Demi Lovato's REVAMPED attemptes to transform old music

Moving into heavier territory has always been on the cards for her, beginning her musical career in the Disney days with polished pop-rock before moving into mainstream pop. Last year, she went full circle with her heaviest work yet on the pure pop-punk, even hard rock, of 2022's Holy Fvck. REVAMPED continues this journey while it remembers the past with a rockstar reimagining of her biggest singles from throughout her career in a new, rockier style.

Holy Fvck was a great album, one of the best from the post-Covid pop-punk revival era. It was heavy, cathartic and wholly authentic. So on paper, REVAMPED should have the same sense of freedom as Lovato’s previous genre transformation. Unfortunately, though, it’s an album of missed opportunities in which Lovato seems to take a musical step backwards in their career.

Lovato had an opportunity here to take their old music to extreme new places, on this album, had they chosen to keep up the hard-rock momentum we heard on Holy Fvck. Instead, these songs are given only a vague electronic-rock sheen. In some cases, it works a treat. REVAMPED opens with “Heart Attack”, one of Lovato’s strongest numbers which is made somehow even punchier, even more powerful than it was before. Later on, “Skyscraper” is equally improved with the addition of heavier guitars and incredible vocals, without totally giving up the original piano.

Disappointingly, though, these are the only two real improvements on REVAMPED. Aside from these gems, the difference between these rock versions and the originals is only slight, with nowhere near enough of a musical departure to rewrite history.

Songs like “Confident”, “Sorry Not Sorry” and “Neon Lights” are underwhelming and overproduced. There’s always the sense that something is missing – some bolder instrumentals and messier vocals would have been welcome. While there are impressive guest stars throughout the record (Slash and Nita Strauss provide some particularly impressive work), you can’t help but feel that their contributions would have been more significant on new music.

REVAMPED could have been genius. Lovato’s move to heavier music is by no means a mistake, but this reimagining of her old music feels artificial. Generic pop music is turned into formulaic rock music, lacking the substance and authenticity of her previous album. Perhaps if Holy Fvck had been a less impressive album, REVAMPED wouldn’t feel like a weaker album. But knowing the kind of rock music that Demi Lovato is capable of is what makes REVAMPED an overall disappointment.