Here We Go Again By Demi Lovato

As annoying as she may be to watch on TV, Demi Lovato’s superb singing ability is undeniable. So this time around the release of yet another Disney starlet’s CD is a welcome event. She’s even managed to mix a couple of different genres into the collection – there are enough songs that would suit one of her Disney movies for her fans to be kept happy, but she also experiments with soulful funk and Kelly Clarkson-esque pop-rock.

The record starts out with high energy on the title track “Here We Go Again.” It may be formulaic in its steady build-up to a soaring pop chorus, but it’s catchy as all hell and a good introduction to the power of Lovato’s pipes (this, even if it is almost impossible to believe the lyrics about the 16 year old stuck in a round-and-round, addictive relationship).

On “Solo” Lovato pulls a Joe Jonas and gets particularly snarky with her lyrics, making everyone wonder whom she’s pointing the finger at when she sings “you couldn’t find my number until when you thought that you could get to my best friend.” The song also cleverly implies that this person went “so low,” instead of “solo.”

Many of the other songs on the album carry on with this same topic of being hurt by love – “U Got Nothin’ On Me,” the soulful (and stunning) “Every Time You Lie,” “World Of Chances,” and “Everything You’re Not.” Someone has either burned Lovato really badly, or else those producing her music are stereotyping her.

The record takes a rockier turn on “Got Dynamite.” It’s an electric guitar-driven track that definitely puts the young singer next in line for Kelly Clarkson’s throne. It might not showcase her vocal range as well as some of the other songs, but it does show how much force she can pack into her songs.

The closing two tracks, “Gift Of A Friend” and “So Far So Great,” are somewhat out of place on the album. Like all the other songs, they’re not bad to listen to, but they both sound like they should be accompanying triumphant moments in one of Lovato’s Disney films, not closing out her album.

Overall “Here We Go Again” makes it obvious that Demi Lovato could sing the socks off many of her much older female peers, and so entrenching herself in the music business with this album is not a bad thing at all. Buy it if you like really easy-to-swallow servings of pop, or if you’ve got a younger sibling or cousin you can pass the CD on to once you’ve listened to it twice.