Shawn Mendes – Wonder

[Taylor.]

His documentary isn't getting very good reviews. 33% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The main criticisms seem to be what most were expecting:

"Filmed before the mayhem of 2020, “In Wonder” sometimes comes across as utopian to the point of being tone-deaf. It’s skin-deep access, pushing viewers up against the glossy outsides of the bubble of someone who earned $38 million in 2019 alone. Singer’s film is more an extended promotional reel than the anatomy of an artist, and that lack of depth and disarmament feels just a bit out of step at the end of a humbling year for celebrities."

[andrebra]

yeahhh I could’ve guess that one, I mean the trailer starts with him being filmed in the shower, yet they want it to seem “authentic” lol ok

[Ling-Ling]

If you see the subject of the documentary's name in the producer's credits, it's not a documentary. It's a vanity project/promo reel. I have no desire to dive into these artist's forced narratives.

[spiritboy]

I love Shawn but he is not interesting enough to have a documentary about himself.

[★Disco★]

[ificanthaveyou]

Is Shawn starting to take himself too seriously? He’s a cute white guy a guitar but I hope he knows it’s all fluff.

[Rosaliner]

It was a bore to watch it. Hes a cute, talented guy, but there's nothing interesting about him, in any part of his life. Even the “drama” with him losing his voice was boring.
And the whole shawn+Camilla sub-plot, no comments 😬

[wavey.]

He is getting ate up in here. Sheesh. I ain't saying yall wrong tho. He can put the Guitar down, and do some dance pop(or experiment).

[schnetzka]

I kinda don't want Shawn to go a more pop route. That would be following trends and we have enough artists doing that.

[circadian]

The documentary was a drag to watch. It really pains me because I really like him. A lot. He genuinely seems like a nice guy, and he's actually talented, but his music output has become really stale. I'll give this album the benefit of doubt once it's released, but so far, ugh.

He doesn't have to go full on pop, or chase trends, but a little experimentation would be a welcomed change.

[T.B.F.]

I think that, while the documentary was certainly shallow (his anxiety didn't even merit a mention??),it certainly did a good job at painting Shawn in a favorable light. He came across as very likable and hardworking, which I appreciated. Also, I am excited for the album, based on the songs he previewed.

[Choco]

Nov 26, 2020 16:37:37 GMT -5 schnetzka said:

I kinda don't want Shawn to go a more pop route. That would be following trends and we have enough artists doing that.

White guy with a guitar is also a trend. I want him to do music he likes... but if this new project is what he likes... yeesh.

[★Disco★]

I like the Pop/Rock stuff a little more. The uptempo Pop stuff was nice, but I don't think it would work right now on radio. I didn't care for his earlier stuff like "Stitches", "Mercy", "Treat You Better", "I Know What You Did Last Summer", etc.

[Music Fan]

Nov 27, 2020 23:39:53 GMT -5 T.B.F. said:

I think that, while the documentary was certainly shallow (his anxiety didn't even merit a mention??),it certainly did a good job at painting Shawn in a favorable light. He came across as very likable and hardworking, which I appreciated. Also, I am excited for the album, based on the songs he previewed.

I think this hits it on the nail. My thinking when I first heard this, how it was initially reported and how I felt the promo for this was, made me think this was a documentary. This was not a documentary. As someone mentioned above this was a vanity / promo project. So, in my mind this was marketed completely wrong.

As a vanity / promo project, I think this did its job of making Shawn likeable, hardworking, and caring. As a documentary, this was s**t.

[Choco]

Like some reviews pointed out Shawn and his manager are producers on it, so they were never going to let it be anything other than a pristine, clean image of a wholesome boy trying to make it in the business.

It's promo for the album.

[Taylor.]

Album starts at a 64 on Metacritic with 4 reviews.

www.metacritic.com/music/wonder/shawn-mendes

[McCreerian]

Oh I'm loving this first listen! So different from his other albums. He went much bigger this time. The lyrics are beautiful! I'm going to be playing this on repeat for awhile!

