Warner Records
Release Date: April 28th 2023
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Bebe Rexha– Bebe (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- Heart Wants What It Wants
- Miracle Man
- Satellite (feat. Snoop Dogg)
- When It Rains
- Call on Me
- I’m Good (Blue) (feat. David Guetta)
- Visions (Don’t Go)
- I’m Not High, I’m in Love
- Blue Moon
- Born Again
- I Am
- Seasons (feat. Dolly Parton)
At the height of the pandemic in 2020, if you were to tell me that I was going to listen to a few ‘mainstream’ pop albums and actually respect and enjoy them to a certain extent- even a little bit… I’d have laughed in your face and told you that you’re crazy. Such was my line of thinking and my total immersion into the Christian music scene. Not that there’s anything wrong with that- but as I’ve realised that God speaks through a manner of things, including mainstream music, partly from embarking with Jon on our still-on-hiatus blog series about influential artists; I’ve come to the conclusion that not all mainstream music is bad. Sure there’s some things to stay clear from like sex and drugs and songs about violence… but if we can gain something out of a song or an album or an artists’ discography, that is beneficial to our own lives and reveals more about God our Saviour, Father and Friend; then isn’t that song/album/artist worth pursuing actively and becoming a fan of, regardless of your initial position? I was challenged by this notion when I listened to and reviewed Justin Bieber’s Freedom EP in 2021, and later on in June that year, I reviewed plenty of ‘mainstream albums’- Bebe Rexha’s sophomore album Better Mistakes being one of them, as it tugged at my emotions and revealed to us an album worth diving into and an album that speaks to a myriad of relevant issues. I wasn’t a fan of Bebe before- I still am not that much of an avid fan… but since that album, let me say that I definitely was quietly anticipating whatever came next. Better Mistakes (reviewed here!) is personal, honest and vulnerable- and it may not be your cup of tea, and it’s purely pop. But take a chance, and I’m sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised, like I was.
I first heard of Bebe’s music from the song “Meant To Be” with Florida Georgia Line, the rest was history (as we all know how massive that hit song was, and is!). Fast forward to now, and it’s been a year since Bebe’s third album, aptly titled Bebe. These days I’m mostly reviewing albums from 2024, but this was one from 2023 that I didn’t want to let slip by, so I listened to these twelve songs from last year… and the result is sad to say a mixed bag. Undoubtedly, Better Mistakes has better cohesion and a higher quality sound, but there are no downright bad or atrocious songs on this record. Unfortunately, this album is a tad nondescript, vague, repetitive, bland and just… there. Good for background music. not particularly deep or even interesting. Is it worth your time and your money? Are all of the 12 tracks skippable?
Album opener “Heart Wants What It Wants” is a happy-go-lucky get-up-and-go celebratory type of melody where Bebe longs to let her heart direct her to who or what she loves- but the melody is littered with too much autotune that any semblance of me enjoying the melody is quickly dampened within the first few seconds- which is a shame as this toe-tapping danceable melody is actually one of the high points on the album. “Miracle Man”, a flirty and sassy love song to an undescribed lover, is filled with Christian imagery and isn’t a song that is engaging enough (particularly because we know that Bebe isn’t a Christian and she probably is being blasphemous and heretical here!); while the nonsensical and unnecessary “Satellite” with Snoop Dogg is literally about smoking marijuana and is 3 minutes of my life I would never ever get back. “When It Rains”, another ‘spiritual’/’sexual’ song, is another track that is entirely skippable; while “Call On Me”, a dance/pop number about female empowerment and similar in theme to Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers”, can also be read as a song about masturbation- and it’s just an uninteresting melody that is skippable as well. I don’t like criticising albums, but the rest of this project is pretty downright painful to listen to. “I’m Good” with David Guetta interpolates “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” by Eiffel 65; but on the whole, this vapid, loud and constant pulsating number is a miss, as the style and vibe of the song sounds like a B-side track. “Visions (Don’t Go)” speaks about Bebe wanting her lover that she meets in her dream to stay with her even as she wakes up (astrotravel, don’t you think?), but yet again, it’s nothing really exciting nor enjoyable; while the musically brilliant “I’m Not High, I’m In Love” once again compares love to drugs and getting high (and lyrically this track might be the best of the album!).
“Blue Moon” thankfully is lyrically strong, as Bebe creates a half decent song here, and she compares her current love she has with her partner to a blue moon (as in very rare!); unfortunately “Born Again” once again takes aim at religion and Christianity, with Bebe declaring that being in love with your partner and consummating that love is better than any heaven people can experience with Jesus at the end of the day (which, well, Bebe is entitled to her opinion, but this melody is pretty insulting to Christians anyway!). “I Am”, a track presumably about female empowerment, falls flat a bit, and literally sounds like ‘new age’ lyrically as Bebe declares herself to be ‘god-like’ in her status. “Seasons” with Dolly Parton thankfully ends the album on a positive and good note, but by then there’s no saving this trainwreck disguised as a pop album.
Bebe Rexha’s Better Mistakes is a revelation, and a surprise album that I enjoyed very much. There is explicit material on the album, but when you’re singing about depression, mental health issues, jealousy, emptiness, love for material possessions, gratitude for parents, cutting off friends, and acting out because of a variety of reasons… well that’s understandable I guess- Bebe’s just writing and singing from her heart. I didn’t expect to be so impacted so positively by a mainstream pop album… but here we are. There literally isn’t a negative point here. It’s too short though (at 35 minutes!)- but other than that, Bebe’s effort is near flawless, and makes us think more about ourselves and more about others. As for Bebe … the less said about that, the better. Only a couple of noteworthy tracks amongst a sea of sameness and drivel. So what are you waiting for? Check out Better Mistakes and be blessed and inspired! Toss Bebe by the wayside! Sorry Bebe!
3 songs to listen to: Heart Wants What It Wants, Blue Moon, Seasons
Score: 2/5
RIYL: Olivia Rodrigo, Dove Cameron, Halsey, Zara Larsson, Coldplay, Selena Gomez