Reason for Listening:
I randomly realized Selena Gomez just released this album.
I was about to go to sleep and suddenly came across information about Selena Gomez's new album release. I thought it was interesting because the album's release date is 20200110 and the album was on Spotify, but I was on the West Coast where the date was still 20200109. As such I started listening to the album. As I did so, I found it fascinating that the Wikipedia article was populated,* some of the songs on Genius.com, and three listings on Discogs.
Released 20201001.
13 songs. 41:53. Rare (2020)
13+5 songs. 41:53+17:07. Rare (Target)/(Japan)/(Deluxe International) (2020)
13+4 songs. 41:53+12:02. Rare (Deluxe) (2020)
Wikipedia
Discogs
*When I checked on 20200110 at 1 AM PT, or 9 AM UTC, the Wikipedia page said it was last edited on 20200110 at 6:38 AM UTC.
Notes:
--20200109-- & --20200110 AM--
First listen. Standard.
I love the change in pace at around the 40 second mark. ("Dance Again")
I'm not a fan of the "mmm-mmm" in this track.
I listened to this song not too long ago (20191118). I don't remember my thoughts on it. I do feel as if I like it more now than before. In particular, I like the sound of the idea "I needed to lose you to love me." ("Lose You to Love Me") [I gave the song the same rating I gave it here, a "1."]
I caught a glimpse of this song meaning something but I don't want to look into it. ("People You Know") ["We used to be close, but people can go | From people you know to people you don't."]
Oh wow. Unique sort of Egyptian or exotic Middle Eastern sound. ("Let Me Get Me")
This song bordered on being too repetitive. Well, enough to drop it down to a "-1" (slightly below average)
I like the general sound of this song. It has an ambient feel. It reminds me of "Bad Liar." ("Fun")
3: "Rare";
2: "Dance Again"; "Ring"; "Let Me Get Me"; "Cut You Off";
1: "Lose You to Love Me"; "Vulnerable"; "People You Know"; "Fun";
0: "Kinda Crazy"; "A Sweeter Place" (ft. Kid Cudi);
-1: "Look at Her Now"; "Crowded Room" (ft. 6LACK);
--20200110 AM-- & --20200110--
Second listen. Standard. [Blind to the above listen.]
I like the balance between her voice and the music. ("Rare")
I still don't like the "mmm-mmm." ("Look at Her Now")
This song is playful and reminds me of "Havana" ("Ring")
Actually I like the majority of this song. "Baby, it's just me and you | Baby, it's just me and you | Just us two | Even in a crowded room." I feel like I could have done without the rap verse. ("Crowded Room")
4: "Rare";
3: "Lose You to Love Me"; "Cut You Off";
2: "Dance Again"; "Ring"; "People You Know"; "Let Me Get Me"; "Fun";
1: "Vulnerable"; "Crowded Room" (ft. 6LACK);
0: "Look at Her Now"; "Kinda Crazy"; "A Sweeter Place" (ft. Kid Cudi);
Summary:
My thoughts on the album improved from the first to second listen. While this is generally the case, this album was different from most in that I couldn't help but immediately listen to the album a second time. Another remark is that I like the album's variety of songs. Despite not feeling the two tracks with guest artists all too much, I think this album has a lot of potential to be one of my favorite albums moving forward. For that reason, I think it's appropriate to give it a 5.0 out of 5.
Overall Rating: 5.0/5
Favorite Song: "Rare"
20200110 Comment:
The first single "Lose You to Love Me" peaked at #1 on the Hot 100 and is currently in the top 10 (week of 20200111). Selena Gomez's previous albums have peaked at #1 as well. I would expect Rare to best her previous solo album, Revival, at the total number of weeks on the Billboard 200 (currently at 69 weeks).
20200113 Comment:
I've listened to the album a couple more times. I find it interesting that I might enjoy some of the songs more than others, but I wouldn't necessarily be able to pick out any of the songs as being clear favorites. With that being said, "Crowded Room" is really growing on me and I think "Ring" was probably underrated. I should do another blind song rating. In any case, it's become clear that a 5.0 is too low for this album. I'm updating the rating straight to a 5.6.
Overall Rating: 5.6/5
Notes:
--20200117--
I've been listening to the album on repeat and felt as if I was slowly building a clearer view on what I thought about the album - really understanding it's intricacies. At one point I thought it would be fun to sort of listen to the album in a sort of ladder form where during each iteration I eliminate a song.
A: "Look At Her Now" - This song was absolutely the first to be eliminated. After multiple listens, I still couldn't get over the "mmm-mmm." I'm tempted to make an edit of the track that somehow omits or alters it.
