"A Year Without Rain" Goes Cute, Bad, and Ugly for Selena Gomez

I assume Selena Gomez is more like another Disney product than a real singer, but I will listen to her album "A Year Without Rain," being optimistic. I saw Selena Gomez during a late night talk show interview and she seemed to have some intelligence beyond being just Justin Bieber's girlfriend. My song by song notes and album thoughts are below. Before listening to "A Year Without Rain" I had never heard even one Selena Gomez song.

"Round & Round": Dance pop that files Selena Gomez right into the file on the shelf with a million and one wannabe acts. There are moments where her voice is nice bubblegum, but loses its flavor quickly.

"A Year Without Rain": A lot of clich© pop song staples at play here and just a hint of the huskiness that is in Selena Gomez's speaking voice. On par with early Mandy Moore crap, Mandy Moore expanded as an artists and now does folky pop crap, and I think Selena Gomez could have a future with better music if she chooses to shuffle the deck at some point.

"Rock God": She is trying to have fun with this edgier beat, but her voice seems to whisper into oblivion against it, and the fun is jagged. She brushes against cuteness with her voice, but the music overall is more junk.

"Off The Chain": Selena Gomez just whispered into my ear that she wants me and wants me to come to her. Ooo la la, but then she starts singing about church bells and angels singing, uh oh, that's crazy talk. She tells me my love is off the chain and some guy repeats this and the beat is a light dance beat primed for a more powerful remix. Pretty weak.

"Summer's Not Hot": Lyrically I am thinking people were too mean to Rebecca Black with her 'Friday" song because "Summer's Not Hot" is no better.

"Intuition": Some programmed dance music that sounds bad with the vocals, which sound autotuned in. Another very weak track, below elevator music on the charts, and whoever Eric Bellinger is singing along with her is as uninteresting as the lyrics.

"Spotlight": Autotune. This is not the road Selena Gomez needs to be going down if she wants to be taken serious. A lot of clapping and autotuned "ohhhhh." This is another really bad throwaway.

"Ghost Of You": The song itself is crap, but Selena does what she can do with it. A ballad that she performs well, but that doesn't do her any favors in return; a lot of breathing in, breathing out lyrics.

"Sick Of You": A power pop sing that trips and drops its power. Give it to the kids and let them feel cool, but eight and under only.

"Live Like There's No Tomorrow": This kind of reminded me of some of Avril Lavigne's lighter, fluffer floaters; turds swirling around the toilet bowl, I've already flushed, let them go. Run of the mill content here.

I think the Selena Gomez album "A Year Without Rain" is a nice pop dance mix for a very young audience. It doesn't have the right factors to qualify for legit, adult entertainment. I think there is a stronger pop star in Selena Gomez, but this album is just a cutesy pimple on her career.