I fully expect hate on Twitter after my review of the album but here goes anyway.
"Top Down" is very reminiscent of "Fancy". It's a fantastic introduction to the album and I could definitely see this as a tour opener. One of the stronger songs on the album.
"This Is How We Roll" sounds like an Avicii/Black Eyed Peas crossover. Although I don't particularly appreciate them chasing the electronic dance route and some of the cringeworthy lyrics, I could see this being a radio hit with its electro-pop sound.
"Everlasting Love" shows Fifth Harmony in their element. The mid-tempo R&B track is one of the standouts for me, in particular Lauren's opening verse.
"Like Mariah" is a nice enough bop. It's a good album track. Tyga's verse adds nothing to the song.
"Reflection" is my personal favourite from the album. Dinah and Lauren's voices are suited to this type of music. I would also appreciate the track more without Camila's talking parts on the first verse, it works well live but not quite so much on the studio version.
"Suga Mama" doesn't really go anywhere. The repetitive chorus becomes grating after the third verse.
"We Know" is a track that sounded great during the Billboard session. However, the backing vocals on the verses let it down, sounding like a Glee cover of the song. It does improve towards the end notably with the harmonies and all. It unquestionably showcases their strong vocals, mainly Lauren who stands out in this track.
"Going Nowhere" is one of the stronger tracks, so it comes as a shock that it isn't deemed strong enough for standard edition. It is most definitely single worthy.
"Body Rock" is also very reminiscent of the Black Eyed Peas "Dirty Bit (Time Of My Life)". I'm not particularly fond of it but can appreciate for what it's worth - a deluxe track.
"Brave Honest Beautiful" is infectious with it's catchy yet cheesy lyrics. I do think, however, that Fifth Harmony are capable of pulling off this song without Meghan Trainor's unnecessary feature.
After listening to the album in full, the constant name dropping becomes tiresome as does the obsession with Instagram. This will substantially date the album in the future, especially the latter.
However, for a debut album, "Reflection" is a perfect introduction to Fifth Harmony and manages to deliver a range of different genres. They are still finding their feet and what sound works for them best. I am looking forward to see what they can pull out of the bag for their sophomore!
I love this album!!! I just finished my first streaming(on US Itunes which btw you should all be doing) and I'm really impressed. They delivered the goods and the solo distribution, production, and quality were on point! I'll make a list of my favs soon but Like Mariah is my #1 so far.
But why is MNEK shading JR Rotem for producing Like Mariah? Its not gonna make your productions or your associates any better. At least JR has produced Worldwide hits. He can stay in his local British lane. I admit, I did not expect the hate to come from their team, again it doesn't make them look any better. >:(
Gotta love and appreciate how each of the girls have their own moment in the album. Everlasting love however took me by surprise. Its RnB production is great and the vocals sound so clear. I also love how Normani pulled a Bootylicious on Brave Honest Beautiful in the beginning. ^_^
But why is MNEK shading JR Rotem for producing Like Mariah? Its not gonna make your productions or your associates any better. At least JR has produced Worldwide hits. He can stay in his local British lane. I admit, I did not expect the hate to come from their team, again it doesn't make them look any better. >:(
Except MNEK is a producer in his own right. He is not part of 'their' team.
You've waited 2 years for an album, appreciate it and stop going on about other acts.
Top Down- Jam, love the harmonized chorus. not a typical girl group tune
-the transition from top down to BO$$ was great, despite being completely different
(from sirens to horns)
Worth it- still a bop (my fav collab on the album)
This is how we roll- Love it, once again love the harmonized chorus, that bass drop gave me life and again not a typical girl group song. one of my favs
Everlasting love- Adore this song, definitely single worthy imo, so old school yet somehow current, vocals on point.
Like Mariah- Gets better each listen, great vocals, not my fav tho
Reflection- remains a feminist jam, prefer the live version but i really like the instrumental, julian needs to retire tho, dj flict could've done wonders
Suga Mama- so pleasantly surprised, i was not looking forward to hearing this song because of the title, but so pleased, amazing vocals, harmonies, old school vibe ( no scrubs and bills, bills, bills vibes)
We Know- Still one of my favs, those harmonies ^_^
Going nowhere- Still such a tune! Single worthy imo. that surprise whistle note and ad libs :cool:
Body Rock- good song, not my fav but for a deluxe album track its great! I really like the chorus and bridge a lot tho.
