Camila Cabello - Camila

Camila Cabello
Camila
2018
Spotify

It feels like Camila Cabello should be the next pop superstar. That's what they've packed into this album, pop jams tailor-made for 2018 and some major radio play. Everything is perfectly snug into it's place, nothing to shock and unfortunately delight you either. This is perhaps one of the safest debut records I have heard in awhile. It's only vaguely Latin, something it seems like the record company wanted to make front and center with the underwhelming "Havana" featuring Young Thug who could not sound more disinterested if He tried. Since leaving Fifth Harmony, the band put together by The X-Factor, Camila has had a bit more success with a few singles than have the other ladies in the group, but this album feels so overwrought especially in a genre filled with females trying to do the exact same thing. Camila's voice is good, maybe even really good, but so are thousands and thousands of other singers, you have to bring something unique in order to get noticed. "Real Friends" sounds like your basic guitar driven love lost song, barely scratching the surface of anything. Perhaps if you were heavily engaged in Fifth Harmony and their dynamics maybe this record would make a little more sense, but nothing is addressed or overcame, just a bunch of love songs to appeal to the widest majority, so nothing new for Cabello what so ever.

"Somethings Gotta Give" tries to build this "I'm hurt but I'm still strong vibe" that is absolutely eye-roll inducing. Even if you were going for a pop audience this doesn't feel like the way to do it, nothing on here is going to make people bop even is "Havana" tries and fails to be a new "Desposito". The lyrics often fall somewhere between nonsense and pop psychology especially when she asks "Who are you in the dark?" on you guessed it "In the Dark". You would expect someone who leaves a girl group would want to try and distinguish herself with a solo project, but Camila is fully content to sit in the exact same pocket as Fifth Harmony. The second half of the album is a little more upbeat than the first but every single track is infused with this longing and pinning which is so miserable to listen to after awhile. It almost makes it more offensive when she throws in these little EDM ad libs like on "Into It", either go all in or not. "Never Be the Same" be the one bright spot here, but damn only barely. This album just misses the mark on so many levels and does nothing to make you really fall for Camila Cabello. Pass.

4.0 out of 10