Demi Lovato - Confident (Album Review)

When I heard Demi Lovato was releasing her new album, Confident, in the fall I was initially worried that it was too late in the year. "Cool For The Summer" is the big song so far from this album and obviously it's a summer song and one of the bigger ones for the summer of 2015. So I kind of wondered how the remainder of the album's overall sound would fit in the fall months. Plus I hoped it wouldn't get lost in the shuffle coming on the heels of Selena Gomez's new album. However, the singles created a nice buzz in the lead up to the release and I enjoyed everything I had heard so I definitely went into Confident with some big expectations for one of the better pop albums for this year.

First off, I shouldn't have worried about the sound. "Cool For The Summer" is a summer jam but there are a ton of really somber emotional moments on the album. This definitely, to me, feels like it fits well during this time of the year. If anything, at times, it might be a little too somber. Lovato shows off her wide range of vocals and the power of her vocals often times pair really nicely with some of the more somber beats. I think these songs work for the most part, but there are moments when you want more of that upbeat pop/edm style found on the first couple of songs (and on various others throughout the album).

Lovato shows just how well her voice alone can carry a song on the song "Father”. The mostly somber music acts more as a highlight. Also she sings some pretty powerful and deep lyrics with quite a bit of depth. Her finest vocal performance on the album might be on "Stone Cold" which is more of a ballad, but it's really catchy and the lyrics are good. It actually comes out being one of my favorite tracks on the album. A lot of the music tinges on the electronic and some songs like the aforementioned "Cool For The Summer" dabble heavily in EDM vibes. The album starts strong and with a pretty nice amount of energy. I think the first two songs are insanely infectious. Iggy Azalea shows up on "Kingdom Come". I enjoyed her guest spot. She drops a few lines referencing the TV show Family Matters which I found kind of clever. "Stars" is a good song and placing it as a bonus track at the end of the album was a really nice boost of energy. The beat definitely has a few neat spots in it. I actually think it should have been on the standard version of the album because the beat was one of the more interesting ones.

Up to this point my favorite album of Lovato's has been the Kelly Clarkson aping "Here We Go Again", but I believe that Lovato has probably crafted her finest album to date with Confident. It's not without a few blemishes, but she comes out extremely strong, shows off her vocal ability nicely, and has an album with a lot of songs that have re-playability. This fall will see many pop albums with artists/groups like Gomez, Lovato, Bieber, 5 Seconds Of Summer, and One Direction all releasing albums. I think Lovato's will probably stand out at the end of the year as one of the better ones. This album has a handful of really strong singles that people are really going to enjoy.