Demi Lovato returns to the fore with her latest album, Confident, and like most former Disney stars, she is keen to prove that she is more than a plastic TV character made for tea time viewing.
The album gets off to a promising start, opening with the eponymous title track, a triumphant opener that sets the scene. It heralds the arrival of a new, more confident Lovato. ‘Confident’ is oozing with attitude; with catchy hooks that make the song sound scarily like a Britney Spears pop banger.
It is refreshing to see Lovato coming back so strong. It’s just a pity that nearly every act is doing this sort of thing at the moment (ever heard of Charli XCX, Demi?)
Next up is what has been one of this summer’s biggest songs ‘Cool for the Summer’, again another catchy hit that exudes confidence, there’s a bit of a theme beginning to emerge. The ambiguous, overtly sexual lyrics delivered by Lovato have been perfectly put together to ensure that ‘Cool for the Summer’ remains one of the biggest songs of the year. It’s a welcome departure from some of Lovato’s earlier, well known works like ‘Skyscraper’, which had a certain vulnerability and fragility to them. It is refreshing to see Lovato coming back so strong. It’s just a pity that nearly every act is doing this sort of thing at the moment (ever heard of Charli XCX, Demi?).
The problems start after the first two songs, every other song on the record could just merge into one, there’s no up-tempo poppi-ness to them, and they all sound incredibly downtrodden. It seems that she’s put her bangers away. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend buying the album at all. Save your money and buy the two amazing tracks that open this most disappointing of records. It seems like Demi Lovato got off to a good start and then she just lost her confidence.
Jack Parker
2.5
