Album Review: Camila Cabello, ‘Camila’

photo courtesy of Hype Beast

Title: Camila
Artist: Camila Cabello
Record Label: Sony Music Entertainment
Release Date: January 12, 2018
Rating:

Pop artist, Camila was first introduced on the second season of X Factor in 2012. She rose to fame as a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony. After working with Fifth Harmony for some time she then began to establish herself as a solo artist in 2015 when she was featured on Shawn Mendes’s single “I Know What You Did Last Summer”. Since then, she began working to release her first album, which she chose to self title.

The first single “Havana”, broke the record for the longest running female single in the UK. Over the summer it seemed like there was no avoiding this song. Even if “Havana” was a bit overplayed, it created a lot of anticipation for her coming album. “She Loves Control” is a really fast tempo song that makes cardio at the gym a lot easier. I don’t think there’s a person in the world that doesn’t crave control and this song is all about wanting that.

Her second single, “Never Be The Same”, shows off her range better than “Havana” did. Her breathy high notes stand out a lot in this track, but she also belts out notes that she previously sang in her head voice, showing off her skill. Something that stood out to me was the use of the steel drum in “Inside Out”. This adds a tropical element that makes “Inside Out” the perfect song to blast on any vacation. She sings about the deeper connection of acceptance instead of the more superficial parts of modern day relationships. Even while conveying this more thoughtful message, the song is still one of the more upbeat ones on the album.

The last song I’d like to talk about is “Consequences”. I’m a sucker for any song that features piano as the main instrument. Everyone can relate to a song like this. Camila sings about a great love that has ran its course, leaving her reminiscent and nostalgic. Her vocals are striking and stand out the most in this stripped down piece. What I love about this song is the complexity of the piano. The piano part is composed of suspended fourth, major sixth, dominant seventh, and inverted chords. These subtle elements in the background is what makes this track so interesting.

Overall this album gave me more of an appreciation for female pop artists. Pop has seem to be a more simplistic genre, but Camila’s first album proved otherwise. Her album was filled with upbeat, fun, happy songs that would be great to make memories to. Alongside those catchy songs there are a few emotional ballads that show her diversity as an artist. Her voice easily fits both types of songs and I really look forward to following what she does next.