Wait… this is the same artist who gave us Señorita and Havana? What happened here? Camila Cabello has officially jumped the shark with C, XOXO, delivering an album that is messy, unfocused, and just plain bad on so many levels. From poor production choices and questionable vocal performances to lackluster songwriting and awkward guest features, nearly everything on this album feels like a bad idea that nobody had the courage to shut down.

It’s clear she wanted to experiment and rebrand herself as edgy, hip, and sexy, but instead, the result feels forced, try-hard, and honestly embarrassing.

The beats on this album are a mixed bag, and unfortunately, more often than not, they miss the mark. While some tracks have an okay feel, like the beat on Pretty When I Cry, others feel completely incoherent, like I LUV IT. Then there are those that feel lazy and repetitive, like DREAM-GIRLS, making the entire album sound more like a playlist of TikTok snippets than a well-thought-out project.

The production struggles to establish a consistent identity, jumping between hyperpop, trap, R&B, and club music without any real cohesion. The scattered direction makes the album feel disjointed rather than genre-bending, as if she’s trying on different sounds without actually committing to any of them.

The real downfall of this album is Camila’s vocal performances. It’s not just that she sounds bad—it’s that she sounds confused. The heavy use of autotune and vocal processing completely strips away any natural charm in her voice, making her performances feel robotic, lifeless, and borderline unlistenable at times.

Tracks like I LUV IT, Chanel No. 5, Twentysomething, B.O.A.T., and Hot Uptown all suffer from the same problem—her overproduced, synthetic-sounding vocals make it hard to connect with anything she’s saying.

When she finally dials it back and sings more naturally, the results are so much better. "Pink XOXO" is one of the few moments where she actually sounds good, proving that if she stripped away the overproduction, she could’ve salvaged something from this album.

Another massive issue is the lack of effort in the lyrics. A lot of these songs feel like rough drafts, with lines that sound like placeholders that were never revised.

• On B.O.A.T., she awkwardly says “Best of All Time” instead of the usual “Greatest of All Time,” and it feels like she’s forcing a unique spin that just comes off as clunky and unnatural.
• 305tilidie is supposed to be a thoughtful piano interlude about girls getting ready to party, but instead, it just feels bland, boring, and unnecessary.

Overall, the songwriting feels underdeveloped and directionless, as if the lyrics were rushed to fit whatever vibe she was going for instead of telling a compelling story.

The guest performances on this album are another mixed bag.

• Lil Nas X actually works well on HE KNOWS, mainly because he brings way more charisma than Camila does. His energy outshines hers completely, especially since she opts for these weird, whispery vocals that get buried in the mix.
• Drake’s feature on Uuugly starts off okay, but the more time he gets on the track, the worse it gets. It feels like he lingers for way too long, and by the time he’s done, the song has completely lost its appeal.

It’s frustrating because these features could have elevated the album, but instead, they just make Camila feel even more like the weakest link on her own record.

It’s clear that Camila wanted to reinvent herself and step away from her earlier pop sound, but the execution here is disastrous. This album doesn’t feel bold or experimental—it feels lost. Instead of pushing creative boundaries, it sounds like she’s trying way too hard to fit into trends, and it backfires completely.

Between overprocessed vocals, uninspired beats, half-baked lyrics, and awkward guest spots, C, XOXO feels like a major step backward for Camila. Instead of redefining her artistry, she’s ended up with a collection of forgettable songs that lack any real identity.

If this was supposed to be a statement album, the only statement it makes is: What the hell was she thinking?