The Greatest Showman denies Camila Cabello this week's Number 1 album
The Greatest Showman soundtrack has put on its most dazzling chart performance yet to claim a second week at Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart.
The Motion Picture Cast Recording from the Golden Globe winning musical movie notched up 40,000 combined chart sales to secure the top spot once again, its strongest week to date. The soundtrack is also Number 1 on the albums charts in Australia and America.
A strong performance from Camila Cabello sees her self-titled debut album landing at Number 2, this week’s highest new entry. It’s a new career high for Camila, who previously charted at Number 6 with 7/27 when she was a member of Fifth Harmony.
Ed Sheeran’s ÷ drops two places to Number 3, Eminem’s Revival gains ground at Number 4, and Sam Smith falls one position to Number 5 with The Thrill Of It All.
New entries and high climbers
Dua Lipa is back in the Official Albums Chart Top 10 for the first time since September with her debut self-titled album, up 10 to Number 10.
Black Veil Brides scoop their third Top 40 album with Vale (23), one position ahead of J Hus’ Common Sense, up eleven to Number 24 following his performance on ITV’s The BRITs Are Coming.
Leo Sayer’s The Gold Collection is a new entry at Number 27, ahead of The Skids, whose first studio album in 37 years Burning Cities charts at Number 28. Songs of Praise, the debut album from rock group Shame opens at Number 32 on the Official Albums Chart, but was the most purchased album in indie records shops this week, and is Number 1 on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart.
Finally, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s Wrong Creatures and Joe Satriani’s What Happens Next earn both acts a sixth Top 40 entry at Number 35 and 40 respectively.
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Piran
Okay everyone, so considering how much I liked her as both part of Fifth Harmony & as a solo artist so far, my next review is going to be Camila Cabello’s debut album, called ‘Camila’!
As usual, I’m doing a track-by-track analysis, followed by an overall summary. I won’t be reviewing ‘Never Be The Same [Radio Edit]’, because it’s essentially the same as the original, but with a couple of words in the pre-chorus changed.
Anyway, I went into this album expecting it to be special, so was that the case? Well let’s find out…
Piran
1) ‘NEVER BE THE SAME’ (8/10)
We start with a track that’s the second official single from the album & one that is gaining a lot of traction this week! This is a strong opening track for sure & one that could’ve fit onto the ‘Fifty Shades Free’ soundtrack well, as she uses the comparison & metaphors between love & drugs, but even though that’s overused, Camila can pull of $exy really well! There’s not much to say in terms of production; not a lot of melody, but percussion-heavy, although I do like the Latin-inspired beat opening the song. Vocally, she might sound a bit on the pre-chorus trying to go for a falsetto that’s a bit beyond her range, but she makes up for it pouring her heart out on that chorus! A powerful way to open this record, good song!
2) ‘ALL THESE YEARS’ (7/10)
With the guitar riffs, the introduction sounds like a cross between ‘Starving’ & ‘Lose Yourself’ & her voice is solid in the hook, even though I’m not really into the warbled vocal sample towards the end of the song. I like how honest about the lyrics are; she broke up with this guy a long time ago, but she still has feeling towards him. It might be the shortest song on the album, but the quality is still there for sure.
3) ‘SHE LOVES CONTROL’ (6/10)
You know I really enjoyed this album when the worst track on it is still decent at the very least! The thing is, I still see the likeability for this & why it’s not doing bad on streaming; there’s an addictive & fun groove to this that allows the chorus to be undeniably catchy, but there are still a couple of notable issues here. For one, the Latinate beat sounds extremely flat for the most part & secondly, this is far from Camila’s best vocal display. The verses are fine enough, but she sounds like she’s forcing her voice too much at the start of the hook. As for the content, it could either be depicted as the profile of a heartbreaker or showing independence from an oppressive employment situation that the singer has outgrown.
4) ‘HAVANA’ [ft Young Thug] (9/10)
Now the big one… the song that already become a global hit & is likely to lead the Hot 100 tomorrow, probably the most important chart in the world! That said, while this might not be my favourite track on ‘Camila’, it always had the most potential out of any song here; the bouncy piano line at the start gives me summer flashbacks immediately, to the snaps throughout the song & especially the horn section we get near the end of the song, the production here is outstanding! Even the ad-libs in the first verse & the rhythm of the hook are so cool. My only issue would be Young Thug’s part; he has nowhere as much charisma as Camila does & it sounds a little bit dull at times, but he still sounds better than usual. Overall, I’m so ecstatic that this became big everywhere! No wonder it was one of my favourite hits of last year.
