Selena Gomez – Revival
Released: October 9, 2015
Rating: 70/100

The meticulously engineered Disney route to pop stardom is flat, predictable, and only occasionally ends someplace interesting. Miley Cyrus’ shockingly impressive Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz is a wild exception to the rule. Recent material from the current crop of post-Disney starlets (Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, etc.) has been largely unremarkable, despite their collective streak of wildly successful singles. As recovering music snob, I am always trying to keep an open mind and 2015 has already had a few delightful pop surprises (I’m looking at you Carly Rae Jepsen) so I decided to give Selena Gomez’s sophomore album a spin based on the strength of the lead single “Good For You”. A perfect summer single, “Good For You” is powerful, sexy and confidently understated. There is a palpable tension that lingers throughout the song and the lack of a…