Worry About Me with blackbear is a more hip-hop style track that has this darker and more brooding sound to it mixed in with this more bouncy trap style beat. The funny thing is the EG.0 part of the album is actually where most of the best tracks are. Honestly this extra EP attached to the main project feels like Goulding’s way of sneaking some of her more notable singles onto the album despite them not fitting at all. There’s the bulk of the album being tracks 1-13 that are considered the main album then tracks 14-18 being the EG.0 part of the album, also on some versions Sixteen is part of the album but on the version I’m covering that track isn’t included so I won’t be talking about it her. This sounds really cool but in reality it doesn’t work out like that. Especially with this being kind of a double album, I know in interviews Goulding really hyped up this idea of the two parts of the album showing two different sides with the second disc being almost an alter-ego. Such as the track Wine Drunk which has these really annoying robot vocals and just fills time that’s not needed. Also there are these brief interlude tracks that don’t seem to serve any purpose. There’s a fair bit to like on this album but where it gets dragged down is all the forgettable and bland tracks that mostly fail due to poor productions. Also it’s placement just before the piano driven track Woman is also perfect as Goulding goes from singing about herself broadly to a track more specifically about her experiences as a women. Ode To Myself, while not a long track, is also enjoyable with a nice message and a distinct vocal delivery that keeps a good pace. The writing is also captivating and engaging as well, detailing a messy relationship that has severally messed up power dynamics thanks to a controlling partner. The beat feels looser and more relaxed which gives Goulding the room to breath and actually gives her a chance to shine without being limited by the production. However sprinkled in with the more bland tracks there’s songs like Power which are genuinely great. Love I’m Given also has this same issue where the production during the chorus almost sounds like an Imagine Dragons song with this focus on sounding big and dramatic by just turning the reverb on the looped drum machine up to add more bass. New Heights for example while well sung and decently written fails to land with the dreary production with synths that drag so much that they detract from the power of the track where they should be trying to make it soar. The biggest issue is once again the so-so production that feels like a generic hodgepodge of what’s popular right now. This album feels like the inevitable pay off for Goulding’s increasing interest in creating music for the widest mass appeal as many tracks on this album begin to blend together after a few listens. This is especially disappointing from Goulding because she does have genuine talent and a unique voice that, if paired with more interesting production, could really stand out in music. But I bring it up because both suffer from a similar issue which is they’re both pretty boring to listen too. Now don’t mistake me here because I genuinely despise Bieber’s album from earlier this year and I want to make it clear Brightest Blue is a better album than Changes. Also similar to Bieber for an album that took 5 years to arrive it does not feel like it warranted the wait. After all he also managed to sustain a successful career despite not releasing a new album since 2015. In fact her career seems eerily reminiscent of Justin Bieber’s.
While she has managed to consistently get hits however she’s not put out a full studio album since Delirium in 2015, instead she’s been releasing singles and getting guest features. Her music has felt increasingly lifeless and bland, however what she’s doing has clearly been working because she’s one of the few pop stars from the early 2010’s that has managed to endure into the new decade. While I have occasionally liked an Ellie Goulding song here and there I feel like she’s had an increasing focus on wanting to get radio hits or chart hits, especially with all the contributions to film soundtracks and guest features she’s been doing.
Since then however she’s become more and more of a pure pop act who’s songs have become a staple of H&M playlists, movie soundtracks and pop radio in the few places radio still persists. I remember when Ellie Goulding first burst onto the music scene back at the start of the 2010’s with her very distinct vocal style and mix of synth-pop and indie-pop. Ellie Goulding is back with something that definitely is 100% an album…