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Revamped

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Revamped
Remix album (re-recorded) by
Demi Lovato
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2023 (2023-09-15)
Recorded2022–2023
GenreRock
Length35:49
LabelIsland
ProducerWarren "Oak" Felder
Demi Lovato chronology
Holy Fvck
(2022) 		Revamped
(2023)
Singles from Revamped
  1. "Heart Attack (rock version)"
    Released: March 24, 2023
  2. "Cool for the Summer (rock version)"
    Released: May 25, 2023

Revamped is the first remix album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on September 15, 2023, through Island Records. Produced entirely by Warren "Oak" Felder, Alex Niceforo, and Keith Sorrells, the album comprises ten re-recorded rock versions of songs from Lovato's previous albums. It served as a follow-up to her return to rock music with her 2022 studio album Holy Fvck, and included pop-punk inspirations. Featured musicians include Slash, Nita Strauss, Bert McCracken, and the Maine.

Lovato promoted Revamped at several festivals and made a televised performance at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, where she sang the singles "Heart Attack" and "Cool for the Summer", as well as the promotional single "Sorry Not Sorry", all subtitled "rock version". Upon release, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics; many critics described it as a fun record, although some did not find drastic changes to the original songs. Commercially, it peaked within the top 20 in Flanders, Scotland, and Spain, as well as the top 60 in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Background

[edit]

In January 2022, Lovato held a "funeral" for her pop music ahead of the release of her eighth studio album Holy Fvck in August of that year.[1] The album, which embraced a heavier rock sound that departed from the pop sound of Lovato's previous releases, was supported by the Holy Fvck Tour. The setlist included several rock versions of her older pop songs, including "Heart Attack", "Cool for the Summer", and "Sorry Not Sorry".[2] With her band, Lovato reimagined her pop songs as "rock bangers" featuring new arrangements created for the live rock show she had prepared: "The fans loved it," said the singer in an interview with Rolling Stone. "When I got home from tour, I was like, 'Why don't I just record those versions and release them?'"[3] While making the album, Lovato says she made sure that the tracks didn't lose "their essence and familiarity." She followed by adding, "I changed the melody a little bit in certain spots and then try to hit higher notes than the originals."[3]

Revamped was announced by Lovato on her social media accounts on July 14, 2023. The album announcement was supported by the release of an album trailer the same day, with a snippet of the singles serving as the background music to a series of clips of Lovato in a photoshoot.[4] Discussing the album, Lovato said: "I wanted to pay homage to the songs that resonated the most with fans and played a big role in my career by breathing an exciting new life into them."[5] Rolling Stone revealed that "Give Your Heart a Break" and "Tell Me You Love Me" would be featured on the album.[3]

Writing and production

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American musicians Slash (left) and Nita Strauss (right) feature on the tracks "Sorry Not Sorry" and "La La Land", respectively.

Revamped contains 10 re-recordings of tracks originally on the albums Demi, Confident, Tell Me You Love Me, Unbroken, and Don't Forget, with two songs each. All the tracks were produced by Warren "Oak" Felder, with collaborations from Alex Niceforo, Keith "Ten4" Sorrells, Mitch Allan, Oscar Linnander, Zaire Koalo, Chopsticks, and John Feidmann.[6] American musicians Slash, Nita Strauss and Bert McCracken, and American rock band The Maine, appear as featured artists on the album.[7][8]

The album retained most of the original lyrics of the original versions of Lovato's songs, with some exceptions; "Don't tell your mother" in the pre-chorus of "Cool for the Summer" was replaced with "Go tell your mother".[9] Additionally, before the lyric "No, you ain't nobody 'till you got somebody" in "Tell Me You Love Me", Lovato says "They say". When discussing this, Lovato said "I interject a little because I don't want that negative connotation of 'You're only somebody if you're with somebody' and that's something that's always bugged me about the song as I've performed it on the road."[3] She also said that the song was the most difficult to reimagine as a rock track.[10]

Composition

[edit]

Overview

[edit]

Lovato's first remix album is a rock project with pop-punk inspirations,[11] a genre that the singer "introduced to her fans" on her eighth studio album, Holy Fvck.[12] Her vocals were described as "strong as ever".[13]

Songs

[edit]

