When The Sun Goes Down

by Selena Gomez & the Scene

Overview

You'd be forgiven if you thought Selena Gomez & the Scene's third album in three years, 2011's When the Sun Goes Down, might show signs of a dip in quality control due to cranking out albums so quickly. You'd be wrong, though, because When the Sun Goes Down is actually an improvement over 2010's Year Without Rain. Where that record tried to position Gomez as a more serious and adult artist with varying levels of success, here she's back to mostly being a young and breezy, happy-go-lucky pop singer. With a couple exceptions, the songs are sassier, lighter, and more fun. Her vocals are more spirited, the arrangements less reliant on heavy synths, and overall, there's a more playful feeling to the record that's more in keeping with her first album. She bubbles her way through dancefloor-friendly tracks like "Bang Bang Bang" and "That's More Like It," smolders a little (on her duet with Pixie Lott "We Own the Night" and "Middle of Nowhere"), and comes on like a convincing disco diva on "Hit the Lights." The only stumble is the overly earnest empowerment anthem "Who Says," which comes off a little stiff and out of place. It's a tiny speck of a flaw though; the rest is really solid and fun modern pop with sharp hooks and a couple surprises, namely the stomping jam "Whiplash," which channels Goldfrapp's electro glam and throws in a charmingly odd spoken word section that for some reason is done with a British-y accent. It adds some welcome weirdness to an otherwise straightforward record, and shows how easily and successfully she can slip into different personas and styles. Perhaps a bit too easily, as ultimately, Gomez has yet to stake out an identify all her own: a point driven home in the album's booklet, which features Gomez in a series of images of her in different guises, from Ann-Margret-style sex kitten to 1930s film star. She seems to be acting out the songs, more than actually feeling the emotions she's singing about. Which is perfectly fine for disposable pop albums, but if she wants to make a real impact, she'll need to dig a little deeper or stake out her own territory. That's for the future, though. For now, as long as she makes records as good and as much fun as When the Sun Goes Down, everything will be fine.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/28/2011
Label:	Hollywood Records
UPC:	0050087239404
catalogNumber:	001351792

Tracks

1. Love You Like a Love Song
2. Bang Bang Bang
3. Who Says
4. We Own the Night
5. Hit the Lights
6. Whiplash
7. When the Sun Goes Down
8. My Dilemma
9. That's More Like It
10. Outlaw
11. Middle of Nowhere
12. Dices (Who Says)
13. [CD-ROM Track]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Selena Gomez & the Scene   Primary Artist
Andrew Goldstein   Synthesizer
Leyla Hoyle   Background Vocals
Greg Kurstin   Bass,Guitar,Keyboards
Tim Pierce   Guitar
Espen Lind   Guitar,Keyboards
Jimmy Messer   Guitar
Nicole Morier   Background Vocals
Meleni Smith   Background Vocals
Sandy Vee   Keyboards
Selena Gomez   Vocals,Background Vocals
Lindsey Harper   Background Vocals
Pixie Lott   Vocals,Background Vocals
Priscilla Renea   Background Vocals
Brooke Adams   Background Vocals
Rock Mafia   Background Vocals
Carmen Michelle   Background Vocals

Technical Credits

Ross Hogarth   Engineer
Greg Kurstin   Composer,Programming,Producer,Engineer
Mark Portmann   Vocal Producer,Spanish Adaptation,Vocal Editing,Vocal Recording
Brian Reeves   Vocal Recording
Billy Steinberg   Composer,Producer
Howard Willing   Vocal Recording
Scott Roewe   Pro-Tools
Jeri Heiden   Art Direction
Nigel Lundemo   Vocal Editing
Carlos Castro   Vocal Recording
Emanuel Kiriakou   Composer,Producer,Instrumentation
Espen Lind   Composer,Engineer
Antonina Armato   Composer
Britney Spears   Composer
Edgar Cortazar   Vocal Producer,Spanish Adaptation
Leah Haywood   Composer
Josh Alexander   Composer,Programming,Producer,Engineer,Instrumentation
Tim James   Composer
Noel Zancanella   Programming,Instrumentation
Daniel James   Composer
Steve Sulikowski   Composer
Nicole Morier   Composer
Sandy Wilhelm   Composer
Toby Gad   Composer,Programming,Producer,Instrumentation
Meleni Smith   Composer
Jesse Shatkin   Engineer
Jon Vella   Programming
Steve Hammons   Engineer
Damien Lewis   Engineer
Devrim "DK" Karaoglu   Composer,Producer
Katy Perry   Composer
Sandy Vee   Producer,Vocal Producer
Nick Steinhardt   Art Direction
Selena Gomez   Composer
Pixie Lott   Composer
Francis Murray   Engineer
Amund Bjorklund   Composer
Joey Clement   Composer
Tony Nilsson   Composer
Steve Jacobi   Photo Production
Rock Mafia   Producer
Adam Schmalholz   Composer
Carmen Michelle Key   Composer
Priscilla Hamilton   Composer
Thomas Armato Sturges   Composer,Producer
Stefan Abingdon   Composer,Producer
Carmen Michelle   Vocal Producer