Swiftian vibe. She talks about a partner in a toxic relationship is dragging her down and she needs to cut him off. Fans believe strongly that this song is directed at her ex, Justin Bieber. Every song on the album sounds like it’s directed at Bieber if we’re being honest.

It’s a Bop/Drum infused pop tune with bits of lead guitar here and there. A good song.

4.) Rare

Sounds like it’s for Justin Bieber but doesn’t all the songs on the album do?

The song the album was named after didn’t disappoint. Rare has a up-tempo beat that’s sharp and stands out, it’s guitar and drums combination gives an ‘ear-gasm’.

Songs like this and ‘Look at her now‘ shows us a different Selena Gomez style of pop, not the sluggish one we knew.

3.) Kinda Crazy

Definitely my favorite song off ‘RARE‘. funk-pop redefined, catchy lyrics to last for days, POP AT ITS BEST!

Has a similar Bop-tune with ‘Cut You off‘, just faster and a little bit more funky. An amazing song!

2.) Lose you to Love Me

The world’s favorite song. We got good old Ballad-kinda Selena Gomez. Personally one of her favorites according to her in an Interview with Apple Music, this song was co-written with Julia Michaels on Valentine’s day

‘Lose You to Love Me’ happened when I had come home from tour, It was on Valentine’s Day that we wrote it. And I think that’s probably one of my favorites. And it was also our first time seeing [Selena] in so long. I think it was just one of my favorites just because we were all reunited again and doing it again.

Julia Michaels in an interview with Selena Gomez on Apple Music

1.) Vulnerable

I wouldn’t be surprised if Taylor Swift actually wrote or inspired this song. Totally a Taylor Kinda song.

A beautiful lyrically-magnificent midtempo song that tells a story about her still being able to show her demons, still being able to become vulnerable for the perfect one irrespective of the past and its history.

This one stands out and makes all of us vulnerable😁.