Shawn Mendes (Self-Titled) Album Review

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I really like this album, so I’m going to do a review of it. Not just the album, but also of Shawn’s career. We are going to dismiss the Deluxe version for the first half of it. If you don’t like the relationship.... forget about it for a second because this album is actually good.... LET ME EXPLAIN.

Shawn Mendes came out, initially on May 25, 2018. My friend has been a huge fan since he started and got me to listen to his first album and then the second. The day this one came out she told me she didn't like it and so I went to listen to it and it was odd to me. At first listen I didn’t love the album, I barely liked it. BUT I could see where he was going with it and to be fair I didn’t really like no tears left to cry by Ariana Grande on the first listen either. The sound was different from everything else it took a few listens to fully appreciate what she was doing. The same can be said for his self-titled album.

In My Blood was radio play from the jump. It was the first single released if I'm not mistaken which was followed by Where Were You In The Morning, Lost In Japan, and Nervous (if I'm not mistaken).

This album was sonically odd to me the first listen because Shawn’s sound had evolved so much from Illuminate in my opinion. And especially from Handwritten. And that’s why I love the album now. I’ve read that the album didn’t sell as well as hoped by his label which is why they re-released it this year and added his two new songs. Before I get into that though I really want to discuss the sound he is doing.

Where Were You In The Morning is one of my favorite songs off the album because it’s one of the first songs you hear where his new bluesy sound is heard. I really like the growth in it. It’s not just a pop song that would land him on the charts. The lyrics are personal and there Is more depth.

I’m not going to go song by song but throughout the album you can clearly see the story he is telling through the lyrics. Songs like Why and Perfectly Wrong are nice balled songs.

I however do not like Queen or Like To Be You, but that’s up to preference. Personally, I could have done without.

I’m saying all of this to say that I really hope he doesn’t go back to his previous sound. The re-release worries me. Don’t come at me in the comments either but I hear the album hadn’t done that hot in the labels eyes so they slapped If I Can’t Have You on there. Which I really like by the way. I’m ok with a little pop thrown in but Señorita DESTROYED ME!!!!!

I love me some Camila Cabello. I be out here on every released song, She is worrying me too, but that’s a post for another time.

I really do like the song. However, when they put it on the “Deluxe” version I was slightly pressed. Now that the song is on there the album numbers changed. I don’t know how I feel about that. The song was designed to be on the charts TBH and I don't like that they lumped it with this album.

The album was really good on it’s on. It had a clear sound and showed the evolution of him as an artist. The two songs they added however give the album a heavier pop feel and I don’t want it.

Pop makes the money because it’s on the charts. The label executives don't care about the growth of an artist if it’s not selling the same. With that being said I hope he doesn’t go 5 steps back and release another pop heavy album the next time.

I for the most part like all of his music, but I don't want to like his music because it’s like the everyday pop that comes on the radio. I want to like his music because he's being true to himself not because the song is catchy and I was meant to like it.

No matter personal thoughts about him or what’s going on in the media, he is a very talented artist in my opinion and I hope the money hunger industry doesn’t stunt his growth for money. Music is supposed to grow with the artist, but if his doesn’t he might not be known in the future for anything but hits.