“Revival” is Selena Gomez’s second solo album. It was released on October 9th,2015. She recorded this album with Interscope Records.In my opinion I think that Selena Gomez’s vocals are way better than her previous album “Stars Dance”, and I can’t blame her for that because well, “Stars Dance”, is a very EDM driven album but I still really liked it. “Revival” though is better than “Stars Dance”, in my opinion. Also the sound is different, and she is a little bit more mature with this album than any of her other albums.
Album Covers:
Now with “Revival”, there are two album covers for it, there is the Standard Edition and the Deluxe Edition. Also there is a Target Exclusive Version of this album and it’s the same album cover as the Deluxe Version.
Track By Track:
Standard Edtion Songs- “Revival”- “Revival” is the first track on the album. During a track-by-track interview on Twitter, she said that:
“It’s one of the most important tracks on the album, because it’s an introduction to “what I’ve been spending the past two years experiencing, feeling and going through.”
Her intro to the song, starts off by her saying, “I dive into the future/But I’m blinded by the sun/I’m reborn in every moment/So who knows what I’ll become”.
“Kill ‘Em With Kindness”- “Kill ‘Em With Kindness” is the second song, and it’s about using peaceful actions to overcome our everyday obstacles and limitations. This is one of her more inspirational songs on this album and she also has another one called “Rise”. One of my favorite lyrics in this song is, “Your lies are bullets/Your mouth’s the gun”. I mean, that lyric couldn’t be any truer then that!
“Hands To Myself”- “Hands To Myself”, is the third song on the album. The song is about a celebration of love overcoming inhibition. Selena Gomez says:
“Hands To Myself” is my favorite. It’s actually one of the last songs I recorded for the album. It’s the second to last song I recorded, and we wrote it in a day, and it was incredible because I had this sass. I finished everything. I thought the album was done, and then I kind of went in, and I felt like I was ready for the next chapter, whatever it is, and I just knew that it had this sass to it. It’s really different, and it’s fresh, and it’s kind of got this Prince-y vibe to it. I really appreciate that it’s kind of different from everything else.”
With lyrics like, “I want you all to myself/You’re metaphorical gin and juice”.
“Same Old Love”-“Same Old Love”, is the fourth song. Charli XCX wrote the song “Same Old Love”, but also Selena tweaked it up a little, also Charili XCX is also in the song, she sings the “Oh’s”. Now this song is about Justin Bieber, but Selena also had a different meaning to the song, and it had nothing to do with Justin Bieber, with lyrics like, “I’m so sick of that same old love, that shit, it tears me up”.
“Sober”-“Sober” is the fifth track on the album. Selena spoke about “Sober” with iHeartRadio saying:
“Sober” is incredible. It’s easy to run away from your feelings, but I have to understand, and people need to understand, that you have to go through everything. You have to feel it. You gotta get through the other side as best as you can, and everyone has been in that situation where you can’t help it. Even if it’s not even that, it’s like love drunk in a way. You’re just oblivious to what’s going on, and you have to be connected with yourself to really dissect what it is that you’re feeling. You can’t need a person or need anything to get you through life. You’ve got to be content with yourself.
There are lyrics like, “You don’t know how to love me when you’re sober/When the bottle’s done you pull me closer”.
“Good For You” feat. A$AP Rocky- “Good For You”, is the six song, and it’s about feeling good about yourself, and looking good for you lover, with lyrics like, “Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tight/Do my hair up real,real nice/And syncopate my skin to your heart beating”. Also everything is pretty innocent until you get to A$AP Rocky’s verse, with lyrics like, “But the way you touchin’ on me in the club/Rubbin’ on my miniature/John Hancock, fuck the signature”. So this song shows Selena’s not so innocent anymore, she’s all grown up. (P.S. This song in my opinion, is a great song to sing in the shower or when your getting ready in the bathroom, just saying).
“Camouflage”- “Camouflage”, is the seventh track on the album. During a track-by-track interview on Twitter, she said:
“It’s the only ballad on the entire album. I wanted to do that on purpose, because this was me pouring my heart into something, it’s very honest and real.
With lyrics like, “Dead-end streets and boulevards/You threw in the towel, I broke your heart”.
“Me & The Rhythm”- “Me & The Rythm”, is the eigth track on the album. It’s a very upbeat track, and it’s about what music does to her, and or to people in general. The music fits really well with the lyrics, and makes you want to dance. “Yeah, all I need/Is the rhythm/Me and the rhythm”.
“Survivors”- “Survivors”, is the ninth track on the album. In a track-by-track interview on Twitter, Selena said of “Survivors”:
“It’s an anthem. I think in general we’re just surviving in our everyday circumstances. It’s my message that we need to bring each other up instead of tearing each other down.”
