Alessia Cara, This Summer (EP) | Album Review 💿

Grammy-winning pop/R&B singer/songwriter Alessia Cara shines once more on her brief, but scintillating six-song EP, This Summer. 

At the 60th Annual Grammy Awards (2018), Alessia Cara won her first Grammy, the highly coveted Best New Artist.  The win arguably arrived at least a year later than it should’ve, but few can deny the talents of the Canadian pop/R&B singer/songwriter.  Unfortunately, the stars didn’t shine on Cara when her sophomore album, The Pains of Growing, arrived later that same year.  Safe to say, the ‘sophomore effect’ was a real thing, not to mention suspect promotion for an overall strong LP.  Cara returned in 2019 with new singles, which ultimately appear on the enjoyable, six-track EP, This Summer. 

“Ready”

“You start a million fires just to see what they can do / But then you freeze up like winter season in June.”  Alessia Cara kicks off This Summer sensationally with promo single, ✓ “Ready.” “Ready” possesses a bright sound, set in a major key. The production is a mix of reggae and tropical-tinged cues, still idiomatic of urban-pop.  As always, Cara delivers lovely vocals that are expressive, yet poised and never over-sung.  The best moment of “Ready” is the tuneful, catchy chorus, which is simple, but highly effective:  

“Oh, you’re note ready for, ready for me...
Go steady your heavy heart until you’re free
...Until you’re ready, ready for me.”

“Ready” is a fine way to open This Summer (EP). “Had a one-way talk with your voicemail / Called out, but you weren’t there…” ✓ “What’s on Your Mind” keeps summer alive and well on This Summer.  “What’s on Your Mind” features a throwback vibe with a soulful, dusty groove, vintage piano touches, and funky sensibilities.  Furthering those throwback vibes is the prominent use of harmonized vocals.  Even though ‘old school’ is firmly planted, “What’s on Your Mind” still has contemporary touches, including pitch shifted vocals.  On the centerpiece, the chorus, Cara asserts:  

“How am I supposed to know what’s on your mind? 
I don’t have a crystal ball  
I can’t see through your walls 
You should know better 
How am I supposed to know what’s on your mind? 
I’m tired of cracking codes 
If you want me, let me know 
You should know better 
Ah, better.”

“Like You” 

One of the selling points of the third track, “Like You,” are the cool, detuned elements of the production.  Furthermore, there’s more excellent drum programing – the beat remains sick with elements of hip-hop, reggae, and trap.  Beyond the beat, there are more reggae and tropical pop elements that fit the summery theme and vibes of this EP.  Another brilliant feature is the use of call and response between Cara’s lead and backing vocals. “Like You” may keep things short, but it’s quite sweet.  

“OKAY OKAY” keeps This Summer hella groovy.  Once more, backing vocals play a key role in the sound, appearing on the pre-chorus and chorus sections.  Alessia Cara sounds like she’s having a good time here, exhibiting feistiness and youthfulness.  The youthfulness is a good look because Cara has always shown incredible maturity in her young career, particularly her ‘ace in the hole,’ “Here” from Know-It-All.  We are all spoiled with yet another ‘golden’ chorus, one in which Cara is incredibly confident:  

“I’m a million-trick pony 
The number one and only 
On a scale of 1 to 10, I’m at 11...”  

“Rooting for You”

“I’m not even brokenhearted / I’m just a little disappointed / What a shame, we coulda had a good thing / You let go of a good thing…” Uh-oh – bridges burned! On ✓  “Rooting for You”, Alessia Cara remains true to self – down to earth, honest and open. She sings coolly, with relative ease.  At the same time, she’s able to bring just the right amount of attitude on the memorable chorus:  

“It’s like, damn
Why you gotta be so cold in the summertime, summertime
I was really rooting for ya, yeah
I was really rotting for ya, yeah, yeah…”

The voice is marvelous, the songwriting is potent, with the theme of a drama-filled relationship of sorts – “We started out innocent / ‘Til I got pulled right into your issue, yeah” or “Now I see you’re having so much fun with everyone / You had so much fun making fun of…” being incredibly relatable.  The production – more excellence from Jon Levine and Midi Jones – continues to standout throughout the course of This Summer.  

“October”

“October” concludes This Summer – appropriate considering summer is definitely over by the end of September.  In the same token, Alessia Cara is going to miss the fun she had This Summer… touring with Shawn Mendes.  What also makes “October” intriguing is the fact that it is written in a way that it seems Cara could be talking about a summer fling. The chorus is the crème de la crème of course:  

“I’m gonna miss it when it’s over, yeah, yeah 
I hope we never see October, yeah, yeah 
I felt the weight fall off my shoulders, yeah, yeah, yeah 
I'm gonna miss this when it's 
I'm gonna miss you when it's done” 

Final Thoughts

So, we didn’t get another full-length album from Alessia Cara, but we got a pretty enjoyable EP with This Summer.  What makes This Summer (EP) shine is the fact that we see a slightly feistier, more youthful Cara.  No, she was never boring or “old” in the first place, but she comes off a bit looser on this EP, clearly in line with how we associate summer in the first place.  Once again, all boxes are checked off. 

✓ Gems: “Ready,” “What’s on Your Mind” & “Rooting for You”

Alessia Cara • This Summer (EP) • Def Jam • Release: 9.6.19 

Photo Credit: Def Jam