Revamped's opening track "Heart Attack" is a pop-punk song.[14] It consists of "a heavy drum beat and electric guitar", and "punk-styled drums and a gritty baseline".[15] The second track, "Confident", features "contemporary emo electro SFX and arena-sized bass reverberations". In comparison with the original song, Lovato's delivery is the same, "with a touch more bite and a touch less girlboss".[16] Third track and third single "Sorry Not Sorry", a sped-up rock version, is "unrecognisable", sounds "natural and suits the injection of power that both Lovato's new instrumental and Slash's keening guitar solo provide".[16] The musician solo was described as "masterful".[17] The updated take on the song offers "powerful new vocals" and new production from Warren "Oak" Felder, Keith "Ten4" Sorrells, and Alex Niceforo.[18] The original version of "Cool for the Summer" was a "dancey piano motif" under producers Max Martin and Ali Payami, while the 2023 rendition begins with "the sounds of synth and static". It features "a metal yell, electric guitar shredding and faint but well-placed echoes of the chorus notes".[17] Upon the song's release, Starr Bowenbank wrote for Billboard that the rock version "swaps the original's poppy synths and uptempo instrumentation for a darker sound backed by electric guitars and grittier lyric delivery from Lovato".[19] The rock version of "Tell Me You Love Me" features "flawless" vocals and an alt-rock production.[11] It is a power ballad with a "guitar-driven chorus".[14]

The remix of "Neon Lights" is a dance and an alternative rock[14] song, which "balances both genres" and "shows off the singer's increased comfort with their lower register". Lyrically, the song complements "Heart Attack".[17] Emo band The Maine's melodic twists on the second verse were described as "refreshing".[17] "Skyscraper" was chosen by American Songwriter reviewer Alex Hopper as an "undisputed standout", which contains "Lovato's matured vocals wailing over the hard-edge musicality".[13] It is "fairly restrained",[16] and feels "natural".[17] It was compared to the Goo Goo Dolls.[14] The remix of "La La Land", a song "already rock-tinged", changes its direction and, with pop punk inspirations, it offers "Travis Barker-esque drums and staccato guitar lines".[13] Critics praised Lovato's vocal riffs and Nita Strauss' soloing electric guitar part.[17] "Give Your Heart a Break" is a duet between Lovato and Bert McCracken from The Used. It was cited by Clash as "an easy highlight", and was described as an "emotive performance" with harmonies and "soaring high-note ad-libs".[16] The song is "a powerful antithesis" to "Heart Attack", instead of Lovato avoiding falling in love, it's the love interest of the song who is hesitant.[17] The album ends with the remix of "Don't Forget", a ballad which was also chosen as a standout, and "hits as hard as it needs to match the emotional core" of the song.[13]

Promotion

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Two singles preceded Revamped.[20] Lovato released the first, "Heart Attack (rock version)", on March 24, 2023, to mark the song's 10th anniversary.[21] The second single, "Cool for the Summer (rock version)", was released on May 25 of the same year, announced via social media on May 18.[19] Additionally, two promotional singles preceded the album: "Sorry Not Sorry (rock version)", which featured a guitar solo from British-American musician Slash, released on July 14,[18] and "Confident (rock version)", released on August 18. The song was announced as part of the track-list three days before its release.[22]

At the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, Lovato performed a medley of the remixes of "Heart Attack", "Sorry Not Sorry" and "Cool for the Summer".[23] It was chosen by USA Today and Billboard as one of the best performances of the ceremony.[24][25] She also performed at several festivals, such as Philadelphia Welcome America Festival,[26] Wonderbus Music & Arts Festival,[27] and The Town Festival.[28]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Revamped debuted at number 60 on the US Billboard 200, including number 8 on the Top Alternative Albums and number 10 on the Top Rock Albums charts selling 11,000 pure album sales.[29]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic74/100[30]
Review scores
SourceRating
American Songwriter[13]
Clash8/10[16]
Paste8/10[17]
PopMatters8/10[11]
Riff8/10[14]
AllMusic[31]
The Line of Best Fit4/10[32]

Revamped was met with generally positive reviews. It received a score of 74 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on six critics' reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30] Vulture critic Jason P. Frank said that re-recording her songs is due to the "immeasurable" impact of Taylor Swift.[33] Stephen Daw from Billboard described Revamped as "the work of an artist taking the narrative back from her years of pop stardom, and it's a raucous delight to listen to".[34]

