BY KATIE ZEMAITIS
5 stars
Demi Lovato opens up in her fifth album, Confident. Lovato achieves a new soulful sound with her moodier and heavier songs. Even her up-tempo songs carry a certain darkness that warns people not to stand in the singer’s way. Lovato unleashes her wide vocal range in her ballads like “Stone Cold.” Though she is able to sing whistle tones like Ariana Grande, her strong alto voice holds the album together. An overwhelming message of girl power also drives this album. Lovato invites female rappers to feature with her, but she might have been better off going solo. Iggy Azalea drags down the otherwise powerful song “Kingdom Come,” and Sirah’s hesitant verse lessens the effect of “Waitin’ For You.” Her raw and emotional devotion in her song “Father” ends the album with a powerful and heightened sense of Lovato’s true confidence.