[andrebra]

I’m not exaggerating when I say that 24 Hours is the most boring song I’ve ever heard in my life.

[Choco]

I think it's easily his most boring album yet. And I loved the previous one

[divasummer]

Hmm, I was pleasantly surprised by this album.
Purchased 5 songs so far and may end up completing the album.
"Wonder" was such a let down I thought the rest of the cd was going to be as well.
I like it....
So far, "Higher, Piece Of You, 24 Hrs, Monster and Teach Me How To Love" are my favorites.

[Raccoon]

First listen my standouts


Teach Me How To Love
Wonder
Piece of You
Look Up At The Stars
Higher

[.exclusive]

Honestly, this was a bore of an album. I see the intention of creating something unconventional from the usual pop record formulae, but the production seems scattered and weak in some areas.

My favorites are "Wonder", "Monster" and "Teach Me How To Love". I can see where a few tracks could grow on me, but I'm not too eager to dive right back in.

[schnetzka]

I'll echo what everybody is saying and say it's not the most entertaining album. There are a couple songs on the album that I enjoyed and then others that I thought went nowhere. Still, it's not on the bottom of my music list of the year. I feel there were worse albums released.

[wjr15]

I sorta like this album on first listen and I can see it growing on me over time. It’s not as good as his self titled album but there’s still a handful of songs that I enjoyed:

Wonder (this one grew on me immensely over time)
Higher
Teach Me How To Love
Dream
305

There were a few songs on here that felt like duds but I’ll give it a few more listens over the next few days to see if my opinion changes. I don’t hear too many potential singles on this album but I think Higher would be their best choice.

[spiritboy]

I also didn't hear any potential singles when i gave this a first listen last night. His relationship with Camila must've been very uninspiring if it the result is this album.

[taylor]

I was really looking forward to this, and it didn't disappoint, but it also didn't wow me as much as his self-titled did. Whereas I liked just about everything on that album, I'm likely gonna wind up going back to only half of this album. I enjoy the more vintage sound tho; that's something I really appreciate about the record.

Standouts: Intro/Wonder, Higher, 24 Hours, Call My Friends, Dream, 305

[Juan Carlos]

Holiday deluxe version of the album out now, including "The Christmas Song" featuring Camila Cabello and his BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge cover of Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".

[Enigma.]

40 hours after the standard version. Is that a record? I remember NAV releasing a deluxe a few days after the original album.

[ificanthaveyou]

Dec 5, 2020 8:55:00 GMT -5 spiritboy said:

I also didn't hear any potential singles when i gave this a first listen last night. His relationship with Camila must've been very uninspiring if it the result is this album.

Can’t wait until he gets with a beefcake once he ends this fake thing with Camilla. The music will be 🔥

[T.B.F.]

What happened to the songwriting from his last album? I think he needs Teddy Geiger because, reading the CD booklet before hearing the album, I was struck at how empty the songs looked. They work sonically, for the most part, though. I just don't think Camila makes compelling evidence, whatsoever, for being his muse. It saddens me that this is not better than his previous album, because he seemed like the type of artist who was on a solely upward trajectory, in terms of quality. It's not a bad album at all, though. It's also well-produced and well-performed. I just didn't connect with the songs as much as I did on the last album. I'll give this a solid B/B-.

1. Wonder (I mean, this song is so beautiful. I love it even more.)
2. Higher (next single or cancel the whole album. this is such a BOP! Justin Timberlake, who?)
3. Always Been You (this did not disappoint based on the special. majestic and powerful)
4. Dream (COME. THE. f**k. ON. What a song! This gives me major Sufjan Stevens vibes.)
5. Piece Of You
6. 305 (the more this progressed, the more I liked it)
7. Monster (OK, in the context of the album, I low-key like this. Also, Justin out-sings him and his mixing is PERFECT.)
8. 24 Hours
9. Intro
10. Call My Friends (this is very Ryan Tedder to me)
11. Song For No One
12. Can't Imagine
13. Look Up At The Stars
14. Teach Me How To Love (nah)