If there's one artist I adore and I feel like I haven't shown enough love to on this blog, it's Camila Cabello. You all saw my review of C,XOXO and know how I feel about the different direction Camila went in last year, but to be quite honest, when I look at Camila's entire discography, overall she's one of my favorite artists. My opinion on her from 2018 to 2022 was essentially like how I feel about Taylor or Olivia now. Her self-titled debut album has been one of my favorites since 2018, Romance is a masterful exploration of love of all kinds that I would be super interested in reviewing in the future, and Familia returns to her Latin roots in a fantastic way. Unfortunately, in the time that I was blogging, the only new music she put out was C,XOXO, which... wasn't... bad? And there were a lot of great songs on it, but the hyperpop shift felt very "trying to fit in with the trends" and not exactly authentic to her. I could be completely wrong however.
Now, let's get into my review of Camila Cabello's debut album, Camila!
1. Never Be The Same
My rating: 5/5 Great
And we start with one of the signature hits from the album. This right here is a great opening track. It's got lyrics about falling in love and going insane, which is a concept I tend to like whenever I see. And the production sets up the rest of the album, being mostly synth-pop with some Latin elements. Honestly, both musically and lyrically, this song reminds me a lot of Gorgeous by Taylor Swift (aka my favorite song on Reputation) which makes sense since they were popular around the same time. I'm not even sure which one I prefer. I might like Gorgeous ever so slightly better, but this isn't even my favorite song on this album. It's amazing though.
2. All These Years
My rating: 5/5 Great
And now we get our first ballad, and an immediate shift in mood. One thing I love about this album is that it doesn't have much of a defined genre, but it still flows well together. Most of the production here is a simple guitar line but it sounds really good. The vocals and melodies in this song are a strong point for this album overall, and the lyrics about missing someone even when seeing them are super relatable and well-written. So far so good.
3. She Loves Control
My rating: 5/5 Great
Wow, another great song! If I'm being 100% honest, I think this is my "least favorite" song on the entire album, but that's saying nothing because this album is amazing from start to finish. This song is very reggaeton-infused Latin synth pop and it's quite fun. The lyrics are about someone (possibly Camila from 3rd person) who is strong and independent and does things her way. It's my least listened song on the album, but it's far from a skip. Wow, this album gets better every time.
4. Havana (with Young Thug)
My rating: 5/5 Great
And now... this song. Crying In The Club, Camila's debut single, was originally intended to be the lead single for this album, but this song became so successful that CITC ended up getting completely cut from the album, which is really saying something about how inescapable this song was in 2017-18. No, overplay didn't ruin it. In fact, I wish it was still getting played more often as a recurrent. I think it's cool how this song is simultaneously an "in love with a dangerous person" song and a heartfelt tribute to her heritage, and Young Thug's verse is surprisingly really good. But the coolest thing in this song is the production. That piano is gorgeous, and there are so many layers and not one feels unnecessary... other than mayyyyyybe the one faint background sound that sounds like someone trying to hold in a sneeze? Am I the only one who hears that? Anyway, a standout track that was one of my favorite hits of the 2010s decade.
5. Inside Out
My rating: 5/5 Great
Track 5 arrives, and it's a (surprise-not-surprise) 5/5. This is another song with a really cool piano line and gorgeous production. This song has a lot of parallels to other songs - the production and lyrics suggest a connection to Havana, and also My Oh My, the later Romance track that's almost definitely about the same person as Havana, is referenced in verse 2 (sky high, sky high, oh my oh my oh my my). For some reason I've always loved the line "now I can't see you without me". I feel like this album has such a nice story line. It's been mostly love songs so far... is that about to change?
6. Consequences
My rating: 5/5 Great
Well, now here's one of the saddest songs on the album. Really the only production is the absolutely incredible vocals and the reflective and hard-hitting piano line. The lyrics are super well-written, and again, these vocals... wow. I love the twists between each chorus, from "Loving you was young and wild and free / Loving you was cool and hot and sweet / Loving you was sunshine, safe and sound / A steady place to let down my defenses" to "Loving you was dumb and dark and cheap / Loving you will still take shots at me / Loving you was sunshine but then it poured / And I lost SO MUCH MORE THAN MY SENSES". Another gorgeous song.
7. Real Friends
My rating: 5/5 Great
And now for the most personally relatable song on the album. This song reminds me of what is now one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time, Lyn Lapid's In My Mind, and while I don't love this song as much, it's really good. This song has moderately strange production, which I'm a fan of. It's based around a guitar that cuts in and out, and some whistling synth effects. And the lyrics are a highlight on this album. I've always loved this concept of wanting real friends but not being able to find them, which I feel like isn't sung about enough (more often than not, it's songs that are explicitly about wanting a lover) but this might just be one of the most well-written songs on this whole record. I love it.
8. Something's Gotta Give
My rating: 5/5 Great
And now... for the most hard-hitting song on Camila by Camila Cabello, and what may just be my favorite song on the album looking back. It's another piano ballad, with powerful synths & beats that build up as it goes on. This song is about, once again, a really relatable concept about being in a relationship of some sort (doesn't necessarily only apply to romance, can be interpreted as about friendship or even a conflicting family relationship) where something just has to change but the one she loves just won't get better, and she's feeling really hurt. It's simple and straightforward, and right to the point while giving a ton of emotional depth. The more I listen to this album, the more I realize that Camila is a bit of a lyrical genius. "Know you're lying when you're lying next to me" and "no reason to stay is a good reason to go" might be my two favorite lines on the whole album. You know what? I've made up my mind. Surprise not surprise, Something's Gotta Give is my favorite Camila Cabello song.
9. In The Dark
My rating: 5/5 Great
Alright, we just got my favorite song on the album, and now we have the strangest song on the album. The song lives up to its title, with the production being very dark and uncertain-sounding, a bit like NBTS but less bass-heavy. The lyrics are really well-written, and I love that it's inspired by encountering someone at her show who was literally in the dark. I will admit that I misheard one of the lyrics for a long time - the real line is "you can strip down without showing skin" and I thought for a long time it was "you can sit down without your own skin", which is kinda funny. Not much else to say here, it's a cool song.
10. Into It
My rating: 5/5 Great
And we finish with a song that's conceptually a bit like Never Be The Same. (No, I'm not including the remixes of Never Be The Same or Havana in my review, but surprise not surprise, they would not affect the album's score at all if they were included.) I feel like the vocals and melody are a strong point as per usual. The lyrics are... well, a lot more sexual than any other song on this album, but it's honestly pretty subtle, unlike C,XOXO. The lyrics are quite clever actually. All I can say for this is... I'm into it.
Conclusion
Overall album score: 100% (Fantastic Album)
Wow. This album will forever have a special place in my heart, and now I've reviewed it and it becomes my second 100%-rated album, tying Guts for my all-time favorite album.
Favorite song: Something's Gotta Give (and everything else of course)
"Least favorite" song: She Loves Control (even though I still adore this song)
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...and just like that, my longest blog series to date has concluded. Thank you so much for reading my blog, I can't believe I've already gotten to nearly 20,000 views, please remember to submit to Bubby's Summertime Showdown event, and, well, that's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!
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