Four years since her last album, Demi Lovato made a triumphant return to the music scene with âDancing With The Devil⦠The Art of Starting Over.â The album comes in the wake of her 2018 heroin overdose and is accompanied by a documentary series unpacking the events that led up to her hospitalization. The albumâs greatest strengths lie in Lovatoâs undeniably exceptional vocal ability and in her hooks. However, awkward phrasing and overly specific lyrics in the verses and pre-choruses on some songs detract from their listenability, resulting in an inconsistent record.
The album is split into two pieces that cover the last two and a half years of Lovatoâs life. The âDancing With The Devilâ section of the album comprises three songs, and chronicles her overdose. The album opens with âAnyone,â the song she sang at the 62nd Grammyâs in her first time returning to the stage post-overdose. Accompanied by just a piano, Lovatoâs voice soars, a driving force all on its own, and her pain bursts forth with her high sustained belt, crying out for âanyoneâ to listen to her. The following track, âDancing With The Devil,â recounts her relapse and âICU (Madisonâs Lullabye)â places her in a hospital bed speaking to her younger sister, Madison De La Garza. The latterâs lyrics focus on references to sight, even in the title (âICUâ takes on two meanings, both Intensive Care Unit and âI See Youâ). In her documentary series, Lovato explains that she was unable to see when she first woke up in the hospital and therefore couldnât recognize her sister. âAnyoneâ is the strongest of these three songs, and, along with âICU,â it is the most emotionally vulnerable. âICUâ ends with De La Garza saying âI love you Demiâ and Lovato replying âI love you too,â and while it is a sweet moment for the sisters, it detracts from the songâs listenability.