Selena Gomez - Stars Dance

You have no idea how excited I was when Selena started releasing music. Falling Down was my jam back in the day. I had always really liked her on Disney Channel so I was happy she was now singing....even if she doesn't have the best voice. Of course her first two albums were very Disney Channel crowd oriented, nothing wrong with that. She was still really young then and why alienate your main crowd right away? I bring this up cause it drives me crazy when I see people criticizing Disney stars for releasing "little kid music". What else are they supposed to put out? You think parents would be okay with someone that their kid is watching on Disney Channel releasing a Nicki Minaj Anaconda like video for their very first single? (Although to be fair I wouldn't call Anaconda a mature song...but you get the point.) Of course not. Her third album showed a more mature side, and then onto this fourth album (has it really been FOUR already? Wow...) she really came out with something more mainstream.

Track #1, Birthday: I think this is the one song on the album I really truly hate. It's just so so bad. It has so much potential in the verses. SO MUCH. But that chorus just destroys everything. It kind of reminds me of a HyunA reject song. So thankful this was never released as a single...because if it ever hit it big I'd want to stab my ears with scissors. 2/5.

Track #2, Slow Down: Admittedly, I'm fairly sick of this song. For the longest time though, it was one of my favorite tracks on the album. Still disappointed it wasn't a big hit like Come & Get It was. Maybe back in 2009-2010 when Lady Gaga was really big it would've done better because it sounds like something that could have been on The Fame. Just wish that ending wasn't there. Can't stand it when there's little talking bits at the beginning and ends of songs. 5/5.

Track #3, Stars Dance: This is such a pretty song musically. Probably my favorite song on the CD. Would have rather had this as a lead single than Come & Get It. Hoping for more songs like this on her future album. 5/5.

Track #4, Like A Champion: This was one of the skippable tracks on the record at first. However, I really came to like it after I got sick of the songs I had originally attached to. It's the perfect track for those days where you just feel in charge of everything. 5/5.

Track #5, Come & Get It: I still think it was a good choice for the first single, but it's not one of the best songs on the CD. I like the Bollywood flavor of the track. I really don't know a great deal about Bollywood, but the sound music wise sounds cool to me. 4/5.

Track #6, Forget Forever: Now this song sounds like it would fit perfectly in her earlier albums. The beat's cool, but other than that it's a fairly forgettable song (didn't intend to use 'forget' in it xD) 3/5.

Track #7, Save The Day: Back to the club bangers! You can so easily tell what kind of music I prefer. Like Slow Down, this is another song I played to death. This probably would have been a better choice than Slow Down as a single. At least in my opinion. Same basic idea and lyrical content, but this just feels like the better song. 5/5.

Track #8, BEAT: I'm in the middle with this song. On one hand, it's very catchy and the beat is quite wonderful, but on the other, it sometimes gets dangerously close to falling into "Birthday" territory. The album's been out for almost two years now and I still can't make up my mind about it. 3/5.

Track #9, Write Your Name: Not a song I gave much attention to when I was really listening to the album, but it's pretty good. I'm guessing I'll probably forget all about it again though when it's over. Sometimes I wonder how many songs I know of that are good, but just so unremarkable that I can't remember them. 4/5.

Track #10, Undercover: And this was the third of the three tracks I really focused on when I first got the album along with Slow Down & Save The Day. This is the best of the three tracks. 5/5.

Track #11, Love Will Remember: Kind of in the same boat as Write Your Name except not as good. I could envision this song on When The Sun Comes Down. It's almost too poppy for the rest of the album. The rest of this album for the most part is very EDM so it's a bit of a jarring change from the rest of the album. 3/5.

Track #12, Nobody Does It Like You: I think this is where the deluxe edition starts? I'm not sure what all songs were Target exclusive in the USA and if there even was a true deluxe edition outside of the Target version. I truly hate the word swag. It's such an affront to the English language. Or any language. That's probably my only gripe about the song. Personally, I'd swap this song and Love Will Remember for the standard tracklist. It fits the standard album better. 4.5/5.

Track #13, Music Feels Better: I honestly don't remember listening to these last three tracks on the the CD. I know I did. My iTunes says I did. I just don't recall their existence. I say this because I really like this song. It doesn't fit the album really, and sounds more like a When The Sun Comes Down or even A Year Without Rain track, but it's just so catchy I love it. 5/5.

Track #14, Lover In Me: Now these last two songs are definitely the Target exclusives. Now what does this sound like.....I swear this sounds like something else. Love the pulsing beat in the verses. Ahhhh no. Why. Aw man. I'm disappointed. The verses sounded like they were building up to a crazy chorus but the chorus is just too poppy for the verses. I need some soaring vocals and EDM like Ariana's Break Free. Maybe I'll get that next album. She is working with Zedd. 3.5/5.

Track #15, I Like It That Way: Ugh. The beginning is cringeworthy lyrically. Oh come on! Seriously?! This is the chorus that Lover In Me should have gotten and Lover In Me's chorus should have gone to this! I realize that they were probably produced by two completely different people, but it's still a tragedy. 3.5/5.

The album is certainly her best album yet, and really is going to be hard to top for me. I'm hoping that her next album will completely blow this out of the water though. Man....I'd really love to give this a 4.5 or a 5....but then I remember Birthday exists. Hoping for no more songs like that for record number five. 4/5.