Review: Selena Gomez & The Scene - Kiss & Tell

Posted by | Posted in , | Posted on Monday, May 10, 2010

American rock pop band Selena Gomez & The Scene, whos lead singer is Selena Gomez of Disneys Wizards of Waverly Place fame, released their debut album in the UK on 19th April 2010. After the success of the lead single 'Naturally' in the UK, reaching number 7, the album entered the UK album charts at number 12 - a fairly commendable placing for a new and largely un-promoted band in the UK. The album steers towards the teen rock theme fairly heavily but sets a good footing for forming a future fan base.


1. Kiss & Tell - The albums title track, this starts things off upbeat and funky. Selenas vocals are strong and production values are high. The verses are almost chanted in a very high-school sounding way and the chorus is catchy and loud. The drum beats are also fun and contributes to the chanting style of the vocal delivery. I'd like to see this a future single as it's one of the albums highlights for sure. 8/10

2. I Won't Apologise - The opening to this track almost sounds like it could belong to Kelly Clarkson, which isn't particularly a bad thing but also sounds a little too familiar. The typical teen rock formula is followed here which should keep the main target audience listening. Whilst there is nothing new or revolutionary to be found here, it makes for a pleasent listen none the less and Selena has writing credits on this track, making it sound a little more personal. 6/10

3. Falling Down - This was the albums lead single in the US. It has a similar sound to Kiss & Tell, with almost chanty styled verses. The chorus is strong although not overly catchy, but well produced. This track wasn't a major success overseas and the team probably made a good choice not to release this as the lead single in the UK and Europe. Selena delivers some great sounding vocals on this track though and it is still one of the records better moments. 7/10

4. I Promise You - Things are slowed down a little for a rocky balad with this track. Out comes the teen rock pop formula again, and whilst the guitar riffs are pleasing the theme of the track treads over the typical "girl in love" theme. The vocals aren't overly exciting and all in all the track plods along at a decent pace but doesn't get anywhere at the end. 4/10

5. Crush - Attitude and teen defiance seep all over this track. The problem is that the attitude sounds a little forced and Selena sounds a little bored pulling it off. The chorus is particularly dull and the track is only pulled up slightly by the marginally better verses. The track is guitar heavy to attempt to add to the attitude yet unfortunately there is nothing here which sticks in your head, is particularly memorable or catchy and after initial listens becomes very skippable. 3/10

6. Naturally - The album takes a completely different direction with this track and I only wish there was more of this to be found. Naturally is a rocky, electro-pop stomper which stands high above the other tracks in terms of quality, production and replayability. This was the UK lead single for the album and has been met with fairly decent success, reaching number 7 in the UK singles charts. The production and effects found here are similar to what can be found in Miley Cyrus' later tracks, which have also been her more successful. Selenas vocals are distinctive and theres even some love towards the other members of the band who provide backing vocals. Catchy, upbeat and almost anthemic this is the direction I hope the band sticks with as I'd love to hear more. 10/10

7. The Way I loved You - Just as things really kicked off with the previous joy to the ears, the pace of the album flops back down again with another ballad. This track sound incredibly Disney, incredibly teen and unfortunately, incredibly borning. Production is kept to a low to try and provide intimacy for the track but Selena doesn't really have the voice, the passion or the experience to pull it off. Even with the violins, pianos, cymbal crashes and guitar buildups, the result is a resounding no. Let me skip back to Naturally please... 1/10

8. More - The electro rock theme is revived a little here but not quite to the epicness of Naturally. The track is interesting if a little jumbled sounding. By the time the chorus kicks in second time around you can get a feel for the track but it is rather unrelatable with regards to the lyrics. Then just as you get into the track, it suddenly finishes. 6/10

9. As A Blonde - Back to the rockier sounding material with this one. As A Blonde should have been on the first half of the album to keep the pace going, as there is a chance listeners may have given up by now. Funky, catchy, noisy and extremely fun sounding, this track sounds a bit Avril Lavigne, a bit Demi Lovato and a bit Miley Cryus - however it is a cover of a Fefe Dobson track. The pace is carried by the strong guitar riffs and Selenas more convincing sounding vocals to provide attitude. After the middle eight slows things down a little, theres a key change and the track smashes its way to its final seconds. 9/10

10. I Don't Miss You At All - The last forray into the electro rock genre, this sounds extremely like something The Veronicas would pull out the bag. Upbeat and full of claps and synths, this is more of what Selena seems to do best, if only they did it more often. Selena sounds sincere in her delivery of the vocals and creates an effective upbeat break-up tune. 8/10

11. Stop & Erase - Another teen sounding rock track here, but decent enough to stand out. The chorus is catchy but Selenas vocals sound a little overpowered by the production and backing vocals. A lot of the same attitude and production that has been heard in the earlier tracks can be found here which detracts from the song which is a shame as it's one of the better teen rock sounding tracks on offer on the album. 6/10

12. I Got You - Mellow pop rock can describe this track. The verses are nothing to get excited about but the chorus is very pleasent and winds down the album nicely. Again, no fancy production here just guitars, drums and vocals. Selena even manages to sound a little like Joss Stone towards the end of the track, although that may be the over-powering backing vocalists again. 5/10

13.  Tell Me Something I Don't Know - This was originally recorded for the soundtrack for Disneys' Another Cinderalla Story in which Selena Gomez stars. For this album version though, the track has been re-worked to fit with the albums "sound" more. The track is a bit boring, has been heard before and tacked onto the end of the album. There is a little solo from one of the band members though, which is nice to hear. The track isn't particularly rocky, isn't really electro and falls into the forgettable pop category. A bit of a un-needed addition. 4/10

Overall rating: 6.5/10
An album which may just suffer from the band trying to find their feet in the industry, a lot of the tracks follow the same formula which gets a bit repetitive and dull. There are some incredibly fun moments to be found though, and Naturally is one of my tracks of the year. Depending on where you picked up your copy of the album you will get a remix to either Falling Down or Naturally, both are pretty decent but the Naturally remix stands out for me. Selena provides some great vocals and has potential to carve a pop career for herself similar to Miley Cyrus, she justs need to experiment a bit more with genres next time. Hint...more of the electro pop goodness of Naturally please!