Metacritic

Hailee Steinfeld has been a household name for quite some time due to her roles in award-winning films such as True Grit and The Edge of Seventeen. After showing off her vocal chops in the hit "Pitch Perfect" movie trilogy, it was not a surprise to anyone when last month she announced she was making her music debut with a single titled "Love Myself". The song was an immediate hit, even going #1 in the UK last week. Now just four weeks after the lead single, her debut album titled Passion has arrived.

Let us begin with the best things about the project, the most obvious being Hailee herself. She is a very capable singer, delivering explosive choruses on tracks like the stellar EDM song "Starving", oozing personality on the cheeky "Generous" and sounding incredibly sexy and sensual on "Ins and Outs". In addition to that, she and her writing team manage to deliver some of the best mainstream pop lyrics of the year so far. Nowhere is their knack for crafting clever track premises and hooks more apparent than the stellar "Sue Me". It is an amazing post-break up anthem that sounds like a massive hit and will undoubtedly make its way to the Instagram captions of countless teenage girls.

Sadly the album's downfall is in it's production, or more precisely Mattman & Robin's production. The duo has credits on more than a third of the album, yet across their 7 songs they fail to craft any distinct or unique sound. Unlike Zedd and Oscar Holter, who craft lush and vibrant instrumentals that perfectly blend with Hailee's vocals on "Starving" and "Ins and Outs" respectively, Mattman & Robin deliver hollow and unmemorable instrumentals. "Hell No's and Headphones" for example boasts some of the best lyrics on the entire album yet is completely ruined by the dull production. "You're Such A" could have been a great pop anthem, yet ends up sounding like a bad Taylor Swift song. Even "Love Myself", which is a stand out track, is brought down in quality by the cheap drums during the chorus. Interestingly though the worst track on the project is a complete failure but not due to Mattman & Robin. The song "Pink" easily has Hailee's worst vocal performance on the album and one of the most obnoxious vocal performances in recent memory. Whether it be her sing-talk shtick on the verses or the horrendous "aaah" ad-libs during the chorus, close to everything about the song is sonic torture. The only Mattman & Robin song, aside from "Love Myself", that does not sound like it was produced by a Disney Channel staff member is the aforementioned "Sue Me".

On "Passion" Hailee reveals herself to be a force to be reckoned with. Most of the tracks have her showing off her effortless vocals and catchy hooks, but sadly some very poor production choices across the entire album bog down the quality of many songs. Hailee manages to craft a solid, fun pop debut, but who knows how much more she could have achieved if she had taken time to refine it and work with a more diverse and talented set of producers.

Best Tracks: Starving, Sue Me, Ins and Outs
Worst Tracks: Pink, You're Such A

Hailee Steinfeld has released her debut album, titled “Passion”. Released under Virgin Records. The heavily pop infused album has a lot of strong points and some low points, that being said. It is time to review the album for you.

For this album, Hailee seems to be taking a more generic approach. As we noticed that most of the tracks have similar production, and has minimal to zero identity. But some other tracks, were fantastic on their one. Such as ‘Pink’ and ‘Sue Me’. Which ‘Pink’ shines with it electric guitar implementation and ‘Sue Me’ with the bass on the chorus. Another song that was completely forgettable was ‘Ins and Outs’ and that sadly was the huge letdown of the whole album. There were so many hits and misses on this album. A lot of songs had strong points, such as ‘You’re Such A’ Bridge and that was it for that song. Same with the hit single ‘Love Myself’ and ‘Rock Bottom’, as they went for an all kill. Making it the stars of the album.

The lyrics are good, it is keep you wanting for me. But other than that, it’s really basic. We diagnosed the reason behind that and it appears they were all written by almost the same handful group of people. And when you do that, they tend to get the idea recurring over and over again. Which can be seen as boring or tired. Of course, lyrics are not huge part of some listeners’ experience. But is also plays a huge part for us reviewers as to criticize the score and construct the review down to bit.

Overall, other than the lyrics and production. The album is really lacking but still enjoyable. Some songs had strong choruses, some had strong verses. Some had both and the rest had none or one good side and one bad side. We really wished we had more to review as we thought this album would’ve had more potential.

Our favorite tracks are “Sue Me”, “Rock Bottom” and “Love Myself”. And our least favorites were “Ins and Outs” and “Starving” and “Generous”

“Sue Me” and “Rock Bottom” had everything checked. It was different, the bass and guitar and drums implementation was amazing and the vocals were amazing. “Ins and Outs” was just overall bad, and it seems like that what the general public is thinking too. It does not fit at all. Same with “Starving” and “Generous”. They were just really boring openers. It has nothing to track you towards the album, you have to force yourself to listen to them most of the time.  