In a positive review, Riff's Mike Dewald highlighted "Give Your Heart a Break" and "Neon Lights" as standouts, saying that the latter "captures the energy of the original but takes it to another level with expressive drum patterns added to the mix".[14] Jeffrey Davies of PopMatters described "the person" Lovato is as "bold and defiant", and hailed the "continuously flawless vocals and rock production" that "inexplicably works".[11] Allison McClain Merrill of Paste praised The Maine's "melodic twists" on the second verse of "Neon Lights", and called it "refreshing".[17] Clash reviewer Ims Taylor described the album as "nostalgic, wonderfully, and playfully rebellious", and stated that Revamped "sounds like Lovato having the most indulgent fun of perhaps their whole career".[16] In a mixed review, Alex Hopper from American Songwriter said that the album "feels like Lovato did very little 'Revamping' to her past hits, added a guitar line over the original production, and shared it with the world", but praised the singer's "strong as ever" vocals.[13] Concluding their review for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung described Revamped as a "great fun", and stated that "fans of both sides of Lovato's sonic personality will appreciate this bonus diversion from the main catalog."[31]

The Line of Best Fit reviewer Vicky Greer described Revamped as "an album of missed opportunities in which Lovato seems to take a musical step backwards in their career", cited "Heart Attack" and "Skyscraper" as "two real improvements" on the album, and wrote that aside from them, "the difference between these rock versions and the originals is only slight, with nowhere near enough of a musical departure to rewrite history".[32]

Track listing

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Revamped track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Heart Attack" (from Demi)
3:59
2."Confident" (from Confident)
3:25
3."Sorry Not Sorry" (featuring Slash; from Tell Me You Love Me)
  • Lovato
  • Douglas
  • Trevor Brown
  • Felder
  • Zaire Koalo
3:34
4."Cool for the Summer" (from Confident)
3:32
5."Tell Me You Love Me" (from Tell Me You Love Me)
3:47
6."Neon Lights" (with The Maine; from Demi)
3:52
7."Skyscraper" (from Unbroken)
  • Felder
  • Niceforo[a]
  • Sorrells[a]
  • Oscar Linnander[a]
3:33
8."La La Land" (featuring Nita Strauss; from Don't Forget)
3:13
9."Give Your Heart a Break" (with Bert McCracken of The Used; from Unbroken)
3:20
10."Don't Forget" (from Don't Forget)
  • Lovato
  • N. Jonas
  • J. Jonas
  • K. Jonas
3:34
Total length:35:49

Notes

[edit]
  • ^[a] indicates a co-producer
  • All tracks are subtitled "rock version".

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Revamped.[6]

  • Demi Lovato – lead vocals
  • Oak Felder – executive producer, producer, programming (1, 3), keyboards (2–10), bass (3), engineer (4)
  • Alex Nice – co-producer, programming (1–3, 5–10), keyboards (3), percussion (4), strings (4), guitar (8–10)
  • Keith "Ten4" Sorrells – co-producer, programming (1, 4), mixing, guitar, drums, bass (2–10)
  • Oscar Linnander – engineer, co-producer (7), programming (7), bass (7), keyboards (7)
  • Mitch Allan – co-producer (1), guitar (1), background vocals (1)
  • Trevor Brown – co-producer (3), guitar (3)
  • Zaire Koalo – co-producer (3), percussion (3)
  • Slash – guitar (3)
  • Chopsticks – co-producer (6), programming (6), guitar (6, 7)
  • Nita Strauss – guitar (8)
  • John Feldmann – co-producer (9)
  • Scooter Braun – executive producer
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Will Quinnell – mastering

Charts

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Chart performance for Revamped
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36] 71
French Albums (SNEP)[37] 120
Scottish Albums (OCC)[38] 14
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[39] 27
UK Albums (OCC)[40] 59
US Billboard 200[41] 60
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[42] 8
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[43] 10

