This is the third full-length studio album from Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes, who you may recognize from his variety of hits, such as “Stitches,” “Treat You Better” and “Mercy.” I’ve covered both of his previous albums on this blog, as well, with his 2015 debut album “Handwritten” and his 2016 follow-up “Illuminate.” Though he didn’t really release too much new material in 2017 on account of him being on his Illuminate World Tour, he did release the big single “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” a song that hit #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, finished at #23 on the Year-End Hot 100, was considered by some critics to be one of the better pop singles of the year, and received so much praise that Island Records tried to “sneak” it on the reissue of “Illuminate” by not so subtly making it the very first track. Nice try, Island. Anyway, he didn’t slow up to begin 2018, releasing singles like “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan” to kick off the year.
Now, as you know, I personally enjoyed both of Shawn’s previous projects, and I have been looking forward to this new album since a lot of people were saying that it’s a more intimate and different album from Shawn’s other work. However, I don’t really know entirely what to expect, as I haven’t gotten enough time to really sit down and enjoy the first few singles. I’ve given “In My Blood” and “Lost In Japan” a listen or two and I remember enjoying them, but I haven’t returned to them too much because other music has taken up my time. But now that this new record is upon us, it’s time to focus in on it and see if it’s worth the early praise it’s getting.
In My Blood: Right from the start, we’re getting heavy here, as Shawn talks to us about his anxiety. That’s definitely a welcome reprieve from the love ballads on his previous album (not that those ballads were bad, it’s just nice to see him trying something different). It’s got a very pounding drum beat and a very arena-rock kind of feel. Though it’s not as fast-paced, I think it’s to Shawn what “Castle on the Hill” was to Ed Sheeran. Maybe that’ll help out. But I love Shawn’s very passionate vocals on this one, and I think it mixes nicely between being light and booming. Really digging this track, good start to the album.
Nervous: Right here, we are back to the love songs, and Shawn talks about the butterflies one gets when they are near someone they have a crush on, something I’m sure a number of us have felt. I really like the acoustic guitar melody on this one, and the song has a more danceable feel to it. Shawn also jumps into his higher register on the hook of this one, and finally I get why people have been comparing him to Justin Timberlake lately. Or, maybe that’s just social media being jokey as usual. *shrugs* I don’t know. Either way, this is another very different-sounding song for Shawn, and it really works. I dig this one a lot.
Lost In Japan: Shawn, I’ve gotta hand it to ya, man, considering that you’re so committed to your girl that you’d go to Japan to visit her…if that’s not love, I don’t know what the hell is. Anyway, this one has a much different feel from “In My Blood,” with a more grooving bassline and a much more danceable vibe. If "In My Blood" was Shawn's "Castle on the Hill," this is his "Shape of You" (at least, stylistically speaking because, in terms of chart success, that's a different story). It’s a really great song with a very bright feel and fun instrumentals, but where it really shines is with Shawn’s vocals, as his performance is so filled with effervescent, irresistible charm. Really loving this one a lot!
Where Were You In The Morning?: I was sleeping, thanks for asking. Anyway, this song is more stripped-back than some of the past few tracks, but it’s got a really nice, snappy, and relaxed feel to it with a very nice acoustic guitar melody. Shawn’s vocals on the hook again give me some Justin Timberlake vibes (so maybe it’s not a joke after all), but he sounds very smooth throughout and he brings some emotional weight, especially on the bridge. I like this one!
Like To Be You feat. Julia Michaels: A conversational song between Shawn and Julia Michaels, genius.com said that this was the “most anticipated collaboration” from this album. I dunno, though, that Khalid collaboration sounds a bit more enticing to me. Either way, this one is again more minimal, as Shawn and Julia sing over a somewhat more fast-paced acoustic guitar. It’s a sweet song and I think Shawn’s lighter vocals mesh well with Julia’s very pretty, soft vocals. It’s not one of my favorites on the album, and I kinda wish it was a bit longer, but it’s not a bad track whatsoever. I definitely think it could grow on me in the future.
Fallin’ All In You: A song co-written by none other than Mendes’ contemporary Ed Sheeran, I can see Ed’s influence in Shawn’s vocals on this one. Hell, when I first heard a snippet of this, I had a gut feeling that Ed provided background vocals on here (apparently, genius.com says he does). It’s got a light, but still head-noddy feel, and I think the song has one of the most captivating hooks on the record. Shawn also sounds great throughout the entire song, regardless of which register he’s in. Great track, I honestly think it’s single-worthy. Think about it, Shawn.
