March 9 – Camila by Camila Cabello

Genre: Pop
Year: 2018
Runtime: 36:55
Total Number of Tracks: 11 (including two different versions of “Never Be the Same”)
Songs you might know:
– “Never Be the Same”
– “Havana”
– “Consequences”

My prior relationship with the album: I hadn’t listened to this in its entirety, but of course there are certain songs here that are hard to avoid (I’m looking at you, “Havana.”) I’ll also put it out there that I was fairly familiar with Fifth Harmony’s work prior to Cabello’s departure and can’t exactly say I was super excited at the prospect of her solo career. Cabello has always had a distinctive voice that is neither good nor bad, but nothing that really appealed to me personally. I also can’t say I was thoroughly impressed with any of her solo work I had heard before this album, however a friend recommended it plus it’s a short album so here we are.

My impression this time around: Cabello actually has some really great moments here. Personally, I think her strengths lie in more vulnerable songs such as “Consequences” and “Something’s Gotta Give” or that more chill, mellow vein of pop music exhibited in  “Real Friends”.

It’s not that she’s incapable of doing more upbeat dance club songs, (“She Likes Control” is my personal favorite), I just feel like she doesn’t really put a fresh spin on that sound. It’s these songs where Cabello sounds like she’s just another puppet of the pop music industry, “Into It” being the most egregious example. Meanwhile, emotional performances of songs like “Something’s Gotta Give” with beautiful lyrics like “no reason to stay is a good reason to go” demonstrate that she is capable of more than that. Depending on which vibe she goes with in the future, she has the potential to be a real asset to pop music.

Who would enjoy it? People who enjoy the emotions of a Taylor Swift album with more of a Latin flair.