5 thing to know about Rare by Selena Gomez
Credit to Author: Stuart Derdeyn| Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2020 19:00:14 +0000
Selena Gomez | Interscope Records/Universal Music Canada
It’s been five years since Revival. That a long time for any artist to spend away from the studio.
But Selena Gomez’s previous eight top 10 hits are still in such heavy rotation it’s like she’s been active all that time. She was never far from the celebrity pages either, keeping her devoted Selenators (fans) in the loop on the latest about her on-and-off again relationship with Justin Bieber, dating The Weeknd and dealing with various personal issues.
Add in solid performances in films such as Spring Breakers, voicing Mavis in the Hotel Transylvania film franchise and getting the word out about Latinx life as executive producer of the Netflix documentary series Living Undocumented, and she’s hardly been absent at all.
The singer is on record stating “Rare represents a look into my journey of healing and growth.” To fans, it represents a continuation of the Billboard No. 1 tease to the album that came with the release of Love You To Love Me. That track was so loaded with nods to her relationship with Bieber that it packed the Net with chatter.
Here are five things to know about the rest of Rare:
1: Rare. Plenty of articles are out discussing all the various allusions to Bieber on the album, but like most breakup-heavy records, nothing is too transparent. That said, right off with the opening tune, Selena is talking about a relationship where she feels undervalued: Saw us getting older/ Burning toast in the toaster/ My ambitions were too high / Waiting up for you upstairs/ Why you act like I’m not there?/ Baby, right now it feels like/You don’t care. She makes it clear that she knows there is somebody else out there to make her feel special too.
2: Dance Again. If there is one thing you will be hearing a lot of in 2020, it’s disco. The delirious electro-funk bass slaps on this tune, coupled with a chorus hook that could have come straight out of a Studio 54 mix is bound to be one of the live show highlights. It’s also a tune all about affirming your happiness by cutting loose on the dance floor.
3: Vulnerable. By track six, two things are clear about this album. First, the production is ridiculously meticulous and ranks with the best of her career. Second, this is going to be an album for reaffirming self-worth after dealing with failed and flawed relationships. The declaration is clear in lyrics such as If I show you all my demons, and we dive into the deep end/ Would we crash and burn like every time before?/ I would tell you all my secrets, wrap your arms around my weakness/ If the only other option’s letting go / I’ll stay vulnerable, yeah.
4: Ring. The most straight-ahead pop song on the record has a wicked acoustic guitar hook and a deliberate handclap-and-backbeat followed with a soaring string section. This just screams single. And the way she says her suitors are just wrapped around her finger and she just lets her phone ring when they come “circling like satellites” is solid.
5: Let Me Get Me. OK, we all knew there had to be a song with a reggaeton-style groove and this one is right in that pocket. The shuffle chorus is almost certain to get remixed and made into a party jam. Rare is most certainly the sound of an artist looking back with no filters, but also moving forward with a clear head.
Also out this week:
There is No Year | Matador
Soul rockers Algiers sound less sure than they every have declaring that “freedom is on the way” in Dispossession. They sound a lot more certain declaring that “you can’t run away.” In 11 tracks ranging from upbeat to near-thrash and down to dirge-like sparse gospel, the group has entered the arena level in every way. Expect this to be one of this year’s buzz discs.
X: The Godless Void & Other Stories | Dine Alone Records
The Austin group has kept grinding through industry ups and downs, personnel changes and changing musical tastes, staying true to its droning, heavy and atmospheric brand of melodic and trippy rock. On its latest release, singer Conrad Keely howls out of the smashing, crashing backing squall of Into the Godless Void like a man revitalized. Maybe an alt-rock revival is coming. If it is, this band deserves its due, because they know how to make glorious noise.
When: Jan. 20, 7 p.m.
Where: Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main
Tickets:ticketweb.ca
Burden On Your Shoulders EP | Dine Alone
On his sophomore EP, Yukon Blonde’s Scott wastes no time in getting his Beatles on. The title track is loaded with the kind of floating harmonies, slide guitar and waltzing cadence that the Fab Four specialized in at their peak. Elsewhere, there are chiming acoustic sounds that just declare their laid back West Coast vibe (Something Real, Need You Now, Shaky Handed). Then he spaces right out with some psychedelic sounds on the closers Summer On Fire that suggests it was a pretty relaxing time recording this in his home studio. Different from his main band and totally enjoyable, this could open up a whole new audience for this talented writer.
Cass King and the Cassettes
Naked on the Dance Floor | cassking.com
Longtime Vancouver scene players Cass King and John Woods have toured the world as the comedy duo the Wetspots. With this latest project, the two are joined by bassist Brendan Mooney and drummer Adrian Buckley for a high-energy recording that is utterly delightful. The break at the 2 minute mark in the brilliant Nice Guy is about as great as things get in this kind of music. King’s voice is spot on and here’s hoping that they can get to the UK and deliver their Northern Soul stylings to folks that get it.
CD release party
When: Jan. 23, 8 p.m.
Where: Fox Theatre, 2321 Main.
Tickets:eventbrite.ca