Pagsulat and development:
Gomez first announced the album publicly in late July 2008 on an interview with Jocelyn Vena of MTV News.[7] stating, "I'm going to be in a band — no Selena Gomez stuff. I'm not going to be a solo artist. I think that I don't want my name attached to it."[7] After two years of recording and going over one-hundred songs, Gomez announced the name of her band.[8] She explained,
“ "I named my band the Scene because a lot of people are making fun of me calling me a 'wannabe scene,' so I thought I would poke fun [at] that. Can't beat 'em sumali 'em! Haha [sic]."[8] ”
Gomez also re-recorded her first charting single, "Tell Me Something I Don't Know", for the album because she recorded the original version when she was about fifteen years old.[9] She calls herself a "huge, huge fan" of Fefe Dobson, to the extent that she included a cover of the Toronto native's "As a Blonde",[10] which was a song for Dobson's unreleased album Sunday Love.[11] on the disc. Writers on the album include Ted Bruner, Trey Vittetoe and Gina Schock of the Go-Go's; who've contributed to the lead single on the album. Gomez co-wrote one song on the album,[12] entitled "I Won't Apologize".[9]
Composition:
Musically, the album drew influences from different artists such as Demi Lovato, Lady Gaga and Avril Lavigne.[13] Gomez sinabi that the album will have a pop rock and dance-pop feel to it.[7] She added that the music is "fun, energetic, empowering." "I'm still new and still figuring out where I want to be musically. But I think this is a good start ... hopefully."[8] Songs like "Falling Down" are a upbeat pop songs that contains a strong use of drums and electric guitars with predominant "bloopy synths."[13] Gomez mentioned that she also plays instruments on some of the album's tracks, saying,
“ "I basically want to make music that is fun and that parents and kids can jump around to and have a good time to," she said. "I will be singing, and I'm learning drums and playing electric guitar."[7] ”
Despite the pamagat of the album, there aren't any hints about her personal life in her song lyrics. She says with a smile "No, that's why I only wrote one song on the album."[12] Selena elaborated on the concept of "Falling Down" during an interview, saying "[...] it's basically about Hollywood and what people think about it and essentially how plastic it is sometimes. It's fun and I think girls can relate to it somewhat, for me it was because of Hollywood, but it can really relate to a mean girl, an ex-boyfriend, to whoever."[14] On the song "As a Blonde," originally a Fefe Dobson song, Gomez sings in regards to trying different things and changing up her personality.[11]
Critical reception:
The album received mainly mixed reviews
Bill tupa of About.com: "Kiss and Tell is not a masterpiece, but it is a great start. There is a clutch of great songs here, and Selena Gomez, at the young age of 17, is definitely an artist to watch. The uptempo vitality here rarely flags. However, Selena Gomez proves she can rock out as well as a deliver a quiet ballad. Selena Gomez has a maturity that points in the direction of great music to come."[15]
Tim Sendra of Allmusic: "Thanks to the fact that one of the songwriting teams on the record has former Go-Go Gina Schock as a member and thanks to bouncy, peppy songs like 'Kiss & Tell,' that's not really too much of a stretch. Probably the best idea for the future is for Gomez to keep making records as diverse and well constructed as halik & Tell, keeping the same producers and songwriters on board and maintaining the same smart and sassy attitude she displays throughout. That should keep the tweens and teens happy while impressing and thrilling fans of perfectly constructed capital "P" pop, too."[16]
Mikael Wood of Billboard: "Considering how closely the new set follows similarly situated tween-pop efforts sa pamamagitan ng Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, Gomez's fans might share the sentiment: It's not always easy to tell what distinguishes the work of this Wizards of Waverly Place TV bituin from that of her fellow Disney-factory females. That doesn't mean halik & Tell doesn't deliver its required payload of electro-rock delights. ... But if Gomez wants to outlast her current context, her music could use madami of her in it."[17]
Entertainment Weekly's Michael Slezak was less favorable in his review:
Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly: "The multihyphenate has no vocal chops. On halik & Tell, all the slick production in the world can't erase the 'Mom! Where's my allowance money?' whine she mistakes for Avril-esque attitude".[18]
