Surprises always arrive where they are not expected. Who would have thought that an ex-member of girl band would surprise us with an album against the current of sanitized pop of the 2010s? With her first solo album simply titled Camila, Camila Cabello is already inducted as one of the queens of pop for 2018.
With Havana, the first single from his very first album, the former member of Fifth Harmony had managed to charm us by directing his music towards Latin rhythms thanks to a declaration of love to Cuba, his country of origin. What a beautiful introduction of the real Camila with this song that quickly made you forget that Camila Cabello had started in season 2 of X Factor in the United States, and which had ended in worldwide success with her four companions of Fifth Harmony. As it is customary in pop music to compare its protagonists, it would have been caustic to bet on the solo debut of a 20-year-old singer whose only repertoire was overproduced hits. Although addictive to the possible, they were above all songs that could have been sung by any performer with a modular voice.
A diary in music
That aficionados of hits and other songs easy to integrate turn back, Camila Cabello left Fifth Harmony to impose herself artistically, and that despite her young age (21 years in less than two months) she had things to say. Eager to convey another image than the pretty doll out of a mold to please at all costs and be ultimately confused in the mass, Camila has joined forces with producer Frank Dukes (Kanye West, Drake, Travis Scott) to entrust him with the role of executive producer of his album. One could have expected a dark cake mixing pop and rap with little delicacy, but then it would have been necessary to really look at the repertoire of the latter and the alliance with the main interested to be wrong on all lines.
From the first notes of the album, we let ourselves be taken by the declaration of love with accents of addiction on Never Be the Same, which let express the jerky voice and skillfully punctuated melismas that make all the charm of Camila Cabello. We do not stop there: Camila breaks the rules of the art. Here, no cheap "dancefloor" calibrated titles. Whether accompanied on piano on Consequences or simply on guitar on All These Years, which would almost resemble Justin Bieber's now classic Love Yourself , or on more rowdy and tasty rhythms with Havana, She Loves Control and Inside Out, Camila delivers. She tells of her attachment to Miami, her hometown, or the wounds of love. Nothing is honeyed or laughable, and this album is from start to finish totally logical and flows harmoniously.
A revelation with a few caveats
It seems that sobriety was in any case the key word of the realization of this album. And it feels so good. Other titles quite sober and very melodious make this opus a real pleasure. With the very sweet Real Friends, Camila simply evokes her loneliness and the authenticity she seeks in her relationships. She goes further in In the Dark by asking her jules to undress figuratively so that she can discover his soul, his wounds and his flaws. It's always surprising and exhilarating to discover that you can still make pop with consistency and skill!
The only regrettable thing about this album is the use of autotune which takes away the singularity of Camila's voice. Her various live vocal performances have proven time and time again that she knows how to use her organ brilliantly. After all, no album is exempt from the rule these days. And that is very regrettable. When the emotion at the rendezvous, feeling it in a raw way remains incomparable. All you have to do is wait for the tour of the beautiful to continue to discover this universe that we did not expect.
7,5/10
Sober and melancholic, Camila Cabello surprises with her first solo album that reveals a little-known facet of the former Fifth Harmony singer. A nice surprise!
