♫ Selena Gomez | C-

Disney starlet Selena Gomez and her backing band, The Scene, have put out their second electro-pop album, A Year Without Rain. Despite all of the heavy production, big-name collaborators (including Katy Perry, Fefe Dobson and Dr. Luke), Gomez can't escape sounding like a dozen other pop artists.

"Round and Round" and "A Year Without Rain" are the album's lead singles. Both start off promising, with catchy beats and synthesizer effects. The lyrics, however, are what truly kill both songs. For example, in "A Year Without Rain" Gomez coos, "There's gonna be a monsoon/ When you get back to me/ Oh baby."

Things don't get much better as the album progresses. "Rock God," a track originally written and performed by Katy Perry, features intriguing, Bible-Belt confessional lyrics, "Father, things aren't always so black and white/don't cast the first stone ‘cause I'm not alone."The song is about Gomez refusing to give up her addiction to dating a rocker. However, digital manipulation warps Gomez into sounding like a member of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Gomez attempts to play the role of a sassy life coach in "Intuition." She repeatedly tells her listeners to follow their instincts because, "It's gonna be a good day." After the overproducing and excessive amount of woah's, "Intuition" gives listeners the indication to skip "Ghost of You" and "Sick of You," two forgettable tracks about Gomez's heartbreak.

The last song, "Live Like There's No Tomorrow," feels like a more serious take on the same themes expressed in her song "Intuition," seeming very sweet and genuine. However, A Year Without Rain is too slick for its own good, not knowing how to flatter Gomez's talents.