5) ‘INSIDE OUT’ (9/10)
I don’t even think I can describe how much joy this song gives me every time I hear it! It’s really too bad that this has the weakest streaming of all of the album tracks, because like ‘Havana’, it would sound amazing as we go into the summer months! I love the fun & upbeat production, but the best part of this was the Spanish singing at the start of the final verse, which is simply impeccable! There’s also a nice tropical section to close out the song which is cute. I’m absolutely going to be replaying this a lot for the next couple of weeks, maybe even longer than that!
Piran
6) ‘CONSEQUENCES’ (8/10)
You’ll notice that the second half of the album is generally a bit sadder than the first half. With ‘Consequences’, it’s an emotional one for sure, where she slows down the tempo considerably & this is easily the best she sounds on the album! I like how the melody & gentle piano chords follow the rhythm of her singing too. This is also one of the more personal tracks here, as Camila looks back on the benefits of a relationship, but also the sadder consequences she faced from coming out of that relationship. Once again, incredible work Camila!
7) ‘REAL FRIENDS’ (9/10)
I’d say that this is the most relatable track here; I’m sure a lot of people have had the feeling at some point in their lives of being in an environment where you get on with people, only to realise that they aren’t there for you after all, especially me. I can believe every emotion that Camila shows here, which is mostly frustration & sadness, she is being honest & not trying to fake her feelings. There are also some good instrumental choices here too, such as the guitar chords starting the song.
8) ‘SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE’ (9/10)
Once again, we get to another tear-jerker! In this track, Camila discusses a relationship that she’s been trying to keep together, but reaches the sad realisation that it won’t work out. The most notable part of the song is her going into her upper register yet again & this time, she absolutely nails it on that bridge! Another track that continued to leave me impressed!
9) ‘IN THE DARK’ (9/10)
Camila described this as one of the tracks on the album that best describes her & when writing this song she recalls meeting an unnamed famous boy after the Grammys & that she didn’t want to fall in love with him because he’s a celebrity, but to get to know his personality. The production is surprisingly eerie & even tends towards R&B at times. She sounds good for the most part, except in the bridge & like Calum said in his review, I don’t see it getting very far commercially & it would be better remaining as an unreleased album track.
10) ‘INTO IT’ (8/10)
To end the album, it seems like Camila is enjoying herself more than I’ve heard anywhere else here, where she’s pursuing a love interest in this guy! There’s not too much happening in terms of production, but I like how her vocals still have a bit of an attitude here & some of the similes & metaphors in the lyrics are interesting.
Piran
TOTAL SCORE: 82/100 (82%)
Overall, I’m left so happy for Camila on this album, both on initial commercial success (this hit #1 on iTunes in over 100 countries!) & that it has got a reasonably positive critical response so far.
It’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions & shows how smart Camila is as an artist, so yeah, I strongly recommend you check this out if you haven’t already! If she keeps this up, then I have a feeling she’s going to have a hugely successful career ahead of her.
On that note, thanks to all of you for reading this, I really appreciate it! If there are any albums you want me to review, then please let me know & I’ll try to get to them.
See you all soon! :)
Calum Pk7
Hey Piran, this is such a great review and I'm glad you liked the album so much! it seems likely She Loves Control will be the next single, but do you think Camila will release any others? I'm crossing my fingers for Inside Out to be released next summer, but I'm not sure it will be to be honest.
Piran
Thanks Calum! I appreciate your comment. ;)
I think 'Inside Out' would be awesome for the summer like 'Havana' was, but I have a feeling she'll release one of her slower songs on the album, like 'Something's Gotta Give'.
I'm not really too sure though, as I could see all of them being serious chart hits!
Calum Pk7
well Something's Gotta Give is also one of the less streamed tracks, so I'm not so sure. it does seem more like a single than some of the other slower ones, as there is a bit more production on it, but I still hope its Inside Out! :)
Piran
On another note, what do you think of the Official Chart Update for today?
The #1 is really hard to predict, but I still think 'River' will be just out in front.
Regarding Camila, you'll be very pleased to hear that she's got both the #1 album & #1 single in the US this week! ;)
Foxes
Great review! I really agree with a lot of these ratings and analysis, especially on 'Real Friends'. She really does sound amazing on the track and it's still my favourite song on the album.
