Sky Ferreira - Night Time, My Time
I wasn't expecting quite such a 90's indie pop-rock sounding album from Sky Ferreira, but I'm not complaining! It's awesome. "Boys" is a playful and romantically cynical song that launches right into some of the darker, grunge-guitar embellishments that characterize an album also offset with delectable big pop hooks and sweeps of synth magic. "It Ain't Your Right" ponders the wisdom of forgiving someone who crossed a very problematic line, while "Nobody Asked Me if I Was Okay" finds Ferreira quite miffed at once again being the giver, never the receiver, in relationships."I Blame Myself" is the best song, with its fantastic lyric "how could you know what it feels like to fight the hounds of hell?" calling to mind this guy right here:
But even aside from that, every lyric in "I Blame Myself" is a right-on piece of analysis about how it feels to go through a harrowing experience and be blamed for how we deal with it. "How could you know what it feels like to be outside myself? You think you know me so well." Brilliant.
"You're Not the One" and "24 Hours" find more unstoppable hooks as angst and love collide. "Heavy Metal Heart" examines a heart reopened to the possibilities of feeling and makes a pleasant companion to "Activate My Heart" by Natalia Kills, another of my favorite songs on this subject. "Stereo Love" is one of the poppiest songs on offer, yet continues the themes of the darker "Heavy Metal Heart" in a deftly flowing manner. There are a few drops down a rabbit hole on tracks like "Night Time, My Time," a methodical, dreary, wandering tangent that forms a great finale to a profoundly creative and highly memorable album.
Ten pink flowers out of ten.
Katy Perry - Prism
This is an absolutely marvelous pop album, fueled by the kind of emotional sincerity and soul-searching that can only come in the wake of a painful break-up and subsequent self-rediscovery and, ultimately, redemption.There is a song here for every occasion and mood, and that's really what makes this such a well-rounded piece, though the quality of some of the deeper songs transcends the cutesy, wink-wink bubble gum of the lighter ones. So there's songs in the middle, such as the hit single "Roar," with its infectious battle knoll of autonomous perseverance, and then there's adorable little disco-fluff tracks such as "International Smile," and party-centric "This is How We Do." But with the somber ballad "Ghost," which opens with the apparently true-to-life line, "you sent a text," (i.e. to end a marriage) the album pivots and blossoms into a more iridescent prism.
"Love Me" vows, "I don't negotiate with insecurity" and resolves to find freedom in self-respect. "This Moment" is an 80's-sounding mid tempo number that glitters with the possibilities of new love. "By the Grace of God" is a show-stopper that finds Perry revealing how she put herself back together after heartbreak and "It Takes Two" is an impressively wise song about taking responsibility for one's own part in a conflict. Still, it's important to realize one's inherent goodness and limitations at the same time: "I wanted to save you, but I can only save myself."
After a couple of fun but uneven albums, what Katy Perry has really saved is the best for third.
Ten pink flowers out of ten.
Miley Cyrus - Bangerz
As promised, this is indeed a series of corkers that "can't stop"...except just occasionally. Overall, this is a very strong album that reveals some artistic growth and some vulnerability alongside the expected feistiness.Since Miley delights in catching the listener by surprise, it's indeed quite intriguing to have Bangerz start out with the lavish ballad "Adore You" before lapsing into the party-all-night bleariness of "We Can't Stop." While the record takes a quality dip in the kinda obnoxious "4x4," and the whining guest vocals of Future mar "My Darlin," matters skyrocket back into perfection with the massive hit "Wrecking Ball."
Like Katy Perry, Miley reflects on her past relationship in an honest and relatable manner that leads to some of the best songs, such the searing "Drive" and the older-than-her-years "Maybe You're Right." There are also plenty of sassy numbers, with the hilarious and on-point belter "FU" standing out, along with the mission statement "Do My Thang." The winky, sensual #GETITRIGHT bops along at a fabulously catchy pace, while "Rooting for My Baby" is pleasantly soothing and low-key. Brassy self-esteem affirmations "On My Own" and "Hands in the Air" close the proceedings with apropos aplomb.
In my heart of hearts, Bangerz doesn't edge out Can't be Tamed or Hannah Montana 2 (no, but seriously!) as my favorite Miley album, but it's up there with some of her best work.
9 pink flowers out of ten.
Ariana Grande - Yours Truly
"Honeymoon Avenue" is one of several tracks that recall 1990's Mariah Carey in the best of ways, and its pondering of romantic roadblocks is a brilliant journey into metaphor. Hit single "The Way" mines the stylings of late '90's Big Pun and J.Lo with such pop perfection as to make the sampling excessively forgivable. "Right Here" is of the same stylistic ilk, and this kind of laid-back, romantic hip-hop/pop fusion is a welcome throwback to the days of Ja Rule and Ashanti. As much as Grande may draw from the legacies of great bubblegum music past, her own personality and expressive vocals make her identity pronounced and highly engaging.
Yours Truly bounces along from the syrupy ("Tattooed Heart," "Daydreamin'") to the anthemic ("Piano" and the excellent Mika duet "Popular Song," which is my favorite song on the subject since M2M's "Miss Popular") and the wonderfully snappy diss-to-an-ex "You'll Never Know" is another high point.