She went into more detail with iHeartRadio:
‘Survivors’ is like my community anthem song. I feel like every single day, all we’re doing is surviving. It’s what we do. We work, we get up, we do our job, we live our life, and this world is insane. Sometimes you’re just like ‘what the hell is happening?!’ And ‘Survivors’ is just that anthem that I want people to have. I want them to know that we have to be in this together. Everyone is so jaded and so hurt, and they don’t embrace people as much as I wish they would, and I think that’s important. ‘Survivors’ is a community thing … What’s mine is yours. It’s us. It’s ours together.
With lyrics like, “We are survivors/We are survivors of the wild/We are survivors/We are survivors of the wild”.
“Body Heat”- “Body Heat”, is the tenth song on the album. During an track-by-track interview on Twitter, she told that the song was recorded in Mexico with Hit-Boy.
“It was full on inspired by the culture. I thought it was important for me to have a song on the album that represented that side of me.”As her father is of Mexican descent.
With lyrics like “I’m restless, I’m craving your attention/ My red lips have found a new obsession”.
“Rise”-“Rise”, is the eleventh song on the Standard Edition of the album. Selena described “Rise” to iHeartRadio:
“I love ‘Rise’. The reason why it’s the last on the album is because I want everyone to know that I feel everything they feel. I never want to be untouchable, unrelatable. What that song means is you can choose to live your life a certain way, and you can remind yourself that it’s your thoughts that make you go crazy. You need to understand that it’s a choice. You have to wake up and just love yourself, take care of yourself, be kind to yourself. I think that’s what ‘Rise’ is. It’s really encouraging people to rise above everything that they’re experiencing … if it’s painful.”
With lyrics like, “Like the air you can/Rise from the rubble with your mind, you can hover”.
Deluxe Edition Songs- “Me & My Girls”- “Me & My Girls”, is a bonus track from the deluxe edition, and it’s the twelveth song on the album. The song is about her and just her girls, no guys at all! She’s just spending time with her girlfriends, with lyrics like “You can look, but don’t touch/I’m not here to hook up/I’m just here to turn up/Tonight is just us”. Also this song is similar to “Body Heat”, because it has a Mexican type of music, also she says “No jodas, nosotras”, which means like, don’t fuck with us or it could mean we don’t fuck with you.
“Nobody”-“Nobody”, is another bonus track from the deluxe edition, and it’s the thirteenth song on the album. According to Selena Gomez, the song is about God. She says:
“‘Nobody’ is written about my faith, my connection with God. Anyone can interpret that however they want. It’s a beautiful record, but that was my intention when I wrote the song. No human being can love you the way that your higher power can, and I think it’s beautiful. You have to love yourself. You have to find that within your heart and that’s when I was able to discover myself.”
With lyrics like, “No oxygen, can barely breathe/My darkest sin, you’ve raised released/And it’s all because of you, all because of you”.
“Perfect”-“Perfect”, is the last bonus track on the deluxe version of the album, and it’s the fourteenth song on the album. Selena spoke about Perfect with iHeartRadio HQ and told:
“That was a very, very personal song, and it was extremely accurate. I remember feeling all of those emotions, and thinking to myself, ‘I don’t know if I could put this on the record.’ In a way, it’s a little sad. It’s beautiful too. I really enjoy being able to go in that R&B and just flow in that world, and the track is unbelievable, but I was nervous to put it on the record for that reason. I felt like if I was already giving my all, I might as well acknowledge that part.”
With lyrics like, “How does she touch you? Can I try it, too?/ I know your twisted, but baby, I’m twisted, too”.
Target Exclusive Songs- “Outta My Hands (Loco)”- “Outta My Hands (Loco)”, is a Target exclusive song, and it’s the fifteenth song on the album. Basically this song is about this crazy guy who she is attracted to, and doesn’t care that he’s crazy, because she love the fact that he is this way, with lyrics like, “Your temper can be sexy/ I love it when you hate me”.
“Cologne”- “Cologne”, is a Target exclusive song, and it’s the last song on the album, which is the sixthteenth song on the album. The song is about missing her lover, and that his cologne is what keeps her thinking that he’s still part of her love life, with lyrics like “There’s a reason you’re everywhere/ Breathe you in like you’re in the air”.
Revival Booklet- Now these are the pictures that came with the physical copy of “Revival”. (These are in order). If you were ever wondering what my favorite picture is, it’s the one where she is laying down and there is broken glass on the ground.
Production/Lyrical Content: The production on the album was pretty good. Some to most of the songs were produced with Rock Mafia, which I am cool with. Now I really liked the lyrical content, it’s more mature and relaxed, especially with “Good For You”, and “Hands To Myselfs”, which are both sexy songs but she did a good job of not over doing it.
Overall: Overall I would give this album a 9/10. I’ve really grown to love it in like the first couple of days of listening to it, ever since it came out. I hope that Selena keeps finding her voice, and experimenting with her music. Also this album proves to people, that she can sing, I don’t know why people think she can’t but she can. So go and check this album out, on iTunes and Spotify also get your Target exclusive copy at Target.
Album Reviews 