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Discussion: Metacritic 77 | Demi Lovato 'Confident'
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Metacritic 77 | Demi Lovato 'Confident'
METACRITIC 76
6 reviews
Billboard: 90
Quote:
In some ways, Confident updates the adult-contemporary album archetype for tween graduates. Throughout, Lovato’s clarion voice is front and center on midtempo tracks that assert her stronger-than-yesterday bona fides. The majestic devotional “For You” has a backup choir singing “For you I would do anything” as Lovato sings about summoning strength, her performance making her inner power even more plain. “Stone Cold,” a post-breakup love letter, puts Lovato squarely in Adele mode; she’s belting out the verses but downright wistful when she drops her voice and breathes “I’m happy for you” to her former lover, who has found comfort in another. The Ryan Tedder/StarGate collaboration “Wildfire” is a little more forward-sounding, with pillowy synths and snaps floating around her voice. At times the pace can be a bit monotonous, but Lovato’s strong alto keeps things tight.
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EW: 83
Quote:
If Gomez is going for a lazy-Sunday-with-rosé vibe, Lovato is blaring a loud-AF air horn at a house party. Confident, released by Disney’s Hollywood Records, bursts with titanic melodies from songwriters like Max Martin and Ryan Tedder, and the 23-year-old’s unstoppable vocal power imbues these songs with an exciting rock & roll edge. On the aggressive “Waitin for You,” Lovato attacks her haters with her gale-force voice—she’s like the pop version of MMA fighter Ronda Rousey. “Knuckles out and a guard in my mouth,” she bellows, “When you’re hungry for the next round/I’ll be waitin for ya!” Over 11 tracks Lovato’s energy is unwavering, sometimes to a fault. So it’s a welcome relief that she takes a moment to reveal a softer side on the gospel-tinged ballad “Father,” a tear-jerking tribute to her estranged late dad.
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AllMusic: 80
Quote:
The cumulative result is a messy, colorful modern pop record that is greater than the sum of its parts.
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AV Club: 75
Quote:
Confident is an even greater step forward for Lovato, starting with the fact that it’s her first full-length released via Safehouse Records, the label she co-founded with fellow tween-pop refugee Nick Jonas. As its name implies, the album finds Lovato demonstrating musical and emotional poise. “Old Ways” asserts that she’s glad to be rid of past bad habits and won’t give in to temptation; “Stone Cold” wishes an ex well in his newfound happiness; and the feisty “Waitin’ For You” says in no uncertain terms that Lovato won’t tolerate bad behavior from those in her life and, in fact, will fight back if scorned. Lovato’s also self-assured about her sexuality, particularly on the saucy, self-centered title track and the unstoppable hit “Cool For The Summer,” an icy rush of electro-pop seduction in praise of fleeting romance.
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The Guardian: 60
Quote:
Only a certain sheen that turns her vocals into a generic hybrid of Sia and Kelly Clarkson stops Confident from being one of the pop albums of 2015.
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NME: 60
Quote:
Nothing else on Confident is quite as much fun [as Cool For The Summer], but Lovato's intensity never wavers as the album alternates between trap-influenced midtempo tracks like the Iggy Azalea-assisted 'Kingdom Come' and bombastic power ballads that show off her mighty vocals.
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Member Since: 8/27/2011
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That comment by Rex on the EW review
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perchedT
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So it begins
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 11/5/2011
Posts: 100,491
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Quote:
Originally posted by Kendi
So it begins
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Member Since: 8/17/2013
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Queen
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Those 6 reviews better stan though 5 left
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Member Since: 5/7/2012
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It begins
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 11/5/2011
Posts: 100,491
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Quote:
Originally posted by Serendipity
It begins
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I see you're perched.
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The only good thing about that review is the score though. They were comparing Demi and Selena all the time and only talked about 2 damn songs (and like 1 line for each song) through the whole review. A mess.
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NME REVIEW: 3/5 score:
Quote:
When Demi Lovato sings "you've had me underrated" on this album's opening song, it's not hard to work out where she's coming from. Though 'Confident' is the fifth album she's released since 2008, until now this 23-year-old former child actor – whose CV includes US kids’ series Barney & Friends and the Jonas Brothers' cheesy Camp Rock films – hasn't fully managed to shake off her cheesy Disney beginnings.
Her 2013 album 'Demi' was actually pretty decent and spawned the UK Top Three hit ‘Heart Attack’, but this record's first two tracks (and singles) finally establish Lovato as a serious contender. Title tune 'Confident' fuses hip-hop horns and Joan Jett beats and has her bragging "it's all about me tonight", while 'Cool For The Summer' is a massive EDM-tinged-tinged pop banger with lyrics hinting at an exploratory same-sex tryst. "Don't be scared 'cause I'm your body type", Lovato purrs on the chorus before whispering suggestively, "Don't tell your mother!".
Nothing else on 'Confident' is quite as much fun, but Lovato's intensity never wavers as the album alternates between trap-influenced midtempo tracks like the Iggy Azalea-assisted 'Kingdom Come' and bombastic power ballads that show off her mighty vocals. 'Lionheart' sounds as though it belongs in an '80s action movie, while 'For You' is so brilliantly overblown it makes Miley Cyrus's 'Wrecking Ball' seem restrained. Throughout, Lovato's largely self-written lyrics (who else writes them?) match the musical bluster. "**** my bad habits, don't act like you got none" she tells the haters on 'Waitin' For You', a swaggering collaboration with Skrillex-endorsed rapper Sirah.
It's powerful stuff, especially from a singer who has bravely spoken out about her past struggles with depression, drug and alcohol abuse and an eating disorder, but ultimately 'Confident' feels a bit relentless. Even closer 'Father', a lyrically raw and initially stripped down ode to Lovato’s late father, who died of cancer in 2013, ends with a full-scale gospel choir finale. But despite its complete lack of subtlety, 'Confident' hints there's more to Demi Lovato than her unfortunate recent comments about crockery.
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http://www.nme.com/reviews/adem/16290
I think this is like a 70 or +60, not sure. :
Edit: Confirmed, that's a 70 in metacritic!
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