BHB- i was expecting a boring ballad and got a bop I wasn't ready for it
not my fav but a great deluxe track!
Solid Debut Album, catering to so many different people, couldn't ask for more
it's so interesting to see everyones review. Many things that some of you hated was what i loved the most lol.
Also, i'm glad there were no boring ballads like "over," would've ruined it imo. And i'm glad they didn't stick to just one genre, if they did we would've gotten either an album full of BO$$-like songs or Sledgehammer-like songs. Perfect blend.
Also, i like how it started with sirens and ended with sirens.
After listening through completely yesterday and again this morning I will say Top Down straight away sounded like it came straight from DK3 not a big fan of this one. My faves I think are Everlasting Love and Like Mariah (would like a future version without the Tyga verse though if i'm completely honest). Going Nowhere misses the punch that the backing track during the live version gives, but I still like it fine (a shame), Brave Honest and Beautiful is hella cheesy but it's a cute bop and a good way to end the Deluxe. I now see why Over didn't make the cut, but I wish it did because there is no real ballad. The slower songs are more slow jams-esque than a real ballad so I wish they had added that in or at least put in a new on. Agreed on the pop culture/name dropping overall I think it will date the album too fast but production wise i'm loving the beats. My only actual criticism is Camila's voice sometimes it stands out like a ton of bricks and is a bit grating (honestly I think it's actually overproduced it parts). It's a great overall album, not absolutely fantastic for me but it is a great solid overall package.
Im so disappointed at reflection studio version, how could they not notice that the live version sounded much better and replace the monotonous beat with real instruments? Ugh it was the song I was looking forward to hearing
It is so intriguing reading other forums and their opinions, there is A LOT of love for This is how we roll and I hate the song lol. Seems the consensus though is "Like Mariah" being an obvious choice as a single and I kinda hope it isn't one.
Except MNEK is a producer in his own right. He is not part of 'their' team.
You've waited 2 years for an album, appreciate it and stop going on about other acts.
Regardless he should not be shading people who have had been in the Industry for years and have worked with some of big names and gave them hits! It doesn't really matter because the man who made Mariah a star, Jermaine Dupri, has given his seal of approval which means much more than what a basic producer from Britian thinks. Plus Mariah herself has retweeted tweets about the song so that deflates any value his opinion had
I hope LM doesn't work with him on their fourth album, they should stay away from MNEK.
Everlasting Love is just great, some of the songs have really grown on me over the past day!
It is so intriguing reading other forums and their opinions, there is A LOT of love for This is how we roll and I hate the song lol. Seems the consensus though is "Like Mariah" being an obvious choice as a single and I kinda hope it isn't one.
I feel like Like Mariah is the catchiest song though. It has that Bo$$ effect of being a little irritating but it is one of the more memorable songs on the albums. That said, it might not make the best single, it's very Mariah-sounding and Tyga truly does add nothing.
I agree Ally really got an opportunity to shine on the album. I feel that sometimes in the past her voice can be theatrical, but her voice showed incredible versatility on the album and kind of suited/adapted itself to almost every song.
I agree with Melissa that Camila's vocals can be a little grating, but it's more to do with her tone and when she belts. However, her lowest register is very sultry and something I really enjoy!
I do agree that Tyga doesn't add anything to Like Mariah. His verse needed a little more punch to it! With that being said the more RNB tracks are my favourite on the album and it is a definitely genre they sound best on.
Regardless he should not be shading people who have had been in the Industry for years and have worked with some of big names and gave them hits! It doesn't really matter because the man who made Mariah a star, Jermaine Dupri, has given his seal of approval which means much more than what a basic producer from Britian thinks. Plus Mariah herself has retweeted tweets about the song so that deflates any value his opinion had
I hope LM doesn't work with him on their fourth album, they should stay away from MNEK.
What is the need to bring LM into it though? A number of you on here will use any excuse.
Regardless he should not be shading people who have had been in the Industry for years and have worked with some of big names and gave them hits! It doesn't really matter because the man who made Mariah a star, Jermaine Dupri, has given his seal of approval which means much more than what a basic producer from Britian thinks. Plus Mariah herself has retweeted tweets about the song so that deflates any value his opinion had
I hope LM doesn't work with him on their fourth album, they should stay away from MNEK.