Particular Taste: You know, for what was supposed to be a very personal album, I thought this would be a bit more about Shawn. This is another track about a girl, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing (especially since the album itself has been enjoyable so far), I was expecting things to focus a bit more on him. Even so, this is another very dance-y song fueled by Shawn’s irresistibly charming vocals, a snappy feel, and a great, plucky guitar melody. It’s once again very different from a number of Shawn’s other songs, but it’s a pretty great track!
Why: A song about a love between two people that don’t want to admit it. Another relatable scenario, I’m sure. This one takes things far slower from the last track, and many have speculated that this song is about Camila Cabello. Because, of course they have. It has a very soft instrumental melody, lead primarily by the keys, and Shawn once again brings the goods with his vocals. The hook isn’t one of my favorites on the album, and it does feel a bit too much like a few other songs I’ve heard, but it’s a pretty solid song.
Because I Had You: On this track, Shawn talks about a girl whose heart was broken by him, who moved on to another guy, thus making Shawn regret breaking her heart and feeling that he can’t love anyone because he loved her the whole time. I wanna make a snarky comment about that sounding like a film, but I can’t. Reason being, because I like the song. Sure, it’s pretty short, and I’m sure some people have heard a song that sounds like this before, but I love the acoustic guitar melody on this one, and I think Shawn’s very light vocals give this one some solid emotional weight. It’s a really nice track that I think I’ll be coming back to quite a bit in the future!
Queen: Contrary to what you might believe, this is not a love ballad, it’s about the kinds of people that put themselves on pedestals and try to act like they’re more important than you. So already, I’m digging the concept. And the song itself is more vibrant and more uptempo than the last one, with more pretty good vocals from Shawn. I don’t find it as memorable as some of the other songs on here, and I don’t love the hook on this, but it’s definitely a pretty decent track.
Youth feat. Khalid: Shawn Mendes and Khalid team up to talk about how no one can take their youth away, and that they won’t be intimidated to be who they are. There’s also a somewhat political undertone here, as the two refer to different tragedies such as the Manchester bombing of May 2017. I like the very bright, positive feel of the song, as Shawn and Khalid give something of an empowering message here, and they have some pretty good vocal interplay here. It’s not my favorite song on the album, but I definitely think it has more than enough potential to grow on me in the future.
Mutual: Shawn says here what most people hear a lot: if you don’t love back, it might be best to leave. Simple message, and the song itself features a very simple (but pretty fast-paced) guitar melody and very light drum beat, and with Shawn’s very nice vocals, it gives me something of a throwback to “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” though somewhat more stripped-down. It’s still very beautiful despite its short length, thanks again to the nice, head-nodding instrumentals and Shawn’s typically strong vocals. I really like this one a lot!
Perfectly Wrong: A track that seems to take inspiration from Romeo & Juliet, this one is about a doomed relationship. It’s a very light, piano-driven cut, and the instrumentals are minimal, as Shawn is front and center on this very emotional song. Shawn’s more delicate vocals give this track a lot of emotional weight and said vocals mesh so well with the instrumentals that the song feels legitimately heart-wrenching. Easily one of Shawn’s best songs, I really love this one!
When You’re Ready: Shawn ends off his album with a song to a love interest of his, where he promises that he’ll wait for this crush to be ready to be with him. I’m just saying, I write poetry and the first free-verse poem I ever wrote was about that topic, so I know what Shawn’s going through here, and I think this topic is pretty solid to end the album on. And he keeps things pretty light on this one, with a more low-tempo feel, minimal beat and guitar melody, and some very delicate, vulnerable vocals. It’s another very emotional track, and Shawn once again pulls off said emotional vibe very well on this one! Great end to this very great album!