B: "A Sweeter Place" - This song was the second to be eliminated. I'm not a fan of the featured artist's voice (Kid Cudi).
C: "Kinda Crazy" - This song seems to be the only remaining song which I feel neutral about.
I just realized she uses the word ring in two ways: jewelry ring and phone ring.
I next had trouble choosing between three songs: "Lose You To Love Me," "Vulnerable," and "People You Know."
D.A: "People You Know" - Relatively repetitive. The chorus contains the phrase "[...] people can go | From people you know to people you don't" four times and the chorus is repeated three times. The part of the phrase which goes "From people you to people you don't" is also used twice in the first post-chorus and four more times in the second post-chorus (at the end of the song). Finally there are two more usages of "People you don't." In short, the word "people" is used 50 times.
D.B: "Lose You To Love Me" - I don't like the repetition of "Love Me" in the background. Makes me interested in hearing an acoustic version of the song.
D.C: "Vulnerable" - This is a good song; to be fair all songs at this point ("Elimination D") on would be considered good. There are pauses which are appropriate for the song yet a cause for me to like the song less than the other songs yet to be eliminated.
At this point, I need to switch my thinking to choosing which songs I would want to eliminate the least. Alternatively, I could hold a tournament. For the tournament, I bring "Vulnerable" back for an 8th competitor.
They're seeded by guessing how I feel about them: "Crowded Room," "Dance Again," "Fun," Cut You Off," "Ring," "Rare," "Let Me Get Me," and "Vulnerable."
I really like the little instrumental section in "Cut You Off."
Two good dance beats. But I love dancing so I had a small preference towards "Dance Again" over "Let Me Get Me."
I pick "Fun" over "Dance Again" because "Fun" has a quicker intro.
I initially picked "Fun" over "Rare" in round 1, but they met in the finals of the Losers Bracket and I picked "Rare" over "Fun."
The results are - from best to worst - "Crowded Room," "Rare," "Fun," "Cut You Off," "Dance Again" & "Ring," "Let Me Get Me" & "Vulnerable."
I create another tournament with the above results as seeds.
The results are - from best to worst - "Crowded Room," "Rare," "Ring", "Fun," "Cut You Off" & "Dance Again", "Let Me Get Me" & "Vulnerable."
5: "Crowded Room" (ft. 6LACK);
4: "Rare";
3: "Ring"; "Fun";
2: "Dance Again"; "Let Me Get Me"; "Cut You Off";
1: "Lose You To Love Me"; "Vulnerable"; "People You Know";
0: "Kinda Crazy";
-1: "A Sweeter Place" (ft. Kid Cudi);
-2: "Look At Her Now";
Summary:
Rating the songs with the tournament surely has a way of messing things up. In some ways it acts like a stress test and reveals what I would think of various songs under repetition and thorough analysis.
Overall Rating: 5.4/5
Favorite Song: "Crowded Room" (ft. 6LACK)
20200122 Comment:
Rare was announced as officially making #1 on the Billboard 200 yesterday, but the charts didn't get changed on the website until today. In any case, it was a close one as the album was almost surpassed by the album that was previously holding #1, Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial (Roddy Ricch). 112,000 equivalent album units (56,000 streaming equivalent units, 53,000 album sales, and 3,000 track equivalent units) vs. 110,000 equivalent album units (107,000 streaming equivalent units, 1,000 album sales, and 2,000 track equivalent units).
Unfortunately, Eminem's new album release, Music to Be Murdered By, will mean that Rare's time at #1 will be short-lived. Though given the album's numbers, it's likely it would have fell regardless.
Note that at one point Selena Gomez asked her fans to stream or buy her album to help her get to #1. There was some backlash, but I think such backlash was uncalled for. It might be a non-traditional form of promotion, but I think any artist should be able to freely promote his/her work through social media and not have to be ashamed about asking fans to support him/her. After all, isn't that partially what social media is about? Furthermore, I don't see the difference between the artist personally asking for support and having a manager obtain the support through more indirect means of advertising.
It should also be mentioned that after Selena's call for help, Roddy Ricch tweeted "stream rare by selena gomez."
#1 on the Billboard 200 (Week of 20200125).
Last Week: - | Peak: 1 | Weeks on Chart: 1
20200128 Comment:
As predicted, Rare has dropped off from it's #1 position to #6. With that being said, the big drop is due to three new releases which debuted at #1 (Music to Be Murdered By), #2 (Manic), and #3. Without these releases, it would have just dropped to #3. Regardless, I personally love the album.
Notes:
--20201215--
Listen. Deluxe.
I randomly realized Selena Gomez just released this album.
