Unbroken Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Breaking into a whirlwind schedule of filming Disney TV movies and touring the world with the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato checked into a treatment facility in the fall of 2010. Denying rumors of substance abuse, their management team confessed that Lovato was being treated for emotional issues that manifested themselves in bulimia and cutting, serious matters that cant be swept under the rug, so Lovato attempts to clear the air with their post-treatment record, 2011s Unbroken. Clearly, the title is intended to convey strength, while its lead single, Skyscraper, conveys vulnerability, setting a precedent for Lovato specifically addressing their problems on Fix a Heart, where they run out of Band-Aids to bind their wounds. All admirable attempts at honesty, yet these confessionals bear an uncomfortable resemblance to Lindsay Lohans autobiographical A Little More Personal (Raw), particularly when Lovato concludes the record with For the Love of a Daughter, its pained chorus echoing the sentiments of Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father). If Unbroken contained nothing but confessions itd be an odd but possibly effective way to address their troubles. Instead, these stark ballads -- which Lovato doesnt quite have the pipes to sing without straining -- are paired with half-an-album's worth of songs that act like nothing is wrong in Demis world at all, that they can keep partying All Night Long and shaking their hips for their only shorty. Ryan Tedder attempts to push them onto the charts while Timbaland knocks off his own production of Nelly Furtados Promiscuous, the frivolity clashing with introspection, the presence of both undermining the substance of either. Its hard to party knowing Lovato couldnt quite handle the clubs, while its not easy to trust the melancholy flowing through the ballads knowing they're ready to cut loose. One of these personas is an act, the question is which one.
