March 15, Don’t Forget by Demi Lovato

Genre: Pop for Disney kids who were too edgy to listen to the other Disney stars
Year: 2008
Runtime: 37:42
Total tracks: 11
Singles you might know:
– “Get Back”
– “La La Land”
– “Don’t Forget”

My prior relationship with this album: I remember listening to this when it first came out and not LOVING it, but at least having more respect for it than say Miley Cyrus or Selena Gomez music of that same era. As the cover would suggest, this album has more of a rock vibe than most Disney Channel pop albums, which certainly appealed to teenage Anne. After listening to Unbroken it seemed like it would be fun to go back to Demi’s debut and compare. (Read that review here if it tickles your fancy!)

My impressions this time around: Honestly, it’s a little less respectable than I remember. While there’s glimpses of the amazing Demi vocals we hear on more recent albums, there’s also times where the vocals are noticeably unrefined. It’s almost as though Demi didn’t know how to be loud and powerful without simply yelling.

There’s also the fact that virtually every song on here sounds like it was originally written for the Camp Rock soundtrack. There’s even a collab with the Jonas Brothers (which to be fair, is one of the stronger tracks). Don’t Forget is rock music on paper: heavy on the guitar, slightly raspy vocals, and more aggressive than pop music. Yet it’s still overly commercial in a way that would be off-putting to actual rock fans. There’s also similar issues to Miley Cyrus’s Breakout in that Demi doesn’t always feel like she’s emotionally connected to what she’s singing about and that holds the whole album back. (More on that album here.)

The stronger tracks are those that don’t force the rock vibe, such as the title track. “Don’t Forget” which starts as a lighter ballad and then builds into rock.

Who would enjoy it? People who like Avril Lavigne.