After a brief hiatus from music, Selena Gomez is back with her first full-length album since 2020 — and this time, she’s in love.
Gomez partnered with her fiance, renowned producer Benny Blanco, and released their first joint project together on March 21 titled “I Said I Love You First.” While the two work well enough sonically — and romantically — “I Said I Love You First” is, frankly, boring.
Blanco formerly collaborated with Gomez on two songs off her 2015 album “Revival”: “Same Old Love” and “Kill Em With Kindness,” both of which were singles on the album and earned a fair amount of airplay. With memorable production, clean vocals and catchy choruses, these two songs contain a sort of hit factor that’s difficult to put one’s finger on, but “I Said I Love You First” clearly lacks.
Perhaps the album’s biggest issue is Gomez’s lack of vocal range. Gomez is not known as an excellent vocalist — her Disney roots skyrocketed her to fame. In this latest album, she performs almost all of the tracks in either a soft talking range or a whiny almost-belt, which can sound beautiful at times but feels repetitive and monotonous after a while. Her voice feels glossed over and smoothed out, something that did not occur in her popular “Stars Dance” and “Revival” albums. In short, her vocals come off as lazy.
Alongside Blanco’s production, Gomez feels and sounds comfortable — but in this case, comfortable feels like there is a lack of real risk. The tracks in “I Said I Love You First” begin to blur together, all with a soft pop production that evokes the same vibe throughout.
“Younger And Hotter Than Me,” “Cowboy,” “How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten” and “You Said You Were Sorry,” among others, are enjoyable songs in their own right, but have too many formulaic similarities when played back to back. Blanco has learned to play to Gomez’s strengths, but everything feels very safe and uninteresting compared to some of the singer’s former hits.
Interspersed throughout the album are a couple of more interesting tracks both thematically and sonically. The album’s lead single, “Call Me When You Break Up” featuring Gracie Abrams, is a charming nod to Gomez’s longtime friendship with Taylor Swift. The lyrics are initially portrayed as a “the other woman” trope but eventually flip to talk about her best friend instead: “Call me when you break up / Unless you found the person that you want a new name from / I’d like to be there when that day comes,” Gomez sings.
Co-written by Charli XCX, “Bluest Flame” is a repetitive yet catchy attempt at hyperpop. Sandwiched between two mellow songs, Gomez practically steps into Charli XCX’s shoes in an obvious song-of-the-summer grab.
“I Said I Love You First”’s most attention-getting and annoying song, though, is the second single, “Sunset Blvd.” The song is pleasing throughout — if you ignore the lyrics, pre-chorus and bridge. The lyrics are disturbing. Gomez has never sounded more whiny and obnoxious. One cannot listen to this song without a look of shock and an immediate laugh after.
The album’s best track is the only bonus song off the deluxe version, “Stained” — and ironically, it’s the only one not produced by Blanco. Sonically reminiscent of her “Revival” era and more specifically the song “Fetish,” “Stained” is the quintessential pop song.
Gomez and Blanco are adorable as a couple. They’ve recently gone viral for their obvious admiration for each other and Blanco’s thoughtful relationship advice. Yet, their project together, “I Said I Love You First,” is bland and forgettable. May they have a lovely marriage, yet pursue different collaborators.
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