It feels like his biggest issues is the number of producers on the song, clearly he just feels like you can tell all these brains have been a part of it. So he just must be more of a solo producer than a collaborator when it comes to his productions. I don't think his rant on this will change LM (or really a lot of artists) opinions on whether or not they work with him in the future- although for the record they already have for album 3 a little while back- but like a broken record reiterating others here idk why it even needed to be brought up. I doubt he is the only person in the world who has heard the song and isn't a fan. Is it just because of his association with a certain other group? because he is a producer in his own right? or because he ranted on twitter, and has more than 100 odd followers?!
Regardless he should not be shading people who have had been in the Industry for years and have worked with some of big names and gave them hits! It doesn't really matter because the man who made Mariah a star, Jermaine Dupri, has given his seal of approval which means much more than what a basic producer from Britian thinks. Plus Mariah herself has retweeted tweets about the song so that deflates any value his opinion had
I just think it's amusing that he didn't do his research before he posted those comments, more than half the producers on "like Mariah" only got credit because of "always be my baby," anyone who notices that Mariah Carey's name is on the credits would realize that.
How did he even hear the song, it was literally the first day of the stream when he posted those comments As long as Jermaine and mariah are on board i could care less.
I agree Ally really got an opportunity to shine on the album. I feel that sometimes in the past her voice can be theatrical, but her voice showed incredible versatility on the album and kind of suited/adapted itself to almost every song.
I agree with Melissa that Camila's vocals can be a little grating, but it's more to do with her tone and when she belts. However, her lowest register is very sultry and something I really enjoy!
I do agree that Tyga doesn't add anything to Like Mariah. His verse needed a little more punch to it! With that being said the more RNB tracks are my favourite on the album and it is a definitely genre they sound best on.
I agree about Ally, her theatricality comes across soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much more in live performances but it's obviously toned back (for lack of a better phrase) in studio. I wish there was more Lauren, but that is just a personal preference. (Agree with you also about Tyga, I think Kid Ink's verse is better, but I would've been fine without either.....I kinda wish that instead of Tyga they would've been able to Jermaine Dupri to feature but $$$$$ so yeah.....)
I was reading in another forum from one person (who made a good point) that although A LOT of people have an issue with being considered the "main voice" of 5H that it should be looked at from a different perspective. She carries so much of this album (getting solo verses, and the main on Choruses and/or bridges) that it maybe should've been distributed a little better so that her vocals don't suffer after numerous live performances. It was noted that during the earlier versions of Going Nowhere, in a separate post (for example) she was clearly singing those choruses basically solo but after being hospitalized with exhaustion it became more and more a group moment (not entirely but more than in the beginning). They need to be careful with how the plan out their tour sets so she can get some breaks every once and a while not to over work herself (might not be entirely possible) OR during the tour they may just distribute some of her vocals to the others so as to keep her from burning out. She is the youngest of the group and probably the most susceptible to burn out, but I hope they manage all of it properly so as to not kill the buzz as time goes on.
I've come around to Reflection (song), I think it's one of my faves now and my album will finally come through in 4 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #SitYourselfDown
edit: I know that hashtag has nothing to do with the song lol I just wanted to use it....
I've seen many people complaining about the quality of the album, those same people are the ones listening to a tumblr rip off, what exactly do you expect? Also the quality of the iTunes stream is obviously not the best, the actual album will be much more clear.
Everyone will have their biases regarding this album, whether it be positive or negative.
I agree about Ally, her theatricality comes across soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much more in live performances but it's obviously toned back (for lack of a better phrase) in studio. I wish there was more Lauren, but that is just a personal preference. (Agree with you also about Tyga, I think Kid Ink's verse is better, but I would've been fine without either.....I kinda wish that instead of Tyga they would've been able to Jermaine Dupri to feature but $$$$$ so yeah.....)