Overall, I’m not 100% sure that this album is as “personal” as some people really made it out to be, given that a number of the songs are still ballads that can be applied to a lot of situations. Even so, that’s not really a big problem because I think this album is Shawn’s best to date. Even if it’s not as “personal” as some critics have said so far, it’s clear here that Shawn is still making some very nice, pretty-sounding pop music with some very nice, different production from his earlier records, and his vocals are even more charming than they were before. I also have to applaud this project because, where his first two albums were a bit more inconsistent (“Handwritten” didn’t end as well as it started, and “Illuminate” didn’t start as well as it ended), this album was far more consistent, with highlights spread across the entire thing. And, on top of that, even some of the lesser songs from this project still sounded quite nice. Even if I don’t agree with the critics on the “personal” angle, I have to agree with them on one thing: Shawn is making his best material yet with this album, and I’m very impressed with the record as a whole.
Favorite tracks: In My Blood, Nervous, Lost In Japan, Where Were You In The Morning?, Fallin’ All In You, Particular Taste, Because I Had You, Mutual, Perfectly Wrong, When You’re Ready
Least favorite tracks: Queen (only if I had to pick one)
Rating: Excellent
Queen: Contrary to what you might believe, this is not a love ballad, it’s about the kinds of people that put themselves on pedestals and try to act like they’re more important than you. So already, I’m digging the concept. And the song itself is more vibrant and more uptempo than the last one, with more pretty good vocals from Shawn. I don’t find it as memorable as some of the other songs on here, and I don’t love the hook on this, but it’s definitely a pretty decent track.
Youth feat. Khalid: Shawn Mendes and Khalid team up to talk about how no one can take their youth away, and that they won’t be intimidated to be who they are. There’s also a somewhat political undertone here, as the two refer to different tragedies such as the Manchester bombing of May 2017. I like the very bright, positive feel of the song, as Shawn and Khalid give something of an empowering message here, and they have some pretty good vocal interplay here. It’s not my favorite song on the album, but I definitely think it has more than enough potential to grow on me in the future.
Mutual: Shawn says here what most people hear a lot: if you don’t love back, it might be best to leave. Simple message, and the song itself features a very simple (but pretty fast-paced) guitar melody and very light drum beat, and with Shawn’s very nice vocals, it gives me something of a throwback to “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back,” though somewhat more stripped-down. It’s still very beautiful despite its short length, thanks again to the nice, head-nodding instrumentals and Shawn’s typically strong vocals. I really like this one a lot!
Perfectly Wrong: A track that seems to take inspiration from Romeo & Juliet, this one is about a doomed relationship. It’s a very light, piano-driven cut, and the instrumentals are minimal, as Shawn is front and center on this very emotional song. Shawn’s more delicate vocals give this track a lot of emotional weight and said vocals mesh so well with the instrumentals that the song feels legitimately heart-wrenching. Easily one of Shawn’s best songs, I really love this one!
When You’re Ready: Shawn ends off his album with a song to a love interest of his, where he promises that he’ll wait for this crush to be ready to be with him. I’m just saying, I write poetry and the first free-verse poem I ever wrote was about that topic, so I know what Shawn’s going through here, and I think this topic is pretty solid to end the album on. And he keeps things pretty light on this one, with a more low-tempo feel, minimal beat and guitar melody, and some very delicate, vulnerable vocals. It’s another very emotional track, and Shawn once again pulls off said emotional vibe very well on this one! Great end to this very great album!
Overall, I’m not 100% sure that this album is as “personal” as some people really made it out to be, given that a number of the songs are still ballads that can be applied to a lot of situations. Even so, that’s not really a big problem because I think this album is Shawn’s best to date. Even if it’s not as “personal” as some critics have said so far, it’s clear here that Shawn is still making some very nice, pretty-sounding pop music with some very nice, different production from his earlier records, and his vocals are even more charming than they were before. I also have to applaud this project because, where his first two albums were a bit more inconsistent (“Handwritten” didn’t end as well as it started, and “Illuminate” didn’t start as well as it ended), this album was far more consistent, with highlights spread across the entire thing. And, on top of that, even some of the lesser songs from this project still sounded quite nice. Even if I don’t agree with the critics on the “personal” angle, I have to agree with them on one thing: Shawn is making his best material yet with this album, and I’m very impressed with the record as a whole.
Favorite tracks: In My Blood, Nervous, Lost In Japan, Where Were You In The Morning?, Fallin’ All In You, Particular Taste, Because I Had You, Mutual, Perfectly Wrong, When You’re Ready
Least favorite tracks: Queen (only if I had to pick one)
Rating: Excellent
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