Our main difference is with 'She Loves Control', as you already know. I absolutely love the song, and it's my 2nd favourite on the album, whereas for you it's more of a good song rather than a fantastic song.
I also love the success that Camila has had with the album, even if it didn't quite manage #1 over here. There's still the slim chance that it'll climb in the coming weeks though, and if not we better hope that her second album can make it!
I can't help but feeling like 'Never Be The Same' has already reached its peak, though. It did very well last week because of the album's release, but it's been falling this week and I doubt it'll even make the Top 10. I can see 'She Loves Control' peaking higher than #7 though, if it gets released as a single, which it should do. Since 'Never Be The Same's music video is supposed to be coming pretty soon, I wouldn't expect another single for at least a month, though.
Piran
Thanks Gameskiller! :)
I did give out a few 9/10s here, but 'Real Friends' was certainly the nearest to a perfect score. I might've listened to 'Inside Out' more this week, but 'Real Friends' seems like one of the more personal tracks on the album, so Camila gets to show off her emotion in her vocals, which is when she sounds best.
'She Loves Control' is a song that I still understand the appeal to & I'm pleased that it became her first ever Top 40 debut in the Official Charts, but it's probably the track on the album that I'm likely going to forget first if any.
Yeah, I'm not sure if 'Never Be The Same' will get any higher even with a video release. The only way it could appear in the Top 10 again after this week is if the official video & a discount happen at roughly the same time. Don't forget, we have the BRIT awards coming up next month, which always causes a shake up on both the singles & albums chart!
Calum Pk7
oh I haven't seen that yet, ill go check it out :)
yeah that's great! sadly she couldn't make the #1 album here tho. hopefully this week!
Calum Pk7
whenever I find the update, it always says the page is unavailable! how did you reach it?
Piran
I usually Google it, because clicking on the link on the website never appears to work.
Calum Pk7
ah okay, i'll do that next time! :)
do you know when they usually upload the updates?
Piran
I think it's every Monday around 5:45pm. :)
Calum Pk7
Very disappointing 'Camila' couldn't debut at #1, but #2 is still a great return and I hope it can get to #1 in the future!
Here is my rating of the album, from worst track to best:
10) Something's Gotta Give - one of the slower songs on the album. For the majority of the track, it just feels Camila is holding back a bit, especially in the verses; that she could do more with it. Still really good though, and some of the vocals at the end especially are amazing. My least favourite track on the album though. 8.5/10
9) Into It - a very upbeat, fun pop song, which is an uplifting end to the album after the ballads and sadder songs preceding it. I especially love the verses and while Camila could've done more with the bridge before the final chorus, it's a great pop song and a fun listen, that's for sure. 8.7/10
8) Havana - the lead single and biggest hit on the album, Havana is a pop song like no other, with Camila's Cuban heritage becoming evident in the song. The production is one of the best on the album, and it also includes the only feature in Young Thug. The only reason that Havana is as low as this is simply its age - while the rest of the album is peaking in performance now, Havana did that a few months ago. But if I rated how much I had liked it at peak performance, it would be higher up in this list. 8.9/10
7) Consequences - another of the slower tracks on the album, I feel this is much more emotional and relatable than Something's Gotta Give; it feels like Camila is telling a story of a past relationship that didn't work out. I also love the power used in the chorus especially at the end of the song, but I feel Camila could have done a little more with it. Instead of the repeated 'I know' s before the final chorus, I think she should've done a powerful bridge to add to the emotion from the chorus, before slowing it down again at the start of the chorus like she did then delivering a powerful vocal performance at the end. Nevertheless, a great track! 9.1/10
6) Real Friends - one of the promotional tracks which came out a few weeks prior to the album's release, Real Friends is a wonderful song where Camila explores feeling let down and not at home where she is. It has great production also, which compliments the track perfectly. 9.25/10
5) In The Dark - while quite dark production-wise in places, this is quite an upbeat track compared to some others on the album. I love the vocals in the pre-chorus, and the chorus is catchy and a really good listen. I think this is one of the better songs on the album, although it doesn't really seem like something that could be released as a single. 9.3/10
4) All These Years - my favourite of the sadder songs on the album, All These Years comes from a different angle, with Camila explaining how she still misses her ex. I love all the vocals and various ad-libs and guitar riffs in the song, and think this is quite similar to Real Friends, but a better version of it in my opinion. 9.4/10