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for Revamped
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various September 15, 2023
Island [44]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bowenbank, Starr (January 21, 2022). "Demi Lovato Hosts 'Funeral' Mourning Their Pop Music, Teases New Rock Song". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Stossel, Jared (September 23, 2022). "Demi Lovato Rages at "HOLY FVCK" Tour Stop in Sacramento: Review, Photos and Setlist". Consequence. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Mier, Tomás (July 14, 2023). "Demi Lovato Will 'Reenvision' Their Pop Hits as Rock Bangers on Upcoming Album 'Revamped'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  4. ^ Kaufman, Gil (July 14, 2023). "Demi Lovato Prepping 'Revamped' Album With Rock Versions of Her Hits". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Richards, Will (July 15, 2023). "Demi Lovato shares new song with Slash and announces rock album 'Revamped'". NME. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Revamped (liner notes). Demi Lovato. Island Records. 2023. 5816372.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Schneider, Maggie (September 15, 2023). "Demi Lovato And The Maine Burn Like "Neon Lights" On New Collab". Idobi. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  8. ^ "Revamped: Hear Demi Lovato's New Rock Infused Album Featuring The Maine, The Used and More". Ones To Watch. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Kreps, Daniel (May 25, 2023). "Demi Lovato Drops a Rock Version of Her Hit 'Cool for the Summer'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  10. ^ Daw, Stephen (September 14, 2023). "How Recording a Rock Album Helped 'Reignite' Demi Lovato's Passion for Her Pop Hits". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d "Demi Lovato Refashions Herself On 'Revamped'". PopMatters. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Aniftos, Rania (September 15, 2023). "Demi Lovato Gives Their Hits a Rock Spin on 'Revamped' Album: Stream It Now". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Hopper, Alex (September 16, 2023). "Review: Demi Lovato Updates Her Hits on Revamped to Mixed Results". American Songwriter. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Dewald, Mike (September 14, 2023). "ALBUM REVIEW: Demi Lovato cranks up rock on 'Revamped'". Riff. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  15. ^ Mier, Tomás (March 24, 2023). "Demi Lovato Reimagines 'Heart Attack' as a Rock Anthem for Song's 10th Anniversary". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Taylor, Ims (September 15, 2023). "Demi Lovato – Revamped". Clash. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i McClain Merrill, Allison (September 19, 2023). "Demi Lovato Gives Their Hits the Rock Treatment on Revamped". Paste Magazine. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  18. ^ a b "Demi Lovato Releases Rock Version of 'Sorry Not Sorry' Featuring Slash: Stream". Consequence. July 14, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Bowenbank, Starr (May 25, 2023). "Demi Lovato Updates 'Cool For the Summer' With New Rock Version: Listen". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  20. ^ McIntyre, Hugh (July 14, 2023). "Demi Lovato Announces New Rock Covers Album 'Revamped'". Metro Weekly. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  21. ^ Gonzalez, Rebekah (March 24, 2023). "Demi Lovato Re-Records 'Heart Attack' For 10-Year Anniversary". iHeartRadio. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  22. ^ Paul, Larisha (August 18, 2023). "Demi Lovato Is Feeling Unstoppable on 'Confident (Rock Version)'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  23. ^ Kreps, Daniel; Paul, Larisha (September 12, 2023). "2023 MTV VMAs: Demi Lovato Rocks Out 'Revamped' Medley of Their Biggest Hits". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  24. ^ Ruggieri, Melissa (September 12, 2023). "Brutally honest reviews of every VMAs performance, including Shakira, Maneskin and Demi Lovato". USA Today. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  25. ^ Lynch, Joe (September 13, 2023). "2023 VMAs Performances Ranked From Worst to Best". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  26. ^ Qureshi, Hira (June 27, 2023). "Everything you need to know about Wawa Welcome America: Demi Lovato, Ludacris and more". Inquirer. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  27. ^ "WonderBus Music and Arts Festival is happening in Columbus this weekend headlined by Pitbull, Demi Lovato and Caamp". Cleveland. August 23, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  28. ^ "Demi Lovato deleita a 'The Town' con su rock para cicatrizar heridas". Infobae (in Spanish). September 2, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  29. ^ "The Who's 'Who's Next' Makes Deluxe Return to Top Album Sales Chart". Billboard. September 30, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Revamped by Demi Lovato Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  31. ^ a b Z. Yeung, Neil. "Demi Lovato - Revamped Album". AllMusic. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  32. ^ a b Greer, Vicky (September 14, 2023). "Demi Lovato's REVAMPED attemptes to transform old music". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  33. ^ Frank, Jason P. (August 21, 2023). "Everybody's Getting Off the Scooter". Vulture. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  34. ^ Daw, Stephen (September 15, 2023). "Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Demi Lovato, K.Flay, Vagabon & More". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  35. ^ "Ultratop.be – Demi Lovato – Revamped" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  36. ^ "Ultratop.be – Demi Lovato – Revamped" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
  37. ^ "Lescharts.com – Demi Lovato – Revamped". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  38. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  39. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Demi Lovato – Revamped". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  40. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  41. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  42. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  43. ^ "Demi Lovato Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  44. ^ Citations concerning Revamped release formats:
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