“Demi” by Demi Lovato

Total Album Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

From Disney darling to daring diva, Demi Lovato has certainly grown into a serious and mature artist. Much like her 2011 album titled “Unbroken,” Lovato dives into the stories behind her struggles with anorexia, bulimia, and self-harm. These experiences proved to make her stronger in all areas, since her music is better than ever. Her self-titled album “Demi” has the perfect mix of sassy, romantic and emotional songs with unwavering, strong vocals on each.

 As a sort of follow-up to “Skyscraper” from a year back, “Warrior” is the newest track with that same message. The song includes lyrics such as “I’ve got shame I’ve got scars that I will never show, I’m a survivor in more ways than you know” with the chorus “I’m a warrior; I’m stronger than I’ve ever been.”

Lovato eliminates the techno-vibe that most of her last album had, even though “Neon Lights” still has a somewhat techno style. All of the songs are super catchy and thoughtful so it’s difficult to pick a song worse than the others. Her powerful voice shines through the best songs which are “Two Pieces,” “Nightingale,” “In Case,” “Fire Starter.” and “Warrior.”

In the first three songs, Lovato sounds like a poet (particularly in “Nightingale”) when crooning about love and how she will do anything to find and/or keep it. As usual, she belts through the slow songs with ease and poise. “Fire Starter” has a spunky and confident attitude, while “Warrior” is so personal that it’s obvious that Lovato put a lot of her heart into the track.

The only collaboration on this CD was the fast-rising British singer Cher Lloyd. The union was a bit strange, though, considering her voice is not similar to Lovato’s. “Really Don’t Care” was still good, but would’ve been just as good without Lloyd.

Lovato’s most well-known song on this album so far is “Heart Attack.” While it can easily get stuck in your head and fabulously shows off Lovato’s voice, it still doesn’t live up to the tracks that achieved 5 stars.

Overall, Demi Lovato is evidently making strides in her personal life and music career, and she has made it clear that nothing will bring her down. Although this is a relatively old album, almost a year old, it’s worth talking about because of the praise it received from her fans and her nationwide sold-out concerts. Lovato is currently touring for this album on the Neon Lights Tour, which came to Camden, New Jersey on March 1st East Rutherford, New Jersey on March 7 and Uniondale, New York on March 11.

Here is how I rated the tracks:

1. “Heart Attack” – 4.5 stars

2. “Made In the USA” – 4 stars

3. “Without the Love” – 4 stars

4. “Neon Lights” – 4 stars

5. “Two Pieces” – 5 stars

6. “Nightingale”- 5 stars

7. “In Case” – 5 stars

8. “Really Don’t Care” (feat. Cher Lloyd) – 4 stars

9. “Fire Starter” – 5 stars

10. “Something That We’re Not” – 4 stars

11. “Never Been Hurt” – 4.5 stars

12. “Shouldn’t Come Back” – 4.5 stars

13. “Warrior”- 5 stars

Lauren Fabiszak is an A&E Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.