3) Inside Out - one of the most upbeat and fun tracks on the album, Inside Out is definitely one of my favourites. I love the Latina-style production, and the Spanish singing near the end is stunning. It has been the least popular on the album streaming-wise so far, but is the most summery track of Camila's - maybe a single next summer? 9.6/10
2) She Loves Control - the most popular of the album tracks so far, She Loves Control even managed to debut straight into the UK Top 40 last Friday. And it isn't hard to see why - it's a really fun track with a great beat and a really catchy chorus, and seems the most likely to gain radio traction of the album tracks. I think this will hopefully become the next single. 9.8/10
1) Never Be The Same - the current official single, Never Be The Same managed to rocket into the top 10 in the UK last Friday. The song explores a love which is too strong to comprehend, being compared to a drug addiction, and the power Camila uses in the chorus reflects this, becoming one of her strongest vocal performances to date. I hope this will continue to gain momentum worldwide! 10/10
Overall, i think the album is amazing, with Camila using many different genres and styles and showing the range to her voice and the control she has. This has received largely positive reviews, and its great Camila has chosen to make the album her vision, and not that of a producer or manager. If she continues like this, Camila will surely become one of the biggest stars in the world of music!
The only downside to the album is that there are only ten different tracks; and I am confused as to why NBTS appeared on it twice. I really hope there's a deluxe version which could possibly include some axed songs and some new ones which didn't quite make the cut too! :D
Piran
I really enjoyed reading this Calum! :)
We might differ with the re-ordering of the tracks on the album, but I mostly agree with the comments you made on each song & especially 'Camila' in general.
I've got my full review up on this thread now, so I hope you check it out!
Foxes
I'm really disappointed that 'Camila' couldn't manage to debut straight in at #1 this week as it really is a fantastic album, but I've been planning to do a review of this album since well before it came out, and a little setback like this isn't going to stop me!
'Camila' starts with the current single from the album and the track that manages to blast into the Top 10 with a 22 place climb this week, 'Never Be The Same'. This track was released back in early December last year, and she performed it live for the first time way back in June, and I've loved it ever since I first heard it. She may have a slightly weak falsetto in the pre-chorus, but she more than makes up for it by putting on one of her strongest vocal performances in the chorus of this song.
It then follows into the shortest song on the album, 'All These Years'. This song was one of my favourite new tracks on the album when it was first released, and while I still love the song it has fallen slightly. The song details Camila's feelings when encountering an ex after not seeing them for a long time, showing that she still misses them "after all these years".
'She Loves Control' is, in my opinion, the catchiest song on the entire album. It made a surprise debut right at the bottom of the Top 40 this week, mostly due to strong streaming performance, and I can easily see why. The bassline on the chorus of this song goes really well with the beat, vocals and production of the song to just make me absolutely love the song. And I don't know why, but any song with similar guitar chords to this song always ends up being a song I adore. Specifically the chords used around the 2 minute mark.
The next song on the album is by far Camila's biggest hit to date, 'Havana'. Another extremely catchy song that will just get stuck in your head whenever you hear it, and another song that I absolutely love (you'll notice this become quite a common theme throughout this review). It is unique in that, with Young Thug's verse, it is the only song on the album to feature a guest artist, as her earlier collaboration with Quavo, 'OMG', was scrapped from the album.
'Inside Out' is another song that Camila performed live well before the album came out, with her first performing this song back in July, and it's another song that I've loved ever since I first heard it. The track is an extremely upbeat and very happy track that will be sure to lift your mood whenever you hear it. Camila also delivers beautiful Spanish lyrics on this song, and this is something that I honestly wish we'd heard more of on the album.
The next track, 'Consequences', is a low point on the album for me, and I use that term extremely loosely here because I still absolutely love the track. It's another track where Camila puts on a very impressive vocal display, though it is basically the polar opposite of 'Inside Out'. It's a much slower song detailing the "consequences" of being in love with a certain person, and is definitely one of the most tear-jerking songs on the album.
'Real Friends' is another tear-jerker and is one of my favourite songs on the album; it actually managed to be my favourite song of 2017 (tying with 'River' by Eminem), as well as my most streamed song of the year (tying with 'Bloodstream' by Ed Sheeran). It was first released in December 2017 alongside 'Never Be The Same' and immediately became my favourite of the two.
