Stars Dance

Selena Gomez has been trilling and killing for five years, but 2013 sees the release of her first solo album, having dropped the surplus band “The Scene” from her title. As an ex-Disney starlet, the transition to ‘pop superstar’ is always a tricky job, but it is enlightening to see that Gomez has done it just right.

The album is helmed by its lead single ‘Come & Get It’: an alluring mid-tempo number with slow bhangra samples and plenty of melodyne to boot. High and mighty comparisons with Rihanna’s back catalogue were somewhat inevitable, since the song was made by her longtime collaborators StarGate and Ester Dean. Nevertheless, Gomez thrust the song in a completely different light, and it has definitely become a one-of-a-kind hit which artists receive on a rare basis.

There is no denying that the album is chock-full of club bangers and hip-shaking tunes. A jagged and attitude-laden ‘Birthday’ opens the album, which has plenty of shock factor but little in the way of melody. Still, it feels like the perfect opener to Stars Dance, epitomizing as it does exactly what the album is about: Selena Gomez is here, she has grown up, and she is ready to show you what she’s got. The title track bows to the ears with an effortless production and nuances of operatic dramatics and crunk ‘n’ b. Although there is a high voltage of autotune, the effect only adds positive elements to the song, turning it into a textured and much-welcomed addition to the album.

It’s clear what the album is about: Selena Gomez is here, she has grown up, and she is ready to show you what she’s got.

As the album reaches its conclusion, however, the quality seems to decline. ‘B.E.A.T.’, which appeared to be a drug-infused club banger from the pre-release snippets, is a weak photocopy of the Far East Movement hit ‘Like a G6’ with a lacklustre chorus (if there is one at all!). As well as this, Gomez’s attempt at ballads could have been handled so much better: ‘Love Will Remember’ is a forgettable, dreary piece, and ‘Write Your Name’ struggles to find a place between crass EDM and soppy balladry.

That said, Stars Dance marks a fantastic evolution for Ms Gomez, and the strength of the first half of the album compensates for its weaker second half. Her ascent to maturity has been better constructed than those of her Disney contemporaries: Miley Cyrus’ “grown up” attitude is nothing more than contrived and distasteful, and Demi Lovato’s developments have come to a four-month impasse. Aside from the strange name, Stars Dance is a pop highlight of the year.

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MP3: ‘Come & Get It’, ‘Slow Down’