I was about to go to sleep and suddenly came across information about Selena Gomez's new album release. I thought it was interesting because the album's release date is 20200110 and the album was on Spotify, but I was on the West Coast where the date was still 20200109. As such I started listening to the album. As I did so, I found it fascinating that the Wikipedia article was populated,* some of the songs on Genius.com, and three listings on Discogs.
 |
| Standard album cover. |
Released 20201001.
13 songs. 41:53. Rare (2020)
13+5 songs. 41:53+17:07. Rare (Target)/(Japan)/(Deluxe International) (2020)
13+4 songs. 41:53+12:02. Rare (Deluxe) (2020)
Wikipedia
Discogs
*When I checked on 20200110 at 1 AM PT, or 9 AM UTC, the Wikipedia page said it was last edited on 20200110 at 6:38 AM UTC.
Notes:
--20200109-- & --20200110 AM--
First listen. Standard.
I love the change in pace at around the 40 second mark. ("Dance Again")
I'm not a fan of the "mmm-mmm" in this track.
I listened to this song not too long ago (20191118). I don't remember my thoughts on it. I do feel as if I like it more now than before. In particular, I like the sound of the idea "I needed to lose you to love me." ("Lose You to Love Me") [I gave the song the same rating I gave it here, a "1."]
I caught a glimpse of this song meaning something but I don't want to look into it. ("People You Know") ["We used to be close, but people can go | From people you know to people you don't."]
Oh wow. Unique sort of Egyptian or exotic Middle Eastern sound. ("Let Me Get Me")
This song bordered on being too repetitive. Well, enough to drop it down to a "-1" (slightly below average)
I like the general sound of this song. It has an ambient feel. It reminds me of "Bad Liar." ("Fun")
3: "Rare";
2: "Dance Again"; "Ring"; "Let Me Get Me"; "Cut You Off";
1: "Lose You to Love Me"; "Vulnerable"; "People You Know"; "Fun";
0: "Kinda Crazy"; "A Sweeter Place" (ft. Kid Cudi);
-1: "Look at Her Now"; "Crowded Room" (ft. 6LACK);
--20200110 AM-- & --20200110--
Second listen. Standard. [Blind to the above listen.]
I like the balance between her voice and the music. ("Rare")
I still don't like the "mmm-mmm." ("Look at Her Now")
This song is playful and reminds me of "Havana" ("Ring")
Actually I like the majority of this song. "Baby, it's just me and you | Baby, it's just me and you | Just us two | Even in a crowded room." I feel like I could have done without the rap verse. ("Crowded Room")
4: "Rare";
3: "Lose You to Love Me"; "Cut You Off";
2: "Dance Again"; "Ring"; "People You Know"; "Let Me Get Me"; "Fun";
1: "Vulnerable"; "Crowded Room" (ft. 6LACK);
0: "Look at Her Now"; "Kinda Crazy"; "A Sweeter Place" (ft. Kid Cudi);
Summary:
My thoughts on the album improved from the first to second listen. While this is generally the case, this album was different from most in that I couldn't help but immediately listen to the album a second time. Another remark is that I like the album's variety of songs. Despite not feeling the two tracks with guest artists all too much, I think this album has a lot of potential to be one of my favorite albums moving forward. For that reason, I think it's appropriate to give it a 5.0 out of 5.
Overall Rating: 5.0/5
Favorite Song: "Rare"
 |
| Target, Japan, and Deluxe International album cover |
20200110 Comment:
The first single "Lose You to Love Me" peaked at #1 on the Hot 100 and is currently in the top 10 (week of 20200111). Selena Gomez's previous albums have peaked at #1 as well. I would expect Rare to best her previous solo album, Revival, at the total number of weeks on the Billboard 200 (currently at 69 weeks).
20200113 Comment:
I've listened to the album a couple more times. I find it interesting that I might enjoy some of the songs more than others, but I wouldn't necessarily be able to pick out any of the songs as being clear favorites. With that being said, "Crowded Room" is really growing on me and I think "Ring" was probably underrated. I should do another blind song rating. In any case, it's become clear that a 5.0 is too low for this album. I'm updating the rating straight to a 5.6.
Overall Rating: 5.6/5
Notes:
--20200117--
I've been listening to the album on repeat and felt as if I was slowly building a clearer view on what I thought about the album - really understanding it's intricacies. At one point I thought it would be fun to sort of listen to the album in a sort of ladder form where during each iteration I eliminate a song.
A: "Look At Her Now" - This song was absolutely the first to be eliminated. After multiple listens, I still couldn't get over the "mmm-mmm." I'm tempted to make an edit of the track that somehow omits or alters it.
