Stars Dance

Stars Dance, the fourth studio album of actress and recording artist Selena Gomez, is, in my personal opinion, not her best. Released on July 23, 2013, it is Gomez's first solo album, after a hiatus from her band, "The Scene". It is your basic, run-of-the-mill, autotune-filled pop album that this culture has allowed to become mainstream. Featuring disco, dubstep and techno styles of music, this particular album features a much more mature dynamic of Gomez. While Gomez has done a fine job so far of transitioning from child star to adult celebrity, choosing many of these tracks for the album was not her brightest move. The album was Gomez first #1 album on the US Billboard 200 and has been certified Gold in the United States and Canada. This just further proves my theory that to be considered successful in today's music industry, one does not need exceptional talent as much as strong support from a decent fan following.

1. "Birthday"

The opening track, "Birthday", which has a running time of 3:20, leaves much to be desired. The lyrics are basic and are not appeasing, aside from the brief mention of "cake and cream". The sound of the tune itself, quite frankly, is basic and boring. A video of Gomez partying with friends in a darkened room, dancing around and lip-synching to the track, appeared on Gomez's personal YouTube channel on July 22, 2013, Gomez's 21st birthday. I mistakenly believed that this made the track an official single of the album, but was, in fact, simply a way for her to allow her fans to join in the celebration and to thank them for their support and, in the process, generate promotion for the album.

2. "Slow Down"

The album's second track, also the second single, "Slow Down", is a small step up from the previous song. The up-tempo, dance-pop jam speaks of Gomez reliving her all-nighter with her lover under the guise of partying on the dance floor as she seems to brag about her ability to entice him to stay for more. The single, released on June 3, 2013 via digital download, peaked at #27 in the United States and sold 1,000,000 copies, becoming certified Platinum.

3. "Stars Dance"

The third track, "Stars Dance", the album's title track, is not my favorite. The beat is light and Gomez's vocals are soothing and soft, a stark contrast to most of the other tracks. Lyrically, the song talks of her proclamation that nothing lasts forever, therefore her lover need not be afraid of her desire to show a part of herself that he's never seen, all the while, she gloats about her capability to do whatever he asks of her.

4. "Like A Champion"

The fourth track, "Like A Champion", is perhaps one of my favorites of the album. The track opens with a segment of Buju Banton's recording of "Champion" and we hear Gomez singing in a Bajan accent. The song has infulences of reggae and dancehall, but still sticks to the usual dance-pop sound. The lyrics speak of showing a "sexy" confidence, being unafraid of your differences and embracing your youthful freedom.

5. "Come & Get It"

The fifth song, "Come & Get It", is also one of my favorites. During my first listen to the track (I think I clicked on it by accident), I did not like the track, but as time went on, the tune was always in my head. The Bollywood-Indian style of music is a part of what makes this song so appealing to me. Its tribal sound, coupled with the lyricism that speaks of Gomez's unwillingness to let go of a past lover and her urgency and persistence that the love must be rekindled is undeniably catchy. Her first few performances of this single brought about controversy when Gomez wore a bindi and it was later removed from her costume. As the album's first single , it debuted at #2 on the Pop Songs chart. There was talk that the song was a message to her on-off boyfriend, Justin Bieber, but Gomez quickly denied those rumors and stated that it was simply a fun song that showed confidence and was not meant for any person in particular.

6. "Forget Forever"

The sixth track, "Forget Forever", is, again, not one of my favorites. The dance-pop song is somewhat catchy, but the simple lyrics make a sharp turn-around after the previous track. Instead of wanting a love to come back, she seems to be dealing bitterly with a breakup, attempting to keep herself from taking him back by reminding herself of all his past mistakes. While she concludes they cannot act as if their love never happened, she still blames him for her own heartache, even going so far as to claim that he "broke" her and that she wishes she never knew his name.

7. "Save The Day"

Arriving at yet another rapid mood swing, you find yourself at the seventh track, "Save The Day". Much like "Slow Down", this track speaks of a love that Gomez does not want to end. She urges her lover to keep the love going through the day in the same way they did the previous night, forgetting about the time. The song was said to have Latin pop sounds as well as a dubstep feel. My favorite part of this particular song is the bridge, in which Gomez repeats riffs in a fun twist, which is meant to make it impossible to resist the urge to dance.

8. "B.E.A.T."

The eighth track, "B.E.A.T.", is one I may never get used to hearing. The song is techno and hip-hop, as well as autotune at its finest. The choppy sections added to create a stuttering aspect was a good choice, but overall, I doubt this song will ever be one of my first choices.

9. "Write Your Name"

The ninth track, "Write Your Name", still goes through a daily decision as to whether or not I enjoy it. The lyrics are much too revealing for my taste, but the electronic dance sound is refreshing, as is its dubstep sections. The bridge? The lyrics of the rap themselves are beautifully written, although I would have never paired Gomez with a music style such as rap. Also, Selena once claimed to have written this track, yet she is not listed as a songwriter anywhere in the credits of her album.

10. "Undercover"

The tenth track, "Undercover", is extremely catchy. The song has a dance-pop sound and a distinct beat. Her voice is breathy and seductive and her words seem to be dripping with passion and urgency. The lyrics of the track follow Gomez attempting to convince her lover that she is the only one he needs and she will meet him in a place where they can be alone and secretive as she seems to be seducing him with sweet comments.

11. "Love Will Remember"

The eleventh and final track on the album, "Love Will Remember", is a soulful ballad and features Gomez insisting that her broken relationship with her past partner is simply impossible to forget. Gomez's voice seems deep with regret from all the things they will never have the chance to do together and she is struggling to understand the breakup. The bridge beautifully contrasts itself in that she seems to be admitting her naive state of mind when believing that she was the only one he could ever love. She then makes a sharp turn-around and says that she truly believes that someday they can patch things up between them. She has claimed to have written this song, but there is no evidence in her album's booklet to support this statement.