It's impossible to hear "Stars Dance", Selena Gomez's fourth album (her first without back-up band The Scene, though they are hardly missed), without hearing Rihanna. And it's not just verisimilitude, Selena goes as far as to rip-off song titles and lyrics from Ms. Fenty (notice the opener "Birthday", a virtual facsimilie of RiRi's "Birthday Cake", or the line "shine like diamonds in the sky" in the excellent dancehall-tinged "Like a Champion"). Then, of course, is lead single "Come & Get It", with its "eh eh ehs" in the chorus and its music video a carbon copy of "Only Girl (In the World)". All this exertion leads to some reasonably pleasing grooves, as Rihanna is one of the biggest hit-makers of the 21st century. An unfortunate side effect of this, is that it highlights just how unconcerned Selena is with creating her own musical persona. This may be her debut solo album, her first without guidance from The Scene, Disney, or most importantly, Justin Bieber, but not that much has evolved since 2011's "When the Sun Goes Down". Indeed, the album covers of that album and "Stars Dance" are strikingly similar, and the music is quite similar too. As with any of her albums, Selena chases every and any modern trend she can find, thus creating records that exist only in their year of release. Since it's now 2013, an era where pop music is now based in dance, not rock, Selena follows suit, shaping the eleven songs on "Stars Dance" to be pulsating club bombast, with plenty of electronic flourishes for good measure. So, in essence, this is the same album as "When the Sun Goes Down", only sleeker, harder, colder. But, in this case, that's not necesarrily a bad thing. It inadvertantly deepens the grooves and sharpens the hooks, creating an overall leaner set of songs than any of Selena's first three albums. However, this is turn also pushes the beats over the melody, a particular problem considering how thin Selena's voice can be. This is dance-pop in form only, having plenty of hooky and memorable songs, but is not centered around the concept of song.
In 2013, this just makes for another disposable pop record, but there's also some sort of preverse brilliance that underscores "Stars Dance". Its songs, taken altogether, don't lead to a wholly satisfying listen, but this album wasn't meant to be a record of purpose. Rather, its a collection of moments, and there are actually plenty of sonically intricate details that don't stretch over an entire song, but do maintain interest. As stated before, the numerous ways electronics present themselves is rather enjoyable, as they bring "B.E.A.T" and "Undercover" out of their generic confines. Elsewhere, some of these EDM atmospheres catch hold and stay there for awhile, like the dark, neo-Baroque title track and the Cataracs-produced "Slow Down". But most noticeable is the set-up of "Stars Dance" itself, which is shaped to be a nonstop party. There are no true ballads here, only slower midtempo cuts, some of which are arguably the best songs here (like the giddy jam "Forget Forever", the album's longest track , but also its easiest to digest). This helps "Stars Dance" maintain a steady flow and mood, two qualities rather lacking in the other dance-pop records of 2013. At the very least, Selena finally has a musical ambition, accessorizing all of the tracks here at will. Not all of these ideas gel, and those specific moments don't pop up for very long, but it's because of these very details that make "Stars Dance" resonate after its 39 minutes. Above all else, even with its cringe-worthiness, you can still sit through it, a first for a Selena Gomez album.
Recommended Tracks in Bold:
1. Birthday 2. Slow Down 3. Stars Dance
4. Like a Champion 5. Come & Get It 6. Forget Forever
7. Save the Day 8. BEAT 9. Write Your Name
10. Undercover 11. Love Will Remember
No comments:
Post a Comment