Camila Cabello’s third album leans heavily into her Mexican-Cuban roots and is infused with drama both theatrical and personal.

Cabello’s Latin-Pop 2017 solo debut promised the world a pop star with originality and flare. Her following music, however, proved otherwise; simply filled with catchy and commercial songs, it felt short. Cabello’s music seemed to always have a secondary role in her life next to her celebrity, more recently with her break up with Shawn Mendes. However, with Familia, Camila seems to have delivered.

Ever since she released the lead single Don’t Go Yet last summer, Cabello’s third album guaranteed us a Latin pop-focused sound. The record showcased Camila’s captivating new sound and spoken delivery: “Baby don’t go yet, Cause I wore this dress for a little drama,” she says, sliding in a seductive rasp and proving her skill as a percussionist.

Celia starts out the album perfectly. The guitar transforms you to a comforting summer day and melds well with Cabello’s vocals as she sings in Spanish ending it with a classical trumpet. Bam Bam features British pop singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran. The record could be described as a fun, post-break-up song: “You said you hated the ocean, but you’re surfin’ now, I said I’d love you for life, but I just sold our house.” Cabello references her ex, Shawn Mendes, trying to move beyond the past. As the song progresses, the production further fills out, fully establishing itself.

On La Buena Vida, the Mexican influence is clear right away. Cabello sings fervently about her absent partner as the mariachi plays in the background. “And I thought we’d be traveling the world together, Making love in the afternoon, But I’m forgetting what it’s like to wake up next to you” she confesses. The song reaches its peak with the mariachi singing triumphantly as Camila belts powerful vocals accompanied by her fathers backing vocals.

However, while there are some great tracks on Familia there is also a few filler tracks that do hold it back. Quiet and Boys Don’t Cry are sounds that would perfectly fit on either of Cabello’s previous projects. Cabello’s voice is gorgeous on the tracks, but it shows a return to safety and comfort that previously repelled fans.

psychofreak featuring WILLOW is another track that feels out of place. A glorious track with rock and RnB undertones, it shows another side to Cabello that should be interesting for her to explore. The raspiness in her voice fits perfectly as she lets fans into her mental angst. “Everybody says they miss the old me/I been on this ride since I was 15,” she sings with WILLOW’s vocals giving the song exactly what it needed. Camila also sheds some light on her Fifth Harmony break up for the first time: “I don’t blame the girls for how it went down, down.” Despite this, the record does not feel like it belongs on the album. Had the song been dropped as a stand-alone single, it would have been received better by the audience and given it its own time to shine.

Overall Familia is as raw as Cabello has ever been. She successfully laces the sounds of her Latina roots with strands of personal experiences — all its heartbreak, drama, and self-doubt — for the entire world to see.

Three albums in, Cabello has managed to show an exciting new side of herself. This feels like Cabello has come into her own, hinting at a sound much more intriguing than her previous releases. Though at moments she falls into realms of safety, throwing up easy radio-hits, I hope she continues on this road of more diverse sounds - as those more exciting, genre-fusing tracks will catapult her into a better artist.