Just as spring began to bloom, it blossomed into one of the greatest diva seasons in pop history — from Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine” and Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” to Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department,” Dua Lipa’s “Radical Optimism” and Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft.”
But as we set summer off, there are no signs of diva fever cooling off, with the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams and Chappell Roan bringing that femme heat.
And let’s not forget about Camila Cabello, who is back with her new album “C,XOXO,” out on Friday. It’s her fourth album since going solo from Fifth Harmony — and how the hell did that happen? Wasn’t she just, like, breaking up the group?
Well, since then, she hasn’t exactly become the next Beyoncé.
But, don’t get it twisted, she’s still had hits like “Havana,” which hit No. 1 back in 2017, and “Señorita,” another chart-topping single that she had with Shawn Mendes back when they were boo’d up.
And on her new LP, Cabello collabs with everyone from Playboi Carti (on the trappy opener “I Luv It”) to Lil Nas X (on the electro-popping “He Knows”) to former City Girls JT and Yung Miami (on the hip-hop bop “Dade County Dreaming”).
But the A-plus-list guest is Drake, who shows up on not one but two tracks. And my jam is their joint “Hot Uptown” — which is hot for real y’all.
It takes you back to the house vibes of Drake’s 2022 album “Honestly, Nevermind,” and almost reminds me a little bit of his “Take Care” collab with Rihanna. And there’s even a hint of the Afrobeats bliss of Tyla’s “Water.”
There are other bops on the album, as well as ballads — she’s generally weaker at the latter, although she flexes some vocal skills when she slows it down on “B.O.A.T.” (which stands for “best of all time”).
But despite its overall solidness, the album is a little all over the place — and Cabello doesn’t have the singular vocal beastness of, say, Christina Aguilera to hold it all together.
And as far as chart goals go, I don’t hear another “Havana” or “Señorita” here.
Still, Camila is getting some XOXO from me.
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