Epic
Urban Contemporary, 2016

Alright, so I’m late in reviewing this one, and by the time I get around to it, that one who always sounds like she’s singing through the nose but for some reason gets to hog quite the amount of vocals has decamped by sending her figurative Dear John letter through her manager. Camila Cabello decides that she can make it on her own now that her contract is up and she’s guested on some hit singles these days, leaving the remaining four ladies to gyrate and writhe in various states of undress all on their own. Who knows, maybe the end is nigh – manufactured pop groups rarely survive the decampment of a group member – or maybe not.

It’s hard to care, though. 7/27 is the predictable “sexier, edgier” follow-up album pumped full of girl power, sex-me-up (but remember, I’m independent), hear me roar songs that can be found in any random girl group or pop diva album these days. Sure, All in My Head (Flex), That’s My Girl, and Work from Home are annoyingly catchy, but they are also so generic-sounding that they are basically toilet paper equivalent of songs: wipe, and throw away without a second thought. Probably that’s why they are trying too hard to act like sex pots these days – heaven knows, they need to do all they can to make up for the tracks here.

Oh, and while the ladies all claim writing credits here, try not to listen too hard to the lyrics or the brain may melt. Work from Home, for example, sees these ladies insisting that their men quit their job so that these men can stay home to cater to these women. So, who’s going to pay the bills of these self-professed strong and independent women, then?

7/27 is all about the good times, so keep expectations to a minimum and try not to be too startled when you can’t recall a thing about the songs here once the last track stops playing.