It's the moment we've all been waiting for. Late 90's / Early 2000's babies, our favorite Demi Lovato songs have been revived. Not only have they been brought back to life, but they've been completely revamped. The pop hits that we grew up with and love have entered a completely new era; an era that takes these already incredible songs to a whole new level that we didn't even know existed. If you haven't already heard these new rock versions of Demi Lovato favorites, I'm warning you now. Brace yourself; because you're not gonna know what hit you.
TRACKLIST
Heart Attack (Rock Version)
Confident (Rock Version)
Sorry Not Sorry feat. Slash (Rock Version)
Cool For The Summer (Rock Version)
Tell Me You Love Me (Rock Version)
Neon Lights feat. The Maine (Rock Version)
Skyscraper (Rock Version)
La La Land feat. Nita Strauss (Rock Version)
Give Your Heart a Break feat. Bert McCracken (Rock Version)
Don't Forget (Rock Version)
**TRIGGER WARNING**
Talks of mental illness, addiction, and overdose.
Our ears have been blessed by Demi Lovato's voice since 2008 when she starred in the Disney Channel movie, Camp Rock. However, Demi isn't just one of those ordinary Disney star actress turns independent singer types. Demi was always raw and real with her struggles as a person in the limelight, and teenagers who struggled with depression were able to relate and connect to her music in a really special way. Demi's career has taken a lot of twist and turns since 2008, but I think she has finally found herself, her sound, and is happy with where she's at. We all know that Demi almost lost her life to an overdose in 2018, which caused her to go partially blind, partially deaf, and have permeant brain damage. The fact that she is still here and sings stronger than ever is proof that she is a pure survivor. If you haven't seen her "Dancing With the Devil" documentary series, I highly recommend watching it. Now lets get to the album!
Heart Attack (Rock Version)
Heart Attack was our first taste of this collection of rock re-recordings when Demi released it out of nowhere earlier this year. We had no idea that we'd end up getting 9 other songs later on. I already loved this song before, but this version is just beyond incredible. If you obsessively used to listen to the original like I did, then you'll be able to hear how Demi's voice sounds so mature and effortless here. She even changes up the melody a bit with some extra added ornamentations and even higher notes than before, and it feels like exactly what the song needed to be complete. This whole album is a whole new level of sound I never thought my ears could possibly experience, and starting with Heart Attack makes you realize exactly what else is about to happen.
Confident (Rock Version)
Get ready, because you're probably not ready. This version of Confident is going to make your jaw drop to the floor. Just when you thought this song couldn't go harder, well here you go. The production on this one is perfection, and if it wasn't the perfect hype song before, it is now. Don't feel ashamed to unleash your inner beast when dancing around your room to this one.
Sorry Not Sorry feat. Slash (Rock Version)
The original Sorry Not Sorry is one of Demi's most streamed songs of all time. It has over 1 BILLION streams on Spotify alone. Now what happens when you take a banger song, turn it rock, AND invite the legendary Slash to play guitar on it?! If you somehow don't know who Slash is, he was the lead guitarist for the 90s rock band "Guns N Roses" and is considered one of the best guitarists of all time. The rock instrumentation gives this song a new feel; one that is more real. Slash has a guitar solo after the bridge of the song, which leads into the biggest banger of a final chorus I've ever heard.
Cool For The Summer (Rock Version)
Although all the songs on this album are top tier, I've got to admit that this version of Cool For The Summer is in my top 3 favorites. It had no right to GO. THIS. HARD. The interlude right after each chorus is insane; and I can just imagine jumping around in a sweaty pit of people with strobe lights going crazy to this one. Like all the other songs, the final chorus goes absolutely nuts and you just can't believe what you're hearing. Demi's range is god-like and there's no denying it.
Tell Me You Love Me (Rock Version)
Tell Me You Love Me is one of the more emotional songs within Demi's discography, however, this rock version turns it into a whole new experience. The original song has more of a soulful, RnB groove and is softer than what happens within the rock version. Demi really brings the energy in this one, and it hits harder than you'd expect.
