Music Review: Shawn Mendes - Shawn Mendes

He’s still only 19 but, with his third album, the Toronto-born pop star now sounds fully grown up. Gone are the innocent songs in favour of mature numbers with an edgier sound. Mendes had some help to pull off the transition. His friend Ed Sheeran co-wrote one of the album’s strongest songs, “Fallin’ All in You,” sung by Mendes in his mellifluous falsetto, while his mentor John Mayer produced “Like to Be You,” and provided a bluesy guitar solo to the catchy song, a duet with Julia Michaels, of "Issues" fame. Michaelsa also sings with Mendes on “Nervous,” a Bruno Mars-style funk number she also co-wrote. Other contributions include OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder’s co-write on the electro-tinged “Particular Taste,” and Khalid’s duet with Mendes on the ballad “Youth.” The latter serves as a moving statement in favour of gun control. In the wake of recent high school shootings, it’s the album’s most poignant moment.