Mellisa Villaseñor's debut album is an exquisite pop venture through love, heartbreak, loneliness, and independence. Dreamer is both rewarding and engaging with each new listen.
Melissa Villaseñor is an impressionist, comedian, SNL cast member, and a singer songwriter. She's an all around joy to watch and listen to, whether on an SNL skit, detailed conversation on an Instagram story, or hearing her sing on a song. Villaseñor is such an underrated talent over the years ever since I saw her SNL debut. Not only is she hilarious and clever, but she is a fantastic singer and songwriter. I first heard her music last year with "Love Again," "Dreamin' You Up," and "This Time Last Year." She tends to create personal singer songwriter pop music that can be joyfully blissful or tearfully sad (depending on which track you're listening to). "This Time Last Year" was one of those sadder moments and the track really struck a chord with me. Villaseñor's vocals and harmonies are beautiful on the ballad with icy, chillingly quiet piano keys. Her lyrics depict a past heartbreak that still looms over her currently. It was such a memorable track that kept me wanting to see what other sounds and styles she can come up with in the future.
Villaseñor has now released her debut music album and it's safe to say that it has happily exceeded my expectations. Dreamer is not just your standard pop album. It shows the many different sides of Melissa through these nine songs, each having a different mood, style, and purpose. "Sweet Melissa" is an acoustic introduction that focuses on passing time changing her identity. "Dreamin' You Up" is pure pop rock at its finest. Reminiscent of early 2000's pop rock, it has blissful guitars, backing vocals, piano, and thrillingly lovestruck lyrics. "Quiet," another highlight, focuses on dependence of another's love and engages the listener with very pretty, atmospheric electro pop. "Old Me" mixes classic doo-wop with modern piano with a very overwhelming guitar-heavy finish.
"Love Again," a track that was released in 2017, pleasantly fits into this album like a glove with its sweet guitar strums, finding positivity in an uncertain world. "Mom" is a folky ballad that is a sweet ode to her mother and thanking her for everything. It's a pure aw moment that will surely put a tear to all the moms out there. "Shine," my personal favorite, is pure joy and is one of the most blissfully sunny songs of 2019. With horns, xylophone, bright keys, and a powerful vocal performance from Villaseñor, "Shine"is all about doing what makes you happy and positive in this world. I love it so much. "Sponge and Rock," the album's closer, is another stunner. This time, its a chillingly beautiful and sparse instrumental with mainly just Villaseñor's vocals over a vocoder effect. Her lyrics on the track, specifically "sponge that I am / soaking up people and pain / I need my rock to keep me safe," is arguably my favorite passage on the entire album.
Despite its 24 minute runtime, Dreamer keeps me reeled in and wanting more. My only complaint really is that it seems to end so soon, like a quick goodbye from a faithful friend. Its shortness isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I would absolutely love Villaseñor to continue down this musical path and continue to try new sounds and styles like she does here. It's a lovely surprise to see how much of a great variety these nine songs span lyrically and instrumentally. Her vocals and lyrics are stunning as expected and the production is very colorful, along with her band's performances too. It's quite rewarding and engaging with each new listen, finding new lyrical meanings and sounds within each detail. Dreamer is an exquisite and joyful pop venture through love, heartbreak, loneliness, and independence. It may as well be my favorite pop album of 2019 and can't recommend them any higher.
My Rating: 8 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Shine," "Dreamin' You Up," "This Time Last Year," "Sponge and Rock," "Quiet"
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