Rober copsey of Digital Spy: "What sets her apart to the madami casual eye is that she's backed sa pamamagitan ng her very own band, The Scene, comprising Ethan Roberts on guitar, Joey Clement on bass and Greg German on the drums. Their presence on the album is somewhat mysterious – they're entirely absent from the sleeve-notes, in fact – and it's telling that they don't actually appear on the album's cover.Even so, at just 17 Gomez has clearly struck a chord with her target fanbase, and her vocals pack enough of a manuntok to mark her out as an "artist in progress". [19]
Songs:
halik & Tell is composed of songs with pop-rock, electro-rock,[20][dead link] and dance characteristics with influences of synth pop. "Kiss & Tell" is the first song on the album that tells of a supposed friend that tells her secrets and is described as a feisty electro-rock and punk rock number with punkish guitars, hand claps, shouts of "Hey!" and even a touch of Adam and the Ants jungle drums and bass figures.[15] "I Won't Apologize" is an energetic synth-rock song, co-written sa pamamagitan ng Selena Gomez. It tells about not changing yourself to fit someone else's approval.[15] "Falling Down" is the first single off the album that, along with “Kiss & Tell”, have an aggressive, almost bratty, attack that borrows equally from punk attitude and pop melody.[15] "[...] it's basically about Hollywood and what people think about it and essentially how plastic it is sometimes. It's fun and I think girls can relate to it somewhat, for me it was because of Hollywood, but it can really relate to a mean girl, an ex-boyfriend, to whoever."[14] “I Promise You” is a pop-rock song with synth-pop characteristics. "Crush" is an aggressive rock song that vocally and lyrically sound close to that of Canadian pop-punk singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne.[15] "Naturally" is an electropop song that has a juicy and instantly memorable vocal hook.[20]
"The Way I Loved You" is the ballad of the album.[15] “More” is an electro-rock dance song that lyrically calls for the spotlight. "As a Blonde" is a synthy pop-punk cover of the original sa pamamagitan ng Canadian pop-rock singer-songwriter Fefe Dobson. “I Don’t Miss You At All” is an electropop song with techno beat and synthesizer influences about post-break-up and sounds similar to that of the worldwide hit "Untouched" and "This Is How It Feels" sa pamamagitan ng Australian electro-rock duo The Veronicas. “Stop and Erase” is an electro-rock song about a painful past with bullies and teasing. "I Got U" is a pop-rock song that, according to Bill tupa of About.com, is a “mix of sweetness and intensity that seems distinctively Selena Gomez.”[15] "Tell Me Something I Don't Know" is a song that was originally recorded for the soundtrack for Another Sinderella Story, but was re-recorded for this album.
Promotion:
Radio Disney premiered some songs from the album from Monday, September 21, 2009 to Friday, September 25: "Kiss and Tell," "Naturally," "Crush," "I Promise You" and "More."[21] On September 26, the station premiered the entire album, with a rebroadcast the susunod day.[21] On September 29, prior to the record release party, Selena Gomez & the Scene performed live on Dancing with the Stars.[22] Gomez and her band are scheduled to perform songs from the album on their House of Blues 2010 Tour.[9][23] They have also performed live on several televised events. They performed "Naturally" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,[24][25] and both "Falling Down" and "Naturally" at the 2009 Teletón in Mexico.[26] They are also set to perform at PopCon in February, along with Justin Bieber.[27]
Singles:
*"Falling Down" the lead single from the album, was released to Radio Disney on August 21, 2009 and later for purchase on August 25, 2009 in selected countries.[28] A music video premiered on Disney Channel on August 28, 2009.[28] Critics received the song well, claiming that what Gomez continues to prove is that she has the talent and energy to match any of the other successful Disney acts that came before.[13] "Falling Down" peaked at number eighty-two[29] on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, at sixty-nine on the Canadian Hot 100,[29] and at fifteen on the Billboard Hapon Hot 100.[30]
*"Naturally" is the album's segundo single. The music video premiered on December 11, 2009[31] on Disney Channel.[32] The single debuted at number thirty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100[33] and has peaked at #29.[34] On the Canadian Hot 100 it has peaked at #18.[34] "Naturally" debuted at #46 on the Australian Singles Chart making it the first single from the band to appear on that chart.[35] The song also made its debut at #20 on the New Zealand Singles Chart[36] making it the band's first tuktok 20 appearance there.