I was reading in another forum from one person (who made a good point) that although A LOT of people have an issue with being considered the "main voice" of 5H that it should be looked at from a different perspective. She carries so much of this album (getting solo verses, and the main on Choruses and/or bridges) that it maybe should've been distributed a little better so that her vocals don't suffer after numerous live performances. It was noted that during the earlier versions of Going Nowhere, in a separate post (for example) she was clearly singing those choruses basically solo but after being hospitalized with exhaustion it became more and more a group moment (not entirely but more than in the beginning). They need to be careful with how the plan out their tour sets so she can get some breaks every once and a while not to over work herself (might not be entirely possible) OR during the tour they may just distribute some of her vocals to the others so as to keep her from burning out. She is the youngest of the group and probably the most susceptible to burn out, but I hope they manage all of it properly so as to not kill the buzz as time goes on.
I honestly believe every group has a, for a lack of a better word, "star" or "leader." I surprisingly was pleased with solo distribution, but i honestly think Camilas voice is just super versatile, she can make any song fit her voice.
Also, i think camila going to the hospital had very little to do with solos, fans might think these girls slack off and take loads of breaks, but honestly they're one of the hardest working girls, they rarely get breaks imo. The day camila was hospitalized, Ally was very unwell too, so we'll never really know what was going on. Emotional stress is just as bad as physical stress. Also Dinah is the youngest.
I honestly believe every group has a, for a lack of a better word, "star" or "leader." I surprisingly was pleased with solo distribution, but i honestly think Camilas voice is just super versatile, she can make any song fit her voice.
Also, i think camila going to the hospital had very little to do with solos, fans might think these girls slack off and take loads of breaks, but honestly they're one of the hardest working girls, they rarely get breaks imo. The day camila was hospitalized, Ally was very unwell too, so we'll never really know what was going on. Emotional stress is just as bad as physical stress. Also Dinah is the youngest.
I'm not entirely sure you got what I meant and just picked out one bit of what was said. I didn't mean because of her solos Camila went to hospital, emotional stress can cause physical stress (and vice versa) sometimes the constant work is what causes one or the other and causes a chain effect. I just hope during this tour and everything from this era their downtime etc is managed better.
I don't get why fans think they are (or were) slacking off, they were basically non stop from the NLT onwards, so they deserved all that time to themselves over xmas/earlier this year (I assume that's what they are complaining about), they are young and not a damn disney product so the relentless schedule should equal them getting a decent break for themselves. All I meant in regards to what I was talking about was because of the heavy load (vocally) Camila has on the album it could catch up to her (vocals wearing thin, stress on her vocal cords etc) and hopefully if she is gonna maintain that heavy load during the tour, they have a set list that gives her a small break here and there OR like I said they may just redistribute some of her mains (more during choruses or bridges, pre-chorus than her solo verses)- granted if they do this then there is no reason it could've been distributed this way on the album.
I've seen many people complaining about the quality of the album, those same people are the ones listening to a tumblr rip off, what exactly do you expect? Also the quality of the iTunes stream is obviously not the best, the actual album will be much more clear.
Everyone will have their biases regarding this album, whether it be positive or negative.
lmao I always find that amusing, when they are listening to a rip off iTunes damn radio (so the rip is of shit quality) and complain
Comments
so happy we finally are getting an album
"Top Down" is very reminiscent of "Fancy". It's a fantastic introduction to the album and I could definitely see this as a tour opener. One of the stronger songs on the album.
"This Is How We Roll" sounds like an Avicii/Black Eyed Peas crossover. Although I don't particularly appreciate them chasing the electronic dance route and some of the cringeworthy lyrics, I could see this being a radio hit with its electro-pop sound.
"Everlasting Love" shows Fifth Harmony in their element. The mid-tempo R&B track is one of the standouts for me, in particular Lauren's opening verse.
"Like Mariah" is a nice enough bop. It's a good album track. Tyga's verse adds nothing to the song.
"Reflection" is my personal favourite from the album. Dinah and Lauren's voices are suited to this type of music. I would also appreciate the track more without Camila's talking parts on the first verse, it works well live but not quite so much on the studio version.
"Suga Mama" doesn't really go anywhere. The repetitive chorus becomes grating after the third verse.
"We Know" is a track that sounded great during the Billboard session. However, the backing vocals on the verses let it down, sounding like a Glee cover of the song. It does improve towards the end notably with the harmonies and all. It unquestionably showcases their strong vocals, mainly Lauren who stands out in this track.