B: "A Sweeter Place" - This song was the second to be eliminated. I'm not a fan of the featured artist's voice (Kid Cudi).
C: "Kinda Crazy" - This song seems to be the only remaining song which I feel neutral about.
I just realized she uses the word ring in two ways: jewelry ring and phone ring.
I next had trouble choosing between three songs: "Lose You To Love Me," "Vulnerable," and "People You Know."
D.A: "People You Know" - Relatively repetitive. The chorus contains the phrase "[...] people can go | From people you know to people you don't" four times and the chorus is repeated three times. The part of the phrase which goes "From people you to people you don't" is also used twice in the first post-chorus and four more times in the second post-chorus (at the end of the song). Finally there are two more usages of "People you don't." In short, the word "people" is used 50 times.
D.B: "Lose You To Love Me" - I don't like the repetition of "Love Me" in the background. Makes me interested in hearing an acoustic version of the song.
D.C: "Vulnerable" - This is a good song; to be fair all songs at this point ("Elimination D") on would be considered good. There are pauses which are appropriate for the song yet a cause for me to like the song less than the other songs yet to be eliminated.
At this point, I need to switch my thinking to choosing which songs I would want to eliminate the least. Alternatively, I could hold a tournament. For the tournament, I bring "Vulnerable" back for an 8th competitor.
They're seeded by guessing how I feel about them: "Crowded Room," "Dance Again," "Fun," Cut You Off," "Ring," "Rare," "Let Me Get Me," and "Vulnerable."
I really like the little instrumental section in "Cut You Off."
Two good dance beats. But I love dancing so I had a small preference towards "Dance Again" over "Let Me Get Me."
I pick "Fun" over "Dance Again" because "Fun" has a quicker intro.
I initially picked "Fun" over "Rare" in round 1, but they met in the finals of the Losers Bracket and I picked "Rare" over "Fun."
The results are - from best to worst - "Crowded Room," "Rare," "Fun," "Cut You Off," "Dance Again" & "Ring," "Let Me Get Me" & "Vulnerable."
I create another tournament with the above results as seeds.
The results are - from best to worst - "Crowded Room," "Rare," "Ring", "Fun," "Cut You Off" & "Dance Again", "Let Me Get Me" & "Vulnerable."
5: "Crowded Room" (ft. 6LACK);
4: "Rare";
3: "Ring"; "Fun";
2: "Dance Again"; "Let Me Get Me"; "Cut You Off";
1: "Lose You To Love Me"; "Vulnerable"; "People You Know";
0: "Kinda Crazy";
-1: "A Sweeter Place" (ft. Kid Cudi);
-2: "Look At Her Now";
Summary:
Rating the songs with the tournament surely has a way of messing things up. In some ways it acts like a stress test and reveals what I would think of various songs under repetition and thorough analysis.
Overall Rating: 5.4/5
Favorite Song: "Crowded Room" (ft. 6LACK)
20200122 Comment:
Rare was announced as officially making #1 on the Billboard 200 yesterday, but the charts didn't get changed on the website until today. In any case, it was a close one as the album was almost surpassed by the album that was previously holding #1, Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial (Roddy Ricch). 112,000 equivalent album units (56,000 streaming equivalent units, 53,000 album sales, and 3,000 track equivalent units) vs. 110,000 equivalent album units (107,000 streaming equivalent units, 1,000 album sales, and 2,000 track equivalent units).
Unfortunately, Eminem's new album release, Music to Be Murdered By, will mean that Rare's time at #1 will be short-lived. Though given the album's numbers, it's likely it would have fell regardless.
Note that at one point Selena Gomez asked her fans to stream or buy her album to help her get to #1. There was some backlash, but I think such backlash was uncalled for. It might be a non-traditional form of promotion, but I think any artist should be able to freely promote his/her work through social media and not have to be ashamed about asking fans to support him/her. After all, isn't that partially what social media is about? Furthermore, I don't see the difference between the artist personally asking for support and having a manager obtain the support through more indirect means of advertising.
It should also be mentioned that after Selena's call for help, Roddy Ricch tweeted "stream rare by selena gomez."
#1 on the Billboard 200 (Week of 20200125).
Last Week: - | Peak: 1 | Weeks on Chart: 1
20200128 Comment:
As predicted, Rare has dropped off from it's #1 position to #6. With that being said, the big drop is due to three new releases which debuted at #1 (Music to Be Murdered By), #2 (Manic), and #3. Without these releases, it would have just dropped to #3. Regardless, I personally love the album.
Notes:
--20201215--
Listen. Deluxe.
Date/Time
Friday, January 10, 2020
@
6:59 PM
No comments :