Hailee Steinfeld's debut album "Passion" a Pop record that explores many different messages including being yourself unapologetically like on the pop banger "Sue Me" she also brings up the topic of self-love, like on the smash lead single "Love Myself", an addictive anthemic pop song where she sends out the message of self-loving unapologetically, loving herself is reiterated several times in the chorus and echoes her message that she will put herself first in life, ignoring past relationships. She is representing a person who has self-value and strong independence, so she doesn’t need the recognition of others. Hailee doesn't shy away from being sexual on the album, like on the addictive opener "Starving"  where she explores newfound sexual desires which changed her perspective and helped her recognize the loss of innocence that came with it. Hailee says "I didn't know that I was starving 'til I tasted you" the sexual and more literal sense, implying that once she tasted his lips she was addicted, and wanted more. This could also be a much more metaphorical phrase for oral sex or referring to love, saying that she loved being around him and being in love with him.

The Album also explores more darker topics like in the Shawn Mendes featured Dance-pop record "Rock Bottom" which is about how rocky relationships could be at some points, "That you hate me now and I feel the same way love me now and I feel the same way Scream and we shout And make up the same day, the same day" it seems to be about loving someone so much, that they drive you crazy, and in a weird way she is saying that the tension and friction and the highs and lows that come with a relationship if you don't have it, it won't have the same Passion (pun intended). on another track, Hailee explores the dark side of Hollywood that she experienced as a child, talking about drugs, "And they're all skiing in the powder room Making love to Jack and Jameson"  "With that green prescription fog Blowing out their faces (ha ha ha)", “Hell Nos and Headphones” is an anti-party anthem and I think is the most important track out of the whole album, overall Hailee's debut album is pretty solid, and she definitely has a long way ahead of her, but this is a great album with a great message & we can't wait for what she has in store next.

In Hailee Steinfeld’s debut album there seems to be a fine line between interesting and boring, mature and juvenile, and lyrical success and useless sounds. In Hailee’s case there really is no midground for any of these extremes as she will either gracefully chart for the positive or steamroll through the negatives. The issue is that she does the latter more than the former.

The album opener “Starving” served as a weak opener to this lack luster album as a whole. Between the thoughtless lyrics and the monotonous Zedd beats and production most would be praying for it to be over. When it boils down to the song the most interesting part of the song was the ending with the guitar riffs. The next track is “Generous” which is this adult contemporary disco/R&B influenced song. There really is not much bad about the song as it does have its “charms” but at the same time, this song is by no means special or interesting by any means. The genre influences seemed like Hailee would be experimenting in the album and came off as hopeful but in the grand scheme of things, again, lackluster. The third song on the album is “Pink” which is the albums gold star. And when saying gold star, it really does shine, a bit too bright to be a part of this project. “Pink” serves as the hyper-experimental track that paid off phenomenally. Hailee’s broken style production and writing style here makes you stop throughout the song and wants you to try to understand the song but that’s not the point. The song is something special in the way it was crafted and should be taken that way. The overused whisper singing is used by so many artists in modern music but Hailee truly mastered it in this track. Probably one of the best too. The fourth track is “Sue Me” which is your typical pop mid-tempo ballad with an explosive chorus. In relation to the first two tracks on “Passion” this song is definitely above average.
The only drawback is the random production throughout this song. One would believe that the mid-tempo pop ballad would omit trap beats but the overbearing trap beats leave you feeling overwhelmed versus paying attention to the decently written young pop track. Now half way through the album, the track “Rock Bottom” features the “MY MY MY” singer Shawn Mendes. The two singer’s voices mesh well. And the chorus to the song is actually pretty unexpected and different from what one would expect from the young songstress. Was Shawn Mendes necessary for this track? That’s debatable. But at the same time, the only good part to this song is the pre-chorus and chorus as Hailee and Shawn utterly fail at the verses and the non-existent bridge. Beautiful harmonies at the very least. The sixth track on “Passion” is Hailee’s declaration of a terrible lover “You’re Such A”. Technically, there isn’t anything wrong with this track, minus the short, mundane bridge it offered. The problem that does occur is the fact that it is on this project when you have such mature tracks like “Pink” and “Sue Me”. Essentially, the track just comes off very juvenile and takes several steps back from the level of maturity first displayed. The seventh track on Hailee’s project is “Ins and Outs” is probably a new low for this project as a whole. The song suffers from basically just being very boring and unimaginative. The reggae influenced production is an interesting direction but Hailee fell flat on her face to even try to sing on top of it. Some album tracks are meant to be fillers but this track just seemed sloppily done and added to the already short album. The penultimate track on Hailee’s debut album “Hell Nos And Headphones” which is already a title one would take caution on listening to. This song is her saying “No thank you to a romantic possibility and ignoring them.” The problem lies with the lyrics. The versus are surprisingly very mature the issue is with the title of “Hell Nos And Headphones”. Kudos to the interesting title it just does not translate well with the subject of the song. By no means is this a bad song though, it was an above average choice for a penultimate track to Hailee’s first album. The last track on the album is Hailee’s lead single “Love Myself” and it was obvious why she would have made it the last track. The song is a fun upbeat pop track screaming the love for yourself from the rooftops! Putting it as the last track already serves as a sign of caution because it makes it seem like that song is meant to substitute the boringness of the rest of the album. That was its purpose but it did not work.