"Going Nowhere" is one of the stronger tracks, so it comes as a shock that it isn't deemed strong enough for standard edition. It is most definitely single worthy.
"Body Rock" is also very reminiscent of the Black Eyed Peas "Dirty Bit (Time Of My Life)". I'm not particularly fond of it but can appreciate for what it's worth - a deluxe track.
"Brave Honest Beautiful" is infectious with it's catchy yet cheesy lyrics. I do think, however, that Fifth Harmony are capable of pulling off this song without Meghan Trainor's unnecessary feature.
After listening to the album in full, the constant name dropping becomes tiresome as does the obsession with Instagram. This will substantially date the album in the future, especially the latter.
However, for a debut album, "Reflection" is a perfect introduction to Fifth Harmony and manages to deliver a range of different genres. They are still finding their feet and what sound works for them best. I am looking forward to see what they can pull out of the bag for their sophomore!
But why is MNEK shading JR Rotem for producing Like Mariah? Its not gonna make your productions or your associates any better. At least JR has produced Worldwide hits. He can stay in his local British lane. I admit, I did not expect the hate to come from their team, again it doesn't make them look any better. >:(
Gotta love and appreciate how each of the girls have their own moment in the album. Everlasting love however took me by surprise. Its RnB production is great and the vocals sound so clear. I also love how Normani pulled a Bootylicious on Brave Honest Beautiful in the beginning. ^_^
Except MNEK is a producer in his own right. He is not part of 'their' team.
You've waited 2 years for an album, appreciate it and stop going on about other acts.
Top Down- Jam, love the harmonized chorus. not a typical girl group tune
-the transition from top down to BO$$ was great, despite being completely different
(from sirens to horns)
Worth it- still a bop (my fav collab on the album)
This is how we roll- Love it, once again love the harmonized chorus, that bass drop gave me life and again not a typical girl group song. one of my favs
Everlasting love- Adore this song, definitely single worthy imo, so old school yet somehow current, vocals on point.
Like Mariah- Gets better each listen, great vocals, not my fav tho
Reflection- remains a feminist jam, prefer the live version but i really like the instrumental, julian needs to retire tho, dj flict could've done wonders
Suga Mama- so pleasantly surprised, i was not looking forward to hearing this song because of the title, but
We Know- Still one of my favs, those harmonies ^_^
Going nowhere- Still such a tune! Single worthy imo. that surprise whistle note and ad libs :cool:
Body Rock- good song, not my fav but for a deluxe album track its great! I really like the chorus and bridge a lot tho.
BHB- i was expecting a boring ballad and got a bop
not my fav but a great deluxe track!
Solid Debut Album, catering to so many different people, couldn't ask for more
Also, i'm glad there were no boring ballads like "over," would've ruined it imo. And i'm glad they didn't stick to just one genre, if they did we would've gotten either an album full of BO$$-like songs or Sledgehammer-like songs. Perfect blend.
Also, i like how it started with sirens and ended with sirens.
Regardless he should not be shading people who have had been in the Industry for years and have worked with some of big names and gave them hits! It doesn't really matter because the man who made Mariah a star, Jermaine Dupri, has given his seal of approval which means much more than what a basic producer from Britian thinks. Plus Mariah herself has retweeted tweets about the song so that deflates any value his opinion had
I hope LM doesn't work with him on their fourth album, they should stay away from MNEK.
Everlasting Love is just great, some of the songs have really grown on me over the past day!
These girls brought it! So surprised..
Reflection has been on repeat 15x now at least and Going Nowhere. Lauren's verse just gets me.
Allys verse is so playful and flirty. Okay girl.
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
They don't make 'em quite like you
No no ooh ooh ooh
It ain't braggin' if you know it's trueee 🎶
How was Top Down not a single though? Camila's vocals can be so grating sometimes though.
Lauren's beautiful tone was neglected throughout the album. She is the ultimate girl crush.
60 - 80K? Or more? Sledgehammer is a Top 40/30 hit so that should help the album.
I'm sure they have some performances lined up next week too.
I feel like Like Mariah is the catchiest song though. It has that Bo$$ effect of being a little irritating but it is one of the more memorable songs on the albums. That said, it might not make the best single, it's very Mariah-sounding and Tyga truly does add nothing.
