Demi Lovato - Confident

Demi Lovato
Confident
2015

It would be easy to write off Demi Lovato as another Disney cast member making the standard pop music gaining some more crisp Benjamins for the Mouse. Firstly you would be wrong. Where she started and where she is now on Confident are two artists that have almost nothing to do with each other. This record is not bubblegum or pandering, instead it is a singer coming into her own and making a record that not only reflects her emotional state, This is the record of someone who has lived, not just someone singing the songs another person writes for them. Let's however not be delusional, clearly there is a ton of production and writers on this album but often that can lead to a record that is devoid of any real connection. The opposite can also be true, an album is so personal that you can't find yourself in it. Her savy in song selection really is one of her biggest strengths. On "Father" you can hear the anguish in her voice and her very public issues with her late Father make the song all the more meaningful.

The one thing that is evident on this record is Demi's lack of some kind of hook. Instead of going for some kind of demo or appealing to some specific crowd she is just going to make really good pop music. The music is made better by the fact that most people have had a peek into her personal life, so you know where these songs are actually coming from. She isn't afraid to go after someone or just let a dance track be a dance track. There really is a ton of bullshit pop songs out there, but once in awhile one album comes through as something special. Confident is that outlier, don't sleep.

8.7 out of 10