Demi Lovato finds redemption on her seventh studio album Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over. The concept album documents her recovery and self-discovery which coincides with a docu-series by YouTube Originals titled Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil.
The album was preceded by three singles prior to the release with her comeback single ‘Anyone’, ‘What Other People Say’ (featuring Sam Fischer), and ‘Dancing with the Devil’.
Although the album was originally titled The Art of Starting Over, Lovato decided to give it a double title to reflect the importance of ‘the darker opening songs’. Accompanied by the docu-series, it’s unofficially a soundtrack to it when listened to it track by track following the accounts of her story. The entire collection of tracks focus on her near fatal 2018 overdose while exploring her life and healing journey since then.
Before tranistating into The Art of Starting Over, opening the album with a gut wrenching emotional start, ‘Prelude’ consists of ‘Anyone’, ‘Dancing with the Devil, and ICU (Madison’s Lullabye) are power ballads documenting Lovato’s darkest days.
Moving on to the spoken-word interlude ‘Intro’ and ‘The Art of Starting Over’ showcase Lovato’s brutal honesty not only in her music, but what she stands for in the present moment. While ‘Lonely People’ is a guitar-driven track. ‘The Way You Look at Me’ is a pop-folk, pop-country infused track with intimately raw emotions present where her vocal performance is terrific. On ‘Melon Cake’ there’s a sense of 80s pop-rock anthemic production present although the storyline is triggering and emotional referring to her struggles with eating disorders. ‘Met Him Last Night’ features Ariana Grande which has an atmospheric electro dark mood alongside the contemporary R&B production.. ‘What Other People Say’ features Sam Fischer that is a reflection of what it’s like to lose who one truly is in an effort to please other people and society.
‘Carefully’ has a 90s electro tasteful EDM refrain sound combined with acoustic guitar with stand-out lyrics of, “Approach with caution/ I can get overwhelming/ Cause’ I'm strong in a way that I'm able to show my fragile.” ‘The Kind of Lover I Am’ has a funky, upbeat production with epic lyrics of, “Doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man / That's the kind of lover I am,” as she told, “I'm a very fluid person when it comes to sexuality, so I wanted to write a song about that. That's something that I hadn't written about since ‘Cool for the Summer’. But this isn't about bi-curiosity anymore. It's a part of who I am and I feel very secure in that.”
‘Easy’ features Noah Cyrus which has an upbeat poppy guitar glide. ‘15 Minutes’ is a snapback track in relation to her short-lived relationship with her ex-fiancé where she sings the lyrics, “Good riddance, you got your 15 minutes,” in a savage tone. ‘My Girlfriends are My Boyfriends’ has closed-mic vocals with sensual tones. ‘California Sober’ explains where Lovato is at in her recovery over a mid-tempo production that seems fitting. ‘Butterfly’ discusses her complicated relationship with her biological father who passed away in 2013. Then, ending the album in style with ‘Good Place’ which is an acoustic ballad to celebrate her recovery.
Musically, the collection of tracks are of various genres; it’s Lovato’s most cohesive project to date, mixed with pop, country, folk, and R&B elements. Certain sounds were playful although the themes were heavy. There’s a good mix of intimate ballads with upbeat, energising tracks.
Her candid songwriting is impressive in which sonically, this is Lovato’s most mature offering with her ever growing talents and evolution in her music. Her vocals are extraordinary on this album with remarkable soars accompanied by the fitting emotional instrumentation with excellent production.
Although the album was unpredictable, the move from darkness into light to face and embrace her story is inspiring. It’s a depthful listen seeing her growth, vulnerability, and rawness present. Lovato’s journey was never easy, but she was given a chance to begin again in-turn creating an autobiographical-like concept album to tell the tales of her story on things she fearlessly lived through. And from the starting to finishing note, it was a painstaking listen, almost like the listener was on the journey with her. By telling her story in style, it will resonate with those who need a helping hand.
Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over, follows her previous albums Don't Forget (2008), Here We Go Again (2009), Unbroken (2011), Demi (2013), Confident (2015), and Tell Me You Love Me (2017).
Words by Danielle Holian
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