Selena’s second studio album comes in two packages, 14 tracks is the deluxe version and the 11 track album, the latter which we got for review.

Gomez has accomplished a lot by 23; her new piece of work has good moments lyrically and musically. If you have been following her career graph, the beautiful and talented lass has grown from small teen star to one of the top line singers competing heavily with Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and a few other teen wannabes.

On ‘Revival’ she takes everything seriously and her lyrics, co - written with many others, are more polished, directed to the heart and clear. The album opener Revival showcases the demure songstress bringing her pop material back to the table. The track opens up with Selena speaking a few words and then moves onto her own real-life revival in song mode. A slow dance jig, it’s worth a replay. There’s also the Max Martin penned Hands to Myself with snappy beats, slow whispers and neat vocals. A favorite would surely be Same Old Love which was also the first single of the album. It has the right mix of a beat and a chorus, a song you can just join in and sing at the top of your lungs with your friends on a great night out.

You might be left confused who Selena is referring to when she croons “We fell for each other at the wrong time, only for a moment but I don’t mind,” in Sober, amid tempo dance piece, that has lyrics that reeks of heart break. Her vocals reach a crescendo on this one and show her vocal prowess and how far she has reached in her career.

The album’s lead single Good for You featuring ASAP ROCKY, is a sexy ballad in which Selena reveals her desire to make one lucky person very, very happy in a number of ways. Truly very seductive, this is one topper on the album. Her saucy lyrics …. “Gonna wear that dress you like skin tight, Do up my hair real real nice, Syncopate my skin to your heart beating, Cause I just wanna look good for you…” surely puts you in a romantic mood instantly.

Camouflage is beautiful, raw, and reveals the heartbroken side of Selena. If you’ve ever been in a troubled relationship, the lyrics in this song will pierce you, as it also falls in the category of Selena’s own relationship with Justin Bieber and how much trouble she had saying her final goodbyes to him.

Want a bit of swing and dance, Me & the Rhythm is the perfect pitch for a 70’s inspired dance track that reveals another side of Selena we don’t often get to see. She sways while she says, “Everybody wants to be touched, everybody wants to get some.”

Survivors is a pitch happy track with a slight dose of EDM sound thrown in. It talks about her life after a relationship and surviving the ordeal of a lost love. Body Heat is a fun track with a Latino touch to it, while Rise that opens with an interesting drum beat continues through the track which is slow and boasts of good production.

Selena has brought a fairly good album for her innumerable fans and though you might need a second listen to this playlist to really feel what she is saying, you surely would love her voice at the first listen, and her lyrics all directed to the teen loving population. Lyrics included.

Rating: ****

-          Reviewed by Verus Ferreira