Completing a trio of tear-jerkers is 'Something's Gotta Give'. Another song that I absolutely adore, and a song that really surprised me with just how much I love it. I wasn't expecting it to be incredible when I first heard it (though I was still expecting to really like the track), since I'm usually not a fan of slower songs, but I really love the track. It builds up to be, in my opinion, Camila's strongest vocal performance to date towards the end of the song, and the piano track in the background really complements Camila's vocals and the theme of the song.
'In The Dark' is another low point on the album for me (again, using the term extremely loosely as I love the track). I really like the pre-chorus, but the actual chorus is slightly weaker for me, and may be my least favourite chorus on the album. The bridge towards the end of the song is one of Camila's weakest vocal performances for me, though the song is still very catchy and she does have some very good vocal performances in other parts of the song.
Closing off the album we have 'Into It'. This is another very catchy song, and is the perfect end to the album in my opinion. Not so long before this there was the trio of tear-jerkers, and while 'In The Dark' is slightly uplifting after those it's still not an extremely happy song, but 'Into It' just gets you back into a good mood as you finish the album. And of course, just like every other song on this album, I love it.
'Camila' is an absolutely incredible album, and she even managed to beat my very high expectations. My only gripe with the album? It's too short! Every song on the album may be amazing, but there are still only ten songs. I understand that Camila wants to do what she wants to do, and that this album completely reflects her and her experiences, but there are still a few songs that I would've liked to hear on the album, even if it was on a deluxe version. There are the three songs she released that ended up getting scrapped from the album: 'Crying In The Club', 'I Have Questions' and 'OMG', there's the song she sung as a part of the soundtrack for 'Bright': 'Crown' (and it isn't uncommon to see songs from movie soundtracks on deluxe versions of albums), and there's the song she wrote with Ed Sheeran, 'The Boy', which never ended up getting released at all. Adding those five tracks onto the end of the album in a deluxe edition would give the album a total of 15 tracks, which would be much more typical for an album.
Overall though, I'd still give this album a very strong 10/10, which makes it only the 2nd ever album to receive this score from me, following Ed Sheeran's 'x'. Even if there are only 10 tracks on the album, every single track is absolutely incredible, and that is an extremely difficult feat to pull off. It is close, but I do believe that this album has just overtaken 'x' to become my favourite album ever.
Track by track rating (from worst to best):
10) 'Consequences' (96/100)
9) 'In The Dark' (97/100)
8) 'Into It' (98/100)
7) 'Never Be The Same' (98/100)
6) 'Inside Out' (98/100)
5) 'All These Years' (99/100)
4) 'Something's Gotta Give' (100/100)
3) 'Havana' (100/100)
2) 'She Loves Control' (100/100)
1) 'Real Friends' (100/100)
Calum Pk7
hey Gameskiller, I really enjoyed reading this! my review is up too by the way, on the same page as yours! :)
Piran
It's incredible to hear that you think this could be your favourite album ever! That might not be the case for me, but it's certainly up there as one of the best I've heard in the past few years.
I just posted my review on this page & as you probably already knew, I think it's a wonderful pop record!
Good job with your analysis too! ;)
Piran
Congratulations to everyone involved with 'The Greatest Showman' soundtrack for a second week at #1, I'm still obsessed with it right now!
At the same time, I'm kind of disappointed that 'Camila' didn't debut at the top as it's even better, but I'm happy that it's her highest charting appearance on the albums chart.
I'll post a full review of 'Camila' probably next week, but my general summary of it for now would be...
- Best Songs: 'Real Friends', 'Inside Out, 'Havana' (ft Young Thug), 'Something's Gotta Give', 'In The Dark', 'Consequences', 'Into It'
- Worst Songs: 'She Loves Control'
- Rating: 9/10
Calum Pk7
Hey Piran, I really look forward to seeing your review next week! mine is up too by the way if youd like to see it, on the same page as this! :)
Piran
Hey Calum! :)
I've realised that, considering I'm posting it on Billboard tonight, I can just copy & paste it over onto this article, so it might be up way sooner than expected!
I can't wait to read your review, which I'll do after I've gone through my Disqus notifications.
They go back to Monday, so it might take a while, haha.
Calum Pk7
well, message me when your review is up and ill check it out! :)