Things go full-on epic when Grande teams up with Nathan from The Wanted for "Almost is Never Enough," the soaring theme song from the underrated fantasy film The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. And I love the album's closing track, "Better Left Unsaid," whose seamless segue from big balladry to euphoric dance beats is evidence as to why its title is the last phrase to apply in description of this album.
Ten pink flowers out of ten.
Britney Spears - Britney Jean
Britney's back, y'all, with an adorable and lovable new album that's ambitious and therapeutic in all the right places. While the lead single "Work Work" is a delightful explosion of ridiculousness (what's your favorite lyric? "Part-y in France"? "Go call the governor"?), the overall quality of the record is closer to the second single "Perfume," an intimate ballad that feels more personal than most of her songs since "Everytime" really have.There are plenty of fun, cooly confident dance songs, such as "Tik Tik Boom" and "Body Ache," and yet, despite the over-produced vocals, the will.i.am duet "It Should be Easy" is more attention-catching with its contemplative stance on love.
The sparky, head-turning "Passenger" marks a break in the album where it turns into something deeper and more creative, further accentuated by the blissfulness of "Chillin' With You" featuring Jamie Lynn (this is seriously the cutest song ever), and the totes emosh-ness of "Brightest Morning Star."
"Hold on Tight" is a dreamy reverie that somehow links perfectly to the themes of self-discovery through partnership that started in "Passenger." "Now that I Found You," with its insatiable, massive-wave of a beat, falls into must become a single territory. Like much of Britney Jean, it's among the better work Britney has done in quite some time.
9.5 pink flowers out of ten.
Jessie J - Alive
It's a blessing and a curse that the album's best song, "Thunder," appears second. This midtempo ode to a love found somewhere beyond fear is that crystalline and sparkling entity: the perfect pop song. Nothing that follows matches the rousing and heart-stirring heights of the bridge and its exquisite collapse into "yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah!!!"
However, "Square One," with its painfully accurate look at starting over after a breakup, is quite impressive. I cannot stand the distorted vocal that appears at the end of each verse, though. It's not even clear whose voice that is, so it just ends up sounding like mush. I wish the producer had gone a different direction and just used Jessie's real, pure voice there, as that's the sound that makes the rest of "Square One" so compelling.
There's a whole rash of "all our dreams can really come true" anthems after that, and let's face it, who does those better than Jessie? (Nobody.) "Harder We Fall," "Gold," and "Alive" are the strongest of that batch, and are terrific, though the samie-ness of this theme does get a tad repetitive.
"Daydreamin'" is more of a real successor to the exquisite "Thunder," and recalls Who You Are's "Abracadabra" in its 80's-tastic beats and endearing longings. "Excuse My Rude," featuring a stunning guest turn by Becky G (thank you, Becky G, for the lyric, "when I'm in your areay next nevuary." I kind of feel like to some extent, my life was empty prior to hearing this turn of phrase), is another excellent track. And "Magnetic," with its fiery self-belief in the face of the overwhelming and scary reality of everyday life, is a truly strong way to end off.
9 pink flowers out of ten.
The Saturdays - Living for the Weekend
"What About Us" has the most insatiable hook, with its sweeping "na-na-na-na-nas" and spirit of flirty fun. "Gentlemen" is a semi-depressing, yet realistic enough overview of some of the most prominent love problems in this day and age. "Disco Love," with its cheesy, yet all-too-true lyrics ("it's never winter when it's Donna Summer all year long") and delightful sax embellishments, is far better. This song is infused with more pure happiness than the vast majority of mainstream pop tracks I've heard lately, and it's impossible to resist smiling at it.
Of the three songs about being away from a loved one, dancey single "30 Days" is probably the best, though "Leave a Light on" and "Anywhere with You" are perfectly serviceable little songs. "Not Giving Up" beats out those yearning songs with its O.G. Saturdays flavor and flush-of-new-love sensibilities.
There's a bit of a gap where approximately five epic ballads should be (for evidence, see: all previous Saturdays albums), much as the case was in the latest Diana Vickers album. Ladies, come on, we need the big, soaring, melodramatic moments! Luckily, we do get "You Don't Have the Right," which is by far and away the best song on the album, a shining moment of Saturdays balladry that hits the nail of heartbreak and unfairness right on the head.
Unluckily, there's also "Lease My Love," a confused and confusing series of muddled metaphors, which is about the only other bit of balladry on offer. Elsewhere, "Problem with Love" kind of just makes me miss "Promises" from the Sats' last album, On Your Radar.
Those are the only truly weak songs, though, and things make a welcome uptick with the plucky "Don't Let Me Dance Alone" as well as the gorgeous "Somebody Else's Life," which was the theme song from the US TV show Chasing the Saturdays.
9 pink flowers out of ten.
Zendaya
The warm vocals remind me of early Mandy Moore, which is a far-too-undervalued moment in pop (especially undervalued by Mandy Moore). "Fireflies" zips along in the same gently fascinated mode as "Replay," as if the protagonist of these songs is just barely suppressing the intensity of her emotions. "Butterflies" continues this feel and builds upon the tension as the singer warns herself against giving into an untrustworthy love interest.
"Cry for Love" is super-classy and has a nice retro-Motown sound to it, while "Bottle You Up" reemphasizes the cautious nature of many of these tracks, as Zendaya sings about saving up the love she feels so that it never has to fade. Her pop career is in no danger of burning out or fading, as this sometimes slight, but more often very intriguing short-running record reveals.
9 pink flowers out of ten.
