Rare, Selena Gomez

With the documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me releasing tomorrow, I felt drawn to re-listen to one of my favorite albums of 2020 (which is saying something considering pretty much every single one of my favorite artists released an album in 2020).

I may be biased in my opinion of this album considering I was one of the people who pre-ordered the first Selena Gomez & The Scene album before it even had a title all the way back in 2008 (aaaand I also have a signed copy of Rare). But my longtime fan status may also make me a more informed critic-- following up 2015's Revival and its multiple huge hits was going to be a challenge; I would call Rare right on par with, but not better than, Revival.

Rare has a lot of really great things going for it: it's incredibly sonically cohesive, it beautifully showcases the best of Selena Gomez's voice, it goes deeper emotionally than any other Selena Gomez album has ever gone, and it's just plain fun to listen to.

Stand-out tracks: "Lose You To Love Me" "A Sweeter Place"

My favorites: "Vulnerable" "Dance Again" "People You Know"

Rare tells a story across its tracklist of the freeing feeling of coming into your own self-worth and leaving behind the things that don't serve you. Whether it's losing a longtime partner ("Lose You to Love Me") or fake friends ("People You Know"), dancing in front of the mirror in your bedroom feeling yourself ("Rare" "Dance Again"), dipping your toes in the waters of a new relationship ("Vulnerable" "Crowded Room"), or beginning to wonder what life will bring you next ("A Sweeter Place"), this album is like a wrapping a cozy blanket around yourself while wearing a glittery dress.

The soft pop journey of Rare feels like the most authentic music Selena Gomez has put out in her music career. And I plan on coming back to this album again and again.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING:

FULLY OBSESSED

Rumours, Fleetwood Mac

When I was making the list of classic, iconic albums that I knew had to be part of this project, Rumours was one of the first albums that came to mind. Between seeing my mom's reaction to Stevie Nicks' dress from the album cover at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland over the summer and the number of times I've seen this album referenced in pop culture, it felt like a no-brainer.

To put it plainly, Rumours wasn't what I expected.

I don't plan on doing this for this whole 500-album project, but I actually listened to Rumours twice. I know this album is considered iconic, but I was honestly so caught off guard by this album considering it was so different from what I expected it to be. After the first listen, I felt like I had missed something, especially knowing that Daisy Jones & The Six is thought to be loosely based on Fleetwood Mac during this era. There are some really really well-written and performed songs on this album, but the whole thing wasn't quite as cohesive and powerful as I thought it would be.

I feel like the power of this album lingers in the sound of its best tracks ("Dreams," "Go Your Own Way," "Songbird," "The Chain," "Oh Daddy") and the sheer performance quality that you can hear on every single song. These songs made me feel like I had been plopped on stage with the band based on the vibrancy of each instrument and vocal track.

But, I wanted so badly for this album to tell a compelling story, maybe one of the darkness and mystery and intimacy and power of rumors. But instead, I felt like Rumours told those stories in each individual song rather than across the whole album. That's not a bad thing, it just wasn't what I expected from a collection of songs that, together, made up the third-best-selling album of an entire decade.

Stand out track: "The Chain"

My favorites: "Dreams" " Go Your Own Way" "Gold Dust Woman"

Coming off the album opener "Second Hand News," "Dreams" is a unique, moody breath of fresh air that truly sets the tone for the rest of the album. Honestly, I wish "Dreams" had been the album opener-- it illustrates the tone of the album well and has a beautiful opening instrumental. Speaking of instrumentals, the instrumental section of "Go Your Own Way" is enough to convince me of why Rumours is the classic rock album that it is. "Songbird" is the epitome of what I expected from this album-- beautiful, haunting, with sleek instrumentals. "The Chain" is "Songbird"'s edgier, more jaded sister; it's darker, more intense, and lyrically and instrumentally charged. "Oh Daddy" was the only track that felt produced beyond live instruments and vocals, which I liked leading into the confident, instrumentally-pared finale of "Gold Dust Woman."

I have respect for the cultural impact of this album, the incredible performance quality of Fleetwood Mac as a band, and I definitely have songs that will be landing on my playlists in the future, but I can't honestly say I would be enthusiastic about listening to Rumours as a cohesive album again.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING:

OBSESSED WITH SOME TRACKS

Mariah Carey, Mariah Carey

I've known that Mariah Carey is one of the bestselling artists of all time (not to mention the queen of Christmas music), but after listening to her 1990 debut album Mariah Carey, now I truly understand why she's made the lasting impact on pop music that she has. This woman came out of the gate with a skipless album.

Mariah Carey is, quite simply, the absolute best of 90s R&B/pop.

"I Don't Wanna Cry" is mystical and Whitney Houston-esque which makes the boppy, unrelenting "someday you're gonna pay" of "Someday" all the more powerful (and ending the song with whistletones? Amazing). I'm a sucker for 90s production quality and this album is just oozing out the seams with electronic pianos and 90s synths. "You Need Me" is like a fabulous punch in the face of girl power and it transitions beautifully into dreamy "Sent From Above"-- the combination of the two show the duality of power in independence and the power in an inexplicable connection. And the album closer, "Love Takes Time," is like the gorgeous, rolling credits song after the movie that you sit through in the theater after a great movie that unexpectedly swept you off your feet.

Stand out track: "You Need Me"

My favorites: "There's Got to Be a Way", "Someday," "Alone in Love"

As someone who grew up in the peak age of popularity for both the Cheetah Girls and Ariana Grande, I have a new respect for the incredible influence Mariah Carey very clearly had on the pop I've known and loved.

I'm so excited that I have a full Mariah Carey discography to discover, because Mariah Carey is definitely an album I'll be coming back to time and time again.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING:

FULLY OBSESSED