Bebe Rexha, Bebe ★★★☆☆
On her third album, pop songstress Bebe Rexha turns back the clock by meshing 70s disco sound with 80s pop and contemporary production.
A pulsating bass line and a bluesy guitar line begins the 12-track album with Heart Wants What It Wants. The beat kicks in alongside Rexha’s smoky vocals giving the song a distinctly organic feel, as she switches out big beats and synths for a more refined, vintage sound.
With its funky bass line clashing with a choppy keyboard line, the mid-tempo jam Miracle Man immediately grabs your attention, its lyrical message centered on self-empowerment and individuality. A familiar voice creeps into upbeat pop throwback Satellite: the rapper Snoop Dogg chopping into his guest verse. The 70s synths and Chic-like melody elevate the single into a sonic nod to times gone by.
Snoop’s not even the album’s biggest guest star. The acoustic ballad Seasons, which closes the album, features none other than the Queen of Country herself, Dolly Parton. A triumph for Bebe’s agent, between the ears, it’s strangely ineffective – both singers have similar raspy, deep delivery and while their voices harmonize well, it’s hard to tell them apart.
Yet Rexha picks the energy back up on I’m Good (Blue). Although the explosive David Guetta collaboration has very little additional information to add to the general theme, it’s a gloriously flashy pop anthem.
The tone then shifts drastically for Visions (Don’t Go), a bluesy track that blends understated verses with a fist-pumping chorus. But perhaps the album’s strongest track is the slickly produced Blue Moon. Falling between high-powered Fleetwood Mac and danceable Blondie, Rexha’s vocal firepower here is arguably her best work on the album.
Born Again, however, reels things back in with an atmospheric piano-driven ballad, where theatrics are exchanged in favor of raw introspection. The song has a cinematic quality and could soundtrack an 80s romance.
Overall, though, Bebe’s blurring of past and present sounds is admirable – but in this particular case, the uncertain delivery falls short regardless. Victoria Goldiee
