Interscope
Pop, 2020
I don’t know why, but I have never really listened to a full album by Selena Gomez before. It’s not that I don’t like her music. In fact, I do like the songs of hers that I’ve heard ever since she showed up as Selena Gomez and the Scene. Interestingly, the songs that stick the most to my mind are those that are done by her in collaboration with other acts, such as Taki Taki with DJ Snake, Ozuna, and Cardi B, although I’d argue that her part in that song is actually the weakest.
One reason why I never took the time to listen to her album may be because I find her, as an artist, so forgettable. Selena Gomez resides in the tier somewhere below Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, but she has a steady stream of acting gigs and musical presence year in and out, so she can always wake up after a hard night of partying to vomit into the sink before looking at her reflection and giving thanks that she is not Demi Lovato. Problem is, her solo music isn’t very distinct from that of other female pop tarts out there, and her voice isn’t very noteworthy either. As a result, while I may like what I hear from her now and then, I never feel this urgency to park my rear end down onto my throne and listen to an album of hers.
Well, let me remedy that. This website is supposed to be a bastion of coolness, after all, so let me look up her latest album… oh, it’s called Rare, and okay, let me give it a listen.
The title track is good. It’s upbeat, very catchy, and very retro—it’s that lovely song that makes me want to risk a broken hip by breaking out the moves because I’m feeling cheery and sexy all at once just listening to it. I actually stop and play it again once it’s ended, because the end of the song is like the end of a very wonderful summer.
The rest of the album, unfortunately, is on the pretty okay but forgettable side. My favorite songs of the rest of the lot are probably Vulnerable, because of the gorgeous chorus and bridge, and Lose You to Love Me, which manages to capture the vibes of a great, big ballad perfectly. The rest are a rather bland assortment of overly produced dance bops and the occasional ballad to remind people that Ms Gomez isn’t made completely out of helium cooing and Auto-tune.
The lyrics, though, are once again mostly about how she is a victim of love, but no matter, she will rise above it all, so eff you to whoever she has just broken up with. Like way too many of these pop tarts these days, her music and her messy dramatic life all play out as one, and it can be hard to separate one from the other. Sadly, it’s boring drama, involving a cast of bland vapid people with barely functional brains making mountains out of molehills. Still, at least Ms Gomez isn’t triggered by low-calorie, fat-free, and sugar-free froyo, so on her lowest day, she can still find comfort in knowing that she is not Demi Lovato.
So yes, Rare. It’s as if they put the most effort in a handful of songs, and then said eff the rest and just wrap things up ASAP so that they could all be drunk and high by ten in the morning. The songs aren’t bad, mind you, but they are mostly barely distinguishable from other mass produced pop tunes out there. If anything, this one only has me thinking that Selena Gomez can’t carry a full album on her own, and her music is best enjoyed in smaller doses.
