Grammy-winning pop artist Alessia Cara continues to build excitement for her sophomore LP, ‘The Pains of Growing,’ on her 4^th advanced single, “Not Today.”

“Someday I won’t be afraid of my head / Someday I will not be chained to my bed / Someday I’ll forget the day he left / But surely not today.” Reflective – food for thought.  Following a three-year hiatus, Grammy-winning pop artist Alessia Cara returns with her sophomore album, The Pains of Growing.  Here 2015 debut, Know-It-All, was filled with hits including “Here”, “Scars to Your Beautiful”, and “Wild Things”.  While Cara has released some respectable singles in advance of The Pains of Growing, none have caught on to the degree of her Know-It-All gems.  Yes, The Pains of Growing remains highly-anticipated, but, how well will it ultimately perform is the question.  Nonetheless, Cara strikes gold with the fourth advance single, “Not Today.”

Alessia Cara keeps things ‘short and sweet’ on “Not Today,” which just crosses over the two-and-a-half-minute mark in length.  The good news is that it’s a soulful, thrilling two-and-a-half-minutes.  The production is a blend of old (classic soul palette) and new (sleek, modern drum programming, and some synths). Vocally, Cara sounds superb, never over-singing, yet packing a punch with commanding, nuanced, and powerful vocals.  Honestly, her performance is captivating – simply mesmerizing.  Adding to the greatness of “Not Today” are the authentic, honest lyrics.  Among personal favorite lyrical moments hail from the second verse, when Cara asserts, “I’ll be the king of misery management.” Adding to that authenticity and honesty is memorability and catchiness – looking at you chorus:

“Oh, you don’t know what sadness means

‘Til you’re too sad to fall asleep

One day, I’ll be snoozing peacefully

But surely not today, surely not today.”

Final Thoughts 

In my humble opinion, “Not Today” might be the best single from The Pains of Growing as of yet.  Sure, Alessia Cara keeps things brief, but “Not Today” packs quite a punch with its honesty and indisputable authenticity.  Here, she captures some of the glory of my personal favorite AC record, “Here,” by opening up about her feelings.  If excitement for The Pains of Growing was a bit ‘tempered’ for me prior to “Not Today,” it’s grown since hearing it.

Alessia Cara » The Pains of Growing » Def Jam » Release: 11.30.18

Photo Credit: Def Jam