“Camila” - Camila Cabello Review
iHello everyone! This is my review of the former Fifth Harmony member’s debut album, “Camila”. Camila began her 2018 with a hit titled “Havana”, the success still carrying into 2018. The hit helped to build her support for her debut album, some others thinking it was only a hit due to payola. Will Camila’s debut live up to the hype or dwindle into what others expected it to be - mediocre and disappointing?
1. NEVER BE THE SAME (7/10)
This song is an essential opener, giving us a clue of what Camila wants to lead us into. Never Be the Same shows that Camila can lack when trying to hit those high notes. It’s an irritating sound while she attempts to reach the high notes during the hooks, and it doesn’t sound pleasant, no matter how many times she does it. The song is pretty powerful, as the beat and her vocals equally lead the song.
2. ALL THESE YEARS (7/10)
Sure, Never Be the Same leads into a powerful and shocking chorus, All These Years stays simplistic and sometimes good to the ear. It lacks in individuality as it could potentially be a Justin Bieber/Ed Sheeran song that was leftover by a producer. I will say there were some weird parts after the second chorus when she attempts to harmonize with herself - often sounding like a bird. Overall, it is a simplistic and rejuvenating song that leads me to believe this album might consist of songs that will play with her fan’s heartstrings.
3. SHE LOVES CONTROL (9/10)
Despite the opening songs being mellow, She Loves Control gives us an invite to an exciting nightlife song. The song follows hints of Camila’s hit song “Havana”, bringing in a sound countries around the world are currently loving. The beat sometimes took control of the song, imitating a Garageband hit made in 10 minutes by a producer. Although it seems a bit cheaply produced, the beat is still enticing and something we will probably hear as a summer hit song a few months from now.
This is a song the public seems to enjoy a lot - I mean, it’s still on the charts. This is the only song I feel that the beat and her vocals blend nicely, where one is not overpowering the other.
Were you looking for the chill song on the album that still made you want to sway your hips? Inside Out is the one. It has a rather catching hook and switches to Spanish towards the ending as she shouts out Miami. Some would say it samples and reminds them of Dora, the Explorer and maybe the lyrics are a little bit repetitive with some weak ad-libs. Camila still makes this an enticing song that could potentially rise soon for teen pop music.
After Inside Out, I was expecting a song that sounded like an interlude ballad. The lyrics sometimes seem unauthentic and expose how Camila can never really be labeled as a powerhouse vocalist. This is something many know, so her getting pitchy in her high notes is nothing new. For a song where lyrics and vocals should stand out due to the piano being laid back, there was something I was expecting more from the song. Maybe she should stick to euphoric beats and singing low?
Real Friends is a song that shows just how relatable Camila is. The guitar is more fitting to her voice than a piano, but once again, it sounds like a reject Justin Bieber song from “Purpose”. This song isn’t super intriguing and the lyrics are sometimes corny and predictable. Some would say this is a diss to Fifth Harmony - what do you think?
8. SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE (7/10)
Some parts of Something’s Gotta Give remind me of a song Lorde would release on both Melodrama and Pure Heroine. This musical piece would’ve been a great outro song in comparison to Never Be the Same opening and closing the album. The song is another fresh, beat-driven album with relatable lyrics but is not really a stand-out song.
In the Dark is an interesting, typical pop song. The beat is exhilarating and the hook is intoxicating, which leads me to think we can see it charting sometime in the future if it were a single. The beat doesn’t take over most of the song and allows Camila to take control of the song sometimes. The song is something Taylor Swift could release without sounding terribly pitchy on the high notes and could make it a hit, obviously.
Once again, this is another song I could see Taylor Swift or Lorde creating and making it something special. The song has some sexual innuendos that others would actually slut shame Fifth Harmony for. The song is invigorating by itself and didn’t really need Camila’s vocals on it for it to be good.
FINAL “CAMILA” - CAMILA CABELLO REVIEW
Camila’s debut album was an anticipated album, especially after her hit single. Not many songs stand out and not many sounds sound like her own. No songs really had an authentic sound and could’ve been rejected songs from Ed Sheeran’s, Lorde’s, Taylor Swift’s, or Justin Bieber’s new albums. She, of course, is still finding her sound, but nothing screams “unique” in this debut album. Although it is neat that Camila wants to experiment different vocals, maybe she should stay away from her high notes. The vocal techniques she showcases in this album are not really her own either, and especially not in “Crying in the Club” as many say she copied Sia.
Ok, so we’re done with the negatives. How about a few positives? This album was an intoxicating debut, many songs bringing a fresh sound to this 2018. The songs are good, even without Camila’s layering vocals. Sigh. I can’t really speak many positives, and in no way is this biased. The album doesn’t really stand out as many other people think it does. Sure, there are refreshing, chill, exhilarating, or sexual songs for every person to pick one favorite. The album was not far from mediocre and practically unauthentic. It sounds pretty rough and rushed, with a very few standouts. Overall, Camila wanted to show us what she left Fifth Harmony to do and maybe she should’ve stayed in the group (or maybe just released Havana and called it quits).
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