Neon Lights feat. The Maine (Rock Version)
Like Cool For The Summer, this song already went pretty hard with it's incredibly catchy melody and upbeat rhythm. Just when you think a song can't get any better, it does. This song has drums that just go absolutely wild and it's one of songs that lets go of it's pop vibe the most; but even if you're not a big fan of heavy rock, it's pretty much impossible not the still vibe to this song. I was a bit reserved at first about hearing vocals other than Demi's on the song, which I'm sure a lot of people felt as well. However, when John O'Callaghan (lead singer of The Maine) came in, my doubts quickly faded. His voice is perfect for this song and pairs with Demi's very well. If you don't know who The Maine is, they're a small rock band from Arizona. They've been around since 2007, and are highly underrated! If you love rock music, I suggest checking out more of them.
Skyscraper (Rock Version)
When I saw Skyscraper on this tracklist, I couldn't wait to hear it. How could such a soft, sad and emotional song become rock? It was the one song I didn't have a clue what it could sound like, but it turns out that it is even more emotional than the original. This genre shift is exactly what this song needed to reach its full potential. The song is immediately different when you start play; because instead of piano, it's an organ. The song builds in the most incredible way. From the bridge all the way to the end, you start to really feel it. You can hear the passion and pain in Demi's voice, but at the same time you can hear how proud she is of herself. The runs and changes to the melody are just so natural and you can feel how important this song is to her. Knowing everything that she has gone through, if this song doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will.
La La Land feat. Nita Strauss (Rock Version)
When people saw La La Land was on this album, they said, "Wait, but La La Land is already a rock song?". Sure, it's a rock song - but it's one one Demi's first ever songs as a solo artist. The original song was released 14 years ago. In this re-recording, we can hear the incredible evolution that Demi's voice has gone through since then. Her tone is more mature which brings a whole new feel to this song. And you know that incredible long high note near the end of the song? Well, it's even higher and even more impressive than ever. Nita Strauss is a phenomenal rock guitarist who played for Alice Cooper, and has since joined Demi Lovato's band when Demi released her first official rock album last year titled "Holy Fvck".
Give Your Heart a Break feat. Bert McCracken (Rock Version)
Out of all the songs on this album, I think Give Your Heart a Break is the closest to the original despite it's major instrumentation change. The melody and mood is pretty much the exact same, except there's also a featured vocalist like with Neon Lights. Although I would've really liked to hear just Demi on this one, Bert McCracken (from The Used) had an amazing supportive voice for Demi and gave the song a bit of a punk tone. My favorite change would have to be the guitar they used to replace some of the violin, as well as the superior high notes that Demi hits during the bridge and final chorus.
Don't Forget (Rock Version)
This is the second oldest song on this album, coming from the same year and album as La La Land, Demi's debut album also titled "Don't Forget". It's the perfect song to close out "Revamped", but disappointingly, it's the least streamed song on the whole album. That is a really big shame, because it is by far the best re-recording out of them all. This song is full circle for Demi; a reminder to not forget who you were, but to also be proud of how far you've come. The emotion is pouring out heavier and heavier as the song goes on, and Demi gives us everything she's got. Listening to this song is like a out-of-body, spiritual experience and you cannot skip it if you want to get an idea of what this whole "Revamped" album was supposed to be about!
This album is overwhelming, but in the best possible way. You can feel the emotion and energy that was put into every song in your soul. It's enough to just completely take your breath away. These re-recorded songs are so nostalgic, but the genre switch gives it a fresh, brand new type of feeling. I'd absolutely do anything to hear these versions live and scream my head off, cry, and dance around like it's my last day on Earth. It not only shows Demi's vocal maturity, but her growth as a person as well. Her range, power, and soul are unlike any other singer in our generation. Her voice was made to be heard, and the harder pop/rock genre that she turned these songs into gives her more opportunity to show us what she's got beyond the commercial pop world.
Written By Kaitlyn Nicole
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.