Selena Gomez’s ‘Revival’ Album: Review Revue
Selena Gomez‘s new Revival album — which is officially out today (October 9) — finds the pop starlet shedding her cutest Disney image and coming into her own as a more mature artist with her own voice. With songs like “Good For You” and “Same Old Love,” Gomez is showing a vulnerable side that was once hidden.
In our review, we gave it a 4 out of 5: “It’s an immaculately curated collection that showcases the 23-year-old’s ability to genre-hop and experiment, while staying true to herself.”
So how do music industry critics feel about Selena Gomez’s latest musical effort? Read what they had to say down below!
:: Entertainment Weekly scored it with a B+: “On her fifth album Gomez goes for mood-setting, and the result is a gripping batch of sultry pop jams that are more ‘Netflix and chill,’ less ‘Let’s hit the clurb.’ Since her 2009 debut Gomez, now 23, hasn’t always come across as a powerhouse singer, so she’s wise to team up with studio pros like Stargate and Rock Mafia, whose glossy, insanely catchy production (a whistled hook here, a cool, pitter-pattering groove there) keeps Revival from becoming a bore.”
:: ABC News were fans: “Sophomore albums are notoriously tricky propositions, but Selena Gomez’s second solo venture, ‘Revival,’ breezes through to the finish line — the dance floor —with 11 nearly impeccable tracks that skip from the 1960s to the ’80s to right this minute.”
:: Hollywood Life also did a track-by-track review, calling the LP “refreshing”: “[On ‘Nobody’] Selena’s heart was obviously poured into this one, and it’s clear that this is an ode to the greatest love she’s experienced so far. But, the best part about this song is that it’s not sad. There are no tears, there is no heartbreak, it’s just facing the cold, hard reality that even your greatest love is not always your forever love. Is it about Justin? That feels obvious, but chances are we’ll never really know. That’s between Selena and the music.”
:: Boston Globe says Selena is taking the reins of her sound: “That’s a ponderous reflection that suggests what we’re about to hear marks a new beginning. And that is in fact what Gomez achieves on ‘Revival,’ a forthright album of pop songs that make it clear she is ready to be honest and even vulnerable in her music.”
:: Newsday shared their thoughts: “The album is frequently dark and ominous, full of torch songs, with just enough stylish electronic dance music synths and upbeat melodies to enliven the mood. There is pop formula here — Gomez hires Swedish hitmaker Max Martin for crucial noises at the end of the lively ‘Hands to Myself,’ and songwriter-with-attitude-for-hire Charli XCX contributed her share of ‘Same Old Love’ from a remote location. But Gomez is appealingly desperate and hungry, and this quality transcends the most familiar-sounding material.”
:: Lastly, Teen Vogue brings up her Disney counterparts: “But of all the former Disney starlets — the holy trifecta of Selena, Demi, and Miley — it’s Selena who is at once most seen through the scope of her relationship, be it past or present. Never mind the fact that Demi Lovato is very public and honest about her relationship with the actor Wilmer Valderrama, or that a few years ago, Miley Cyrus torched her mouse ears with an almighty twerk and never looked back. When Selena sings a love song, we think it has to do with her ex. When she appears raw and all-but-naked on her album cover, it’s seen as subversive and unfitting for a role model to young girls.”
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