Selena Gomez and The Scene - Kiss & Tell Album Review

Selena Gomez and The Scene - Kiss & Tell
Score: B-

Two songs into Kiss & Tell and I already knew what my problem with the album would be, unsurprisingly my initial reaction was correct. What was that problem you ask; the album simply isn’t Selena Gomez the girl instead we get Selena Gomez product of the Disney machine. Perhaps it’s my undying love for Selena the girl that prevented me from truly loving this album but certain things didn’t sit right with me. Gomez is Disney’s pet because she is the perfect role model. She’s nowhere near as risqué as Miley Cyrus, nor is she edgy like best friend Demi Lovato but on Kiss & Tell that’s the biggest problem.

Unlike Cyrus and Lovato, Gomez has almost no writing credits on her debut and because of that I felt like we weren’t hearing her voice so much as the hire hands. On two tracks that means we get Zach Hanson, yes that Zach Hanson, imagining what a 17 year old girl might feel like. Don’t get me wrong this album isn’t a misstep so much as it is stumbling block. Tween girls with love the CD and probably make it a number one record but what I admired about Lovato’s debut was that it had mainstream appeal rather than pandering to a niche.

It should be noted that technically this album isn’t a solo venture for Gomez as the album is credited to Selena Gomez and The Scene but her backup band is nowhere to be found in the artwork lining the album. There are some shadows on the back cover that might be The Scene. But, since Selena’s best tracks are synth driven they seem like nothing more than an accessory, a marketing ploy to differentiate her from her peers.

Overall, I would say the album progresses and, while the start might not be particularly strong, Gomez is able to sell the back half the way she’s sold Wizards of Waverly Place for 3 seasons and a telefilm. Save for the album’s lead single I would suggest skipping the first 5 tracks and picking up with “Naturally,” a fun club anthem in the making. Other standouts include “The Way I Loved You” which feels like the most personal cut on the album, the fun and flirty “More” and “I Don’t Miss You At All” which is probably the album’s most surefire radio hit. “Tell me something I don’t know” Selena sings in the album’s final track, borrowed from the Another Cinderella Story Soundtrack. And my response, it’s ok to be yourself, the 17 year girl I adore.

Note: The one song that Selena does have a writing credit on is track 2 entitled "I Won't Apologize" but I question just how much of that track she wrote.