I agree with Melissa that Camila's vocals can be a little grating, but it's more to do with her tone and when she belts. However, her lowest register is very sultry and something I really enjoy!
I do agree that Tyga doesn't add anything to Like Mariah. His verse needed a little more punch to it! With that being said the more RNB tracks are my favourite on the album and it is a definitely genre they sound best on.
What is the need to bring LM into it though? A number of you on here will use any excuse.
It feels like his biggest issues is the number of producers on the song, clearly he just feels like you can tell all these brains have been a part of it. So he just must be more of a solo producer than a collaborator when it comes to his productions. I don't think his rant on this will change LM (or really a lot of artists) opinions on whether or not they work with him in the future- although for the record they already have for album 3 a little while back- but like a broken record reiterating others here idk why it even needed to be brought up. I doubt he is the only person in the world who has heard the song and isn't a fan. Is it just because of his association with a certain other group? because he is a producer in his own right? or because he ranted on twitter, and has more than 100 odd followers?!
I just think it's amusing that he didn't do his research before he posted those comments, more than half the producers on "like Mariah" only got credit because of "always be my baby," anyone who notices that Mariah Carey's name is on the credits would realize that.
How did he even hear the song, it was literally the first day of the stream when he posted those comments
I agree about Ally, her theatricality comes across soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much more in live performances but it's obviously toned back (for lack of a better phrase) in studio. I wish there was more Lauren, but that is just a personal preference. (Agree with you also about Tyga, I think Kid Ink's verse is better, but I would've been fine without either.....I kinda wish that instead of Tyga they would've been able to Jermaine Dupri to feature but $$$$$ so yeah.....)
I was reading in another forum from one person (who made a good point) that although A LOT of people have an issue with being considered the "main voice" of 5H that it should be looked at from a different perspective. She carries so much of this album (getting solo verses, and the main on Choruses and/or bridges) that it maybe should've been distributed a little better so that her vocals don't suffer after numerous live performances. It was noted that during the earlier versions of Going Nowhere, in a separate post (for example) she was clearly singing those choruses basically solo but after being hospitalized with exhaustion it became more and more a group moment (not entirely but more than in the beginning). They need to be careful with how the plan out their tour sets so she can get some breaks every once and a while not to over work herself (might not be entirely possible) OR during the tour they may just distribute some of her vocals to the others so as to keep her from burning out. She is the youngest of the group and probably the most susceptible to burn out, but I hope they manage all of it properly so as to not kill the buzz as time goes on.
edit: I know that hashtag has nothing to do with the song lol I just wanted to use it....
Everyone will have their biases regarding this album, whether it be positive or negative.
I honestly believe every group has a, for a lack of a better word, "star" or "leader." I surprisingly was pleased with solo distribution, but i honestly think Camilas voice is just super versatile, she can make any song fit her voice.
Also, i think camila going to the hospital had very little to do with solos, fans might think these girls slack off and take loads of breaks, but honestly they're one of the hardest working girls, they rarely get breaks imo. The day camila was hospitalized, Ally was very unwell too, so we'll never really know what was going on. Emotional stress is just as bad as physical stress. Also Dinah is the youngest.
I'm not entirely sure you got what I meant and just picked out one bit of what was said. I didn't mean because of her solos Camila went to hospital, emotional stress can cause physical stress (and vice versa) sometimes the constant work is what causes one or the other and causes a chain effect. I just hope during this tour and everything from this era their downtime etc is managed better.
I don't get why fans think they are (or were) slacking off, they were basically non stop from the NLT onwards, so they deserved all that time to themselves over xmas/earlier this year (I assume that's what they are complaining about), they are young and not a damn disney product so the relentless schedule should equal them getting a decent break for themselves. All I meant in regards to what I was talking about was because of the heavy load (vocally) Camila has on the album it could catch up to her (vocals wearing thin, stress on her vocal cords etc) and hopefully if she is gonna maintain that heavy load during the tour, they have a set list that gives her a small break here and there OR like I said they may just redistribute some of her mains (more during choruses or bridges, pre-chorus than her solo verses)- granted if they do this then there is no reason it could've been distributed this way on the album.
My bad on the age thing though...
lmao I always find that amusing, when they are listening to a rip off iTunes damn radio (so the rip is of shit quality) and complain