Revival is Selena Gomez's second studio album that was released on October 9, 2015 by Interscope and Polydor Records.
Tracklisting
- Revival 4:06
- Kill Em With Kindness 3:38
- Hands To Myself 3:21
- Same Old Love 3:49
- Sober 3:15
- Good For You (featuring ASAP Rocky) 3:41
- Camouflage 4:09
- Me & The Rhythm 3:33
- Survivors 3:42
- Body Heat 3:28
- Rise 2:47
- Me & My Girls 3:31
- Nobody 3:37
- Perfect 4:03
- Outta My Hands (Loco) 3:32
- Cologne 3:53
Album Background
In July 2013, Selena Gomez released her debut solo album, "Stars Dance". The album was well received commercially, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200.
Gomez embarked on the Stars Dance Tour later that year, which was set to cross several continents, including dates in Asia and Oceania; however, these concerts wouldn't materialize as she cancelled the remainder of the tour in late 2013, citing personal reasons, saying: "It has become clear to me and those close to me that after many years of putting my work first, I need to spend some time on myself in order to be the best person I can be."
Gomez entered a rehab treatment facility for her lupus diagnosis in May 2014.
Publications began to speculate Gomez's intent in fulfilling contractual obligations by releasing a final compilation album for her longtime label, Hollywood Records. Later reports published in September suggested that she had secured a new recording contract with Interscope chairman John Janick.
At that time, Gomez had already sold around 2.8 million albums and 18.1 million singles in the United States (including three studio albums with her band, Selena Gomez & the Scene).
In November 2014, Gomez captioned an Instagram post with: "As I have a last listen, I thought a lot about my year. I thought a lot about my voice. And after a year of holding on. I think it's time to start sharing."
Gomez later released her compilation album "For You" representing her final project with Hollywood Records as Gomez officially announced her change in labels the following month.
After performing its lead single "The Heart Wants What it Wants" at the 2014 American Music Awards, she revealed that she had begun work on her next studio album.
She cited the single as a reference point, stating: "It’s exciting for me to start off with something like [it]. And then start leading into writing about all the other things that are going on in my life and have gone on in the past year or so. Even if it’s things that people may not necessarily know about. So I’m excited to kind of put more of my heart and soul into the next chapter of music."
During that same month, Gomez commented that she had been recording new music, and suggested a possible partnership with producer and disc jockey Zedd.
On February 23, 2015, a collaboration between Gomez and Zedd, "I Want You to Know" was released.
=Development
Recording
Composition
Chart Performance
"Revival" debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, earning 117,000 album-equivalent units during its first week (of which 85,000 were pure album sales).
It was certified platinum by the RIAA for combined album sales, on-demand audio, video streams and track-sale equivalent of 1,000,000 units. As of May 2017, the album has sold 413,000 copies in the United States.
Critical Reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, "Revival" received an average score of 74, based on 9 reviews.
Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos stated that "Revival is an audacious name for a 23-year-old singer's second album, but from start to finish, Gomez earns it," noting that "[t]his is the sound of a newly empowered pop artist growing into her strengths like never before."
Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine was very receptive, noting that "[s]ong for song, 'Revival' rivals Carly Rae Jepsen's 'Emotion' for breakout pop album of the year, but if it similarly falls short of greatness, it's due in large part to a lack of originality. [...] And yet, all of those songs are standouts."
James Reed from Boston Globe opined that Revival is " a forthright album of pop songs that make it clear she is ready to be honest and even vulnerable in her music."
Mike Wass of Idolator agreed, calling it "an immaculately curated collection that showcases the 23-year-old's ability to genre-hop and experiment, while staying true to herself."
Steve Knopper from Newsday applauded Gomez for sounding "appealingly desperate and hungry, and this quality transcends the most familiar-sounding material," adding: "Something in Selena Gomez's pop formula is nicely soft-spoken and mysterious."
Mikael Wood from the Los Angeles Times praised the album for being "surprisingly modest, from its midtempo pacing to its thoughtful introspection," acknowledging the fact that "Gomez is finding freedom in control, kudos to her for getting there so quickly."
Writing for USA Today, Elysa Gardner noted that the album "is generally at its best when Gomez keeps her tone light and bright and her energy positive. [...] At this rate, Gomez is bound to get at least a few skeptics off of Instagram and onto the dance floor."
Tim Stack wrote for Entertainment Weekly that "[o]n her fifth album Gomez goes for mood-setting, and the result is "a gripping batch of sultry pop jams that are more 'Netflix and chill,' less 'Let's hit the curb,'" claiming that it is "as fresh and forward-thinking as the music of indie darlings Tove Lo and FKA twigs."
Christina Jaleru of The Washington Times was positive, commending it for "breez[ing] through to the finish line – the dance floor -with 11 nearly impeccable tracks that skip from the 1960s to the ‘80s to right this minute."
While seeing some "generecism" on the album, Jia Tolentino of Spin highlighted that "[a]t its high points, 'Revival' is marked by this lush, sphinx-like readiness: as if, after a decade and a half of being nonstop front and center, Gomez has finally figured out what it means to center herself."
Katherine St. Asaph of Time emphasized that "[w]here she falters most is what 'Revival' is ostensibly about: bratty confidence," noticing that "[m]usically, though, Revival is most interesting when it’s still in the cocoon."
Tim Sendra from AllMusic gave the album a mixed review, writing that "[Revival] makes for a solid pop album overall, but it's a little too formulaic and predictable to rate among her best work."
Emily Mackay of The Observer also gave the album a mixed review, perceiving that "[t]he most surprising thing about Revival is its understatement, despite the hit-making co-writers."