Camila Cabello's 2nd album 'Romance' finds her music more upbeat, confessional and mature: Review
Camila Cabello, born on March 3, 1997, in Havana, Cuba, has been igniting the stage on the pop radar for a while now. The singer took on the 'X-Factor' challenge in 2012 and, since, has been making waves with tour de force hits such as 'Senorita,' 'Havana,' and 'Never Be the Same'.
During the show, Cabello joined up with fellow contestants Ally Brooke, Normani Kordei, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui to make Fifth Harmony, and the band finished in third place of the 2012 U.S. series. Cabello left the group in December 2016 and is on full steam in her active pursuit to make herself known as a solo artist.
Fifth Harmony quickly inclined in fame and prominence through social media, and the group's debut extended play and their three studio albums, all landed within the top ten of the Billboard 200 in the United States.
Although Cabello has stated she enjoyed her time with Fifth Harmony, in a similar affair to Beyonce's venture and departure from Destiny's Child, Cabello has claimed an interest in collaborating with other artists. "I was just curious and I wanted to learn and I saw all these people around me making music, writing songs and being so free. It became clear that it was not possible to do solo stuff and be in the group at the same time," she told the New York Times.
Her solo venture has proven to be a prevalent energy with smash hits such as 'Senorita' in which she collaborated with Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes. The song is a sizzling glimpse into the subject of love and romance with an overlay of Latina passion.
"I love it when you call me señorita. I wish I could pretend I didn't need ya. But every touch is ooh la la la", goes the lyrics. The song opens with a smooth rhythmic Spanish guitar riff dualed with a mischievous twang of an electric guitar.
Together with the soulful Canadian singer Shawn Mendes, the pair has been garnering much curiosity from fans about their relationship. Cabello and Mendes have not yet confirmed they are together yet, but 'Senorita' has certainly put the spotlight on the two.
Cabello has worked with other renowned artists in her solo career such as Ed Sheeran and featured alongside Cardi B in 'South of the Border' and collaborated with Machine Gun Kelly in 'Bad Things'. She has also performed with Taylor Swift at the 2019 American Music Awards.
The release of the album 'Romance' has our sights on songs that take on a variety of styles. 'This Love' opens with a guitar riff resembling a similar tempo and sadness to that of R.E.M.'s 'Everybody Hurts' but layers in a diva-esque theme with laidback spikes of blues-rock rhythmic drums kicking in that can be likened to the sounds of Tracy Chapman.
The album was released December 6. 'Shameless', the first track on the album builds up the intro like a dance number and pops into the chorus with raw, gritty distorted synth effects and rhythm.
It pushes the vibe from a buildup on the dancefloor to a confessional burst of emotion that gets us focused on the lyrics rather than the music. Cabello antheming, "Right now, I'm shameless. Screamin' my lungs out for ya. Not afraid to face it. I need you more than I want to", taunts her listeners on the subject of love and the challenge of keeping it all together, an Easter egg confession on her love life and personal journey.
Cabello has stated she hasn't had much experience in love during 'Camila,' her post-Fifth Harmony album of early 2018. During her Fifth Harmony days before 'Camila', Cabello's artistry has been from a platform of romantic conjecture, but now, the debut being only a year-and-a-half old, she has had two romantic relationships since then.
It is easy to say that with the release of 'Romance' Camila Cabello has taken a maturer turn in her craft, and amid a variety of styles of songs which makes it harder to pick and choose exactly what defines Cabello's art, her expression appears to fall back on the subject of love and the challenges therein, and the impact and discovery of finding one's self.
With the success of 'Senorita' implying Cabello's more cultural experiments as a sharper wand in pop circles, one envisions Cabello will refine and define her solo style, continuing to collaborate with great artists. 'Romance' amalgamates a sensual mix of styles under the pop umbrella.
The spills of cultural influences seep through, wearing multiple masks of love and the album is a clearer view of the tastes and influences of Cabello herself. 'Liar' taking on an undertone of reggae overlapped by a warm sultry Latina tone, just one example of the depth of her refining her music, but Cabello leaves a clear-cut trace that her solo career sits at the forefront and grips the subject of love with a reflection of self and an observation of the effects of it.