Shawn Mendes Shawn
Shawn Mendes's Shawn reorients his pop instincts toward a folk-tinged, confessional sound where emotional reckoning and questions of identity take center stage. Across five professional reviews, critics point to intimate moments rather than spectacle—so is Shawn good? The record earned a 67.4/100 consensus score across 5 reviews, and the critical consensus suggests its strengths lie in stripped-back musicianship and candid songwriting even as its restraint sometimes slips into cliché.
Reviewers consistently praise tracks that trade gloss for specificity, naming “Why Why Why”, “Heart of Gold” and “Who I Am” as the album's standout songs. Critics from Slant Magazine and Rolling Stone highlight “Heart of Gold” and “Who I Am” as home to the album's most affecting lines, while The Observer, Clash and The Line of Best Fit celebrate the raw clarity of “Why Why Why” and the homespun warmth of “That’s The Dream”. Common themes across reviews include mental health, grief, quarter-life crisis and a countrified/Americana aesthetic that reframes Mendes as a singer-songwriter exploring reinvention.
That said, several critics temper praise with reservations: some songs skitter into familiar phrasing or lean too heavily on campfire folk tropes, and a spare palette does not always complement Mendes's vocal sheen. The nuanced takeaway from professional reviews is that Shawn is worth listening to for its best tracks—“Why Why Why”, “Heart of Gold” and “Who I Am”—which showcase honest self-exploration and moments of genuine emotional candour, even if the album as a whole feels uneven. Below, the full reviews unpack where those highs and lows land in Mendes's evolving catalogue.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
That’ll Be The Day
1 mention
"‘That’ll Be The Day’ is a cousin of The Shins’ masterpiece ‘New Slang’, it’s gentle strut"— Clash Music
Heart of Gold
4 mentions
"it’s followed, aptly, by ‘Heart Of Gold’ - and these songs carry within them a quietly pervasive sense of direction"— Clash Music
Who I Am
4 mentions
"Opener ‘Who I Am’ finds Shawn at his lowest, a series of lyrics that unpick the pressures of fame"— Clash Music
‘That’ll Be The Day’ is a cousin of The Shins’ masterpiece ‘New Slang’, it’s gentle strut
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Who I Am
Why Why Why
That’s The Dream
Nobody Knows
Isn’t That Enough
Heart of Gold
Heavy
That’ll Be The Day
In Between
The Mountain
Rollin’ Right Along
Hallelujah
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 6 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
In a surprisingly candid turn, Shawn Mendes delivers on Shawn with intimate moments like “Who I Am” and the earnest lead single “Why Why Why” that make clear why listeners ask about the best songs on Shawn. The record leans into folk-rock textures and grief-tinged soft rock, so the best tracks on Shawn read as quiet confessions rather than arena pop anthems. Mendes sounds at peace and reflective throughout, and songs such as “Heart of Gold” and “Isn’t That Enough” feel like the album’s emotional center. Overall, the strongest songs are those that trade spectacle for specificity, which is precisely what gives Shawn its surprising steadiness.
Key Points
-
The best song works because it foregrounds candid, acoustic self-reflection over spectacle.
-
The album’s core strengths are lyrical honesty and a well-suited folk-rock sound.
Themes
Critic's Take
Shawn Mendes's Shawn finds its best songs in intimate, countrified confessionals. The record's opener “Who I Am” and the quietly wonderful “Isn’t That Enough” feel like the high-water marks, both offering raw, lyrical clarity and a homespun melodic flair that carries the album. The reviewer's voice prizes the airy Americana of “That’s The Dream” and the masterful stomp of “Rollin’ Right Along” as moments where Mendes reshapes his identity, and those tracks answer the question of the best songs on Shawn by being unshowy but deeply effective. Overall, the best tracks are those that trade pop gloss for hushed intimacy and true emotional direction.
Key Points
-
The best song, notably ‘Who I Am’, stands out for its hushed intimacy and candidness about fame.
-
The album’s core strengths are its stripped-back musicianship and countrified, confessional songwriting.
Themes
Critic's Take
Shawn Mendes’s fifth record, Shawn, is at its best when it turns inward and uncertain, and the reviewer keeps returning to that exact moment of grace on “Heart of Gold” and the confessional “Who I Am”. The writing notes that the album’s folkier, Americana-leaning turn suits him, with the John Mayer echoes making tracks like “Heart of Gold” album standouts rather than curiosities. Yet the critic is impatient with Mendes’ restlessness, calling out songs that skitter past feeling into cliché, which weakens otherwise powerful moments. Overall the piece answers the question of the best songs on Shawn by pointing to candid storytelling numbers such as “Who I Am” and “Heart of Gold” as the record’s strongest.
Key Points
-
The best song is emotionally direct and storytelling-driven, with "Heart of Gold" singled out as the album standout.
-
The album’s strengths are candid introspection and a successful shift toward folk/Americana textures.
Themes
Th
Critic's Take
Shawn Mendes's Shawn finds its best songs in moments of plainspoken craft, notably “Why Why Why” and “Heart of Gold”, where Mendes's pop instincts and emotional honesty align. The reviewer's voice is measured and slightly rueful, praising the excellent single “Why Why Why” and the "beautiful 70s AOR" of “Heart of Gold” while noting the record's spare folk-rock palette doesn't always suit his honeyed croon. Tracks like “Who I Am” and “The Mountain” offer candour and memorable lyrical lines, but elsewhere the pared-back approach can feel superfluous. Overall the best tracks on Shawn are the ones that let Mendes's pop nous surface against sincere songwriting.
Key Points
-
The best song is “Why Why Why” because it channels Mendes's pop nous into strong emotional connection.
-
The album's core strengths are candid songwriting and a lean folk-rock palette that highlight moments of genuine feeling.
Themes
Critic's Take
There are moments on Shawn where Shawn Mendes actually sounds vulnerable and convincing, particularly on “Why Why Why” and the anthemic “Heavy”. Sam Franzini’s voice is wry and skeptical, noting the album’s folksy veneer while still conceding that songs like “That’s The Dream” capture honest, small-scale revelations. The review repeatedly flags the campfire trappings as overplayed, but allows that Mendes’ singing can land when the production backs off. Overall the best songs on Shawn are those where the performance feels earned rather than staged - think “Why Why Why” and “Heavy”.
Key Points
-
The best song is "Why Why Why" because it is one of the anthemic cuts where Mendes gives his all.
-
The album’s core strengths are improved songwriting and vocal moments, tempered by an overdone folksy aesthetic.