antiMusic.com: Selena Gomez & The Scene - When The Sun Goes Down Review

Selena Gomez & The Scene - When The Sun Goes Down
by Dan MacIntosh

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It's tempting to be cynical while listening to Selena Gomez & The Scene's new music. This is Gomez, before dirtied by fame. This is Gomez before Justin-brokenhearted, perhaps. However, it's much fairer to judge Gomez on her musical merits alone.

Gomez is not going to change the world with her singing voice. When The Sun Goes Down finds the young singer temporarily inhabiting many styles of other more popular singers. "We Own The Night," for instance, has a Beyonce-like vocal style, whereas "Hit The Lights" sounds like it was arranged for J-Lo. The beginning of "Love You Like A Song" features a Rihanna-esque come-hither vocal approach, while "My Dilemma" is a little on the Britney Spears side.

The kid singer is at her prematurely sexiest during "Whiplash," which finds her trying on accents, Nicki Minaj-like. Yet she scores big sincerity points with "Who Says." It's a song of encouragement to girls � all girls. We all know women can be malicious; and young girls certainly learn this cattiness from their moms and peers. However, young ladies should not let the mean girls get them down. Largely, girls control their own destinies.

A couple of these songs are songs about songs. "Love You Like A Love Song," features Gomez stating, "I love you like a love song, baby," while this album's title song is all about the way music can transform an average night into a great night � simply with sound.

As teen music goes, When The Sun Goes Down is pretty good. Hey, if nothing else, Gomez makes more mature music than her boy toy, Justin. (Annoyed parents please take note).

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