Katy Perry, Who Knew

For anyone who has been living under a rock and hasn’t had the chance to hear Katy Perry’s teenaged dream album, here is my seasoned review.

My Credentials:

I’m a college grad with and English degree, and have 10 years experience playing the violin. I have taken music theory courses, and have knowledge of a variety of musical genres past and present. In other words, I’m not some twelve year old screaming tween fan. I’ll tell you the real deal.

Thumbs Up:

• Beats: Kudos to whoever developed the backing tracks for the album. For a pop album, the beats are surprisingly versitile, interesting and not as cookie cutter as some of the worst offenders of this genre.
• Vocals: The vocals surprisingly are on pitch, sultry when they need to be, and most of all, they have the quirky comedy factor that her fans expect from her songs. The singer has a great tonal quality, that others like Brit Spears can’t match.
• Themes:Motifs from previous hits like “you’re so gay” and “I kissed a girl” carry through in songs like “circle the drain”, where she makes fun of sexuality. I like the double entendres, and the mocking of male chauvenism in the songs.

Thumbs Down:

• Repetition: part of this is due to obscene amounts of radio play, and part of this is due to the songs themeselves. If I hear “California Gurls” one more time, I’ll stab myself  with  a fork right between the eyes. The songs are only good as long as they’re new. After maybe three to four times… Eeeek.
• The Bubble Gum Factor- Yes it is pop, but does it have to be so…pop-y. Too many upbeat, peppy songs and not enough meat definately count against the album. 
• Throwaway Tracks- You know the drill. Buy a cd and there are 16 songs. One or two are great radio hits and the others are garbage. This album has about three to four great songs, and the rest are mediocre or throwaway tracks. Sorry. You know they are.

The Verdict: Overall, I’d give this album 3 1/2 stars out of four.