Demi

It has now become a cliché that a Disney pop princess will cut her hair, dye it black and call herself “all grown up”, and indeed, Demi Lovato seemed to be the next in a long line to do so.  But upon the release of her latest single ‘Heart Attack’, there seemed to be a growling thunder waiting to be unleashed on the pop-sphere.  The song delivered an all-out attack of vocal adrenaline and anthemic feminism, directing us to look at the big sign above her head labelled “MATURE”.  Its parent album, however, will perhaps bypass many initial expectations.

The majority of Lovato’s fourth album boasts production efforts from a host of unknown producers, but the sound is far from wholly original.  In fact, Demi frequently relies on the by-the-numbers pop rock efforts of the past.  Tracks like ‘Two Pieces’ are highly reminiscent of the angsty-pop stylings of Avril Lavigne circa 2002, while ‘Made In The USA’ is achingly resemblant of Miley Cyrus before becoming untamed.

Production-wise however, there is also an acute electronica twist, making the album at least slightly more inventive than her previous releases.  One Direction hitmakers Rami Yacoub and Savan Kotecha have contributed to a few songs, although thankfully those are few and far between; the last thing we need is another purveyor of faceless pop anthems.

As well as the amazing lead single, there are several much needed flares on Demi, much to our aural delight.  ‘Neon Lights’ is an organ-grinding dance stomper with flickers of Calvin Harris, while ‘Warrior’ (the spiritual follow-up to her ballad ‘Skyscraper’) feels central to the album, despite being plonked at the end of the album.

Any eagerness for this album was certainly propelled by its name, as eponymous albums (which are not the debut) are often expected to thrillingly powerful and introspective. Take Kylie Minogue (1994) or Britney (2002) or janet. (1993): all personal and equally evocative.  Despite not being as sonically attractive as these albums, I would argue that Demi’s strength lies in its lyrics, and Lovato’s co-writing credits on the majority of the tracks may attest to this.

Although this album has some sparks, it has cemented Ms Lovato as more of a trend-follower than a trend-setter.  She has perhaps reached an impasse in her career where her material is vacillating between innovative zeal and overused mundanity.  Her contemporaries, such as Selena Gomez, have seemed to transcend into ‘grown up’ territory almost seamlessly, although they have been able to dabble in different genres.  Maybe if Lovato really wants to ‘grow up’ musically, she should reject her pop rock roots and do a balls-to-the-wall, Enya-esque follow-up which will certainly get the critics talking.

Similar To: Kelly Clarkson, Bridgit Mendler

MP3: ‘Heart Attack’, ‘Neon Lights’