Like many Disney actresses before her, Selena Gomez was eventually entrapped in the rite of passage of starting a musical career. Although, whereas most first Disney efforts felt forced and labored, 2009’s “Kiss and Tell” turned out to be something of a fluke. It wasn’t a perfect record by any means, but it showed that Selena has some musical talent, at least, in delivering unabashed teen pop with ease. But come 2011, with her twenties almost upon her, Selena or someone in her camp, thought it was time to grow up. She actually tried this already with her sophomore slump “A Year Without Rain” back in 2010, but its lack of catchy songs failed to achieve the success that “Kiss and Tell” did. Predictably, since Selena is still a Disney act, she runs back to what made her a star in the first place, at least, the spirit of her earlier sound anyway. While “Kiss and Tell” was built on pop/rock influences, Selena this time tries a more dance-ward approach. Unlike “A Year Without Rain”, “When the Sun Goes Down” is her first explicit attempt at maturity. She makes the right moves, hiring a number of non-Disney names (including Katy Perry, of all people), all of which dress Selena up in many different styles and attitudes, all adding up to an album that’s more sonically interesting and more appealing to the older audiences that Selena was aiming for. All of the pieces are there, the only problem is Selena. No matter what song she’s singing, whether it be the clichéd opener “Love You Like a Love Song”, the even more clichéd “Who Says?”, or the immature kiss-off “Bang Bang Bang”, Selena just sounds bored. And that’s a real shame considering how the underlying, synth-pop music hinted at how effervescent “When the Sun Goes Down” could have, and very well should have been. Now, if this had been designed as a proud, faceless product like, well, Selena’s first two albums, then the dissonance between the music and the vocalist interchangeably wouldn’t matter. But since this album was meant to elevate Selena to super-star level (the liner notes proudly exclaim that the album is presented in “Selenaphonic” sound), it’s a bit of a problem. Although, the bigger issue is how a 12-track album that barely crosses the 40 minute mark is so incredibly taxing, it’s nearly impossible to listen to beginning to end. Maybe Selena’s overwhelmed by the number of songwriters and producers were needed to make this record, maybe she’s not into the music. Either way, “When the Sun Goes Down” is utterly lifeless.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Love You Like a Love Song 2. Bang Bang Bang 3. Who Says?
4. We Own the Night 5. Hit the Lights 6. Whiplash
7. When the Sun Goes Down 8. My Dilemma 9. That’s More Like It
10. Outlaw 11. Middle of Nowhere 12. Dices
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