Ava Max - Heaven and Hell ALBUM REVIEW

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Ava Max is one of those artists that I could never understand why she was on the level of popularity that she’s at now. After the double whammy of “Sweet but Psycho” and “So Am I,” Max seemed prime for stardom. Now, just over two years after that and a couple of delays, Ava Max’s debut album Heaven and Hell is here. With the concept of the album being divided into two sides, ‘heaven’ and ‘hell,’ I went into this album with an open mind and kinda optimistic as well. Enough chit-chat, let’s just get right into Heaven or Hell.

Heaven and Hell is a pop album with electronic and dance influences. As for the sound, it’s like a theatrical take on an early Lady Gaga record, emphasis on ‘theatrical.’ The entire album feels like an uptempo Broadway musical, and you’re right in the front and center seat. The song “OMG What’s Happening” is a great showcase of her voice, “Naked” has one of the best choruses I’ve heard all year, and the idea of the track “Torn” being the purgatory of the two sides of the record is very clever. I guess really the only problem I found with Heaven and Hell is that I’m afraid that this is going to get lost in the shuffle of the different pop artists and projects that came out this year. Because of everything going on, the music industry, especially in the realm of pop, have been creating pandemic albums to try and maintain relevance so they can go back out and tour again once the pandemic is over. I really don’t want Ava Max to disappear from the music world because there’s so much potential in her music, and she’s nearly there.

Heaven and Hell actually really surprised me. Ava Max’s vocals are stellar, the songs are catchy as hell, and to top it all off, it has a cohesive concept that’s basic to understand, but isn’t for babies to understand. This is certainly one of the most surprising reviews I’ve done this year, but it’s certainly a welcome one.


7/10


Stream Heaven or Hell here

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