Take a look at the album standouts: "Pink", "You're Such A" and "Love Myself"!

With the release of her debut album "Passion", Hailee Steinfeld does not quite clear the air of doubts surrounding her artistic identity. With an artwork that sees her in a very country-like setting, the album then unveils a variety of sounds that are, at best, confusing.

The album opens with "Starving", a mellow and sometimes corny ballad-EDM hybrid. Steinfeld then veers away from the album opener's sound into more sassy pop territory with "Generous", which at points can get repetitive and overly monotonous. The next cut is "Pink", which like its predecessors, sees Steinfeld being very conservative about her vocals over a very low-key instrumental, which to a point suits the songstress.
But the tone that these three songs set is not kept around for long: in the fourth song in the album, "Sue Me",  Steinfeld lets herself loose, belting the self-empowering lyrics to what can be inferred as an ex, even though the track ends up sounding like a message to her haters. Definitely the best song on the album so far without a doubt.
For the fifth song ("Rock Bottom"), Hailee partners with rising star Shawn Mendes. The theme of the song is completely different from the previous ones, with Steinfeld and Mendes singing about the ups and downs of any relationship over an epic instrumental filled with drums. The song as a whole is a pleasant listen, even though it lacks that first listen impact that the previous track has. Nonetheless, it is an album highlight as well.
Steinfeld then moves on to "You're Such A", which is in a way reminiscent of the first three songs on the record, and not for the good aspects of it. The songstress' vocals get lost in a sea of childish lyrics and beats, excessively immature choruses and backing vocals, and again, a general monotony across the entire track. In "Ins and Outs", not only are you met with yet again another monotonous melody, but you cannot even understand what Steinfeld is singing. The enunciation is particularly strange in this track. Possibly the dullest and most boring one so far.
Next up is "Hell Nos And Headphones", an upgrade in comparison to the last few tracks. While still keeping it very simple on all areas, the song is a smooth listen and maybe even a song you would come back to.
Steinfeld concludes the album with the lead single for her debut effort, "Love Myself". This is a very smart choice, not only because there are practically no songs that would properly conclude the album better than this, but also because it is a great song. This is the sound Hailee should strive for, an empowering, upbeat, dynamic pop that best highlights her talents. The song, obviously, ends up being one of the clear highlights of an otherwise plain album.

Overall, Steinfeld has a lot of work to do if she wants to build a name for herself in terms of artistic integrity and quality content. With "Passion", the listener fails to see where her passion for music is, even though it is clear she has what it takes to produce significant hits and replayable music. "Sue Me", "Rock Bottom" and "Love Myself" surely indicate so, even if the majority of her songs would suggest the listener otherwise. If this record proves anything, it is that making a cohesive album that makes sense as a whole is not something anyone can do.

 Passion by Hailee Steinfeld sounds like an unfinished demo version of an album that had great potential.

Many had high hopes and were anticipating the release of newcomer Hailee Steinfeld’s new album Passion after hearing the hit single Love Myself but unfortunately, Steinfeld could not live up to the expectations of her lead single. Despite already being an incredibly short album, it drags on in its midsection and gives off a very unoriginal feel to it. To begin, the album opener was actually one of the stronger tracks within the album. It is one of the only songs that actually feels like a hit that can take over the airwaves. However, that hype is immediately steamrolled by the album’s second track, Generous, which is, ironically, one of the worst songs on the LP. Generous is where Passion’s biggest problem begins to rear its head, it is boring. The song doesn’t have horrible lyrics or production (vocals are subpar though) but it just felt dull and unoriginal. ‘Pink’ fails to bring back the hype or enjoyment of the album aside from a cheeky line whispered as the refrain.

Sue Me is a breath of fresh air and where the album begins to pick up. Not because it is especially amazing, but simply because it is one of the first times where the album doesn’t feel like background music. Unfortunately, that breath of fresh air is short-lived as the album moves into yet another dull track with ‘Rock Bottom’ featuring fellow newcomer Shawn Mendes. This track had great potential with two big artists that is wasted by a lack-lustre chorus. We now move into the worst track in ‘Passion’ which is ‘You’re Such A’ which feels like a breakout track for a disney artist. The final act of the album does pick up the pace, though with the final three tracks all being quite good songs with great production. Ins and Outs, while feeling out of place, is a quality pop song that finally lives up to the ‘Passion’ name. Hell Nos and Headphones also finally serves a quality and addictive chorus and finally, the album finishes on one of its highest-highs with Love Myself. With bored vocals, weak hooks, and inconsistent production, ‘Passion’ by Hailee Steinfeld is anything but passionate and is a wasted attempt of a debut album for an artist who, admittedly, still feels like she has a large career ahead of her.