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Albums Metacritic
Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:39 pm
Even in CAL, the quality of your music matters! Albums released in-game will be reviewed by players and a Metascore will result from their individual ratings.
And the best part is, players will be PAID/b] for every review that they write! An album review is worth $200,000, while an EP review is worth $100,000!
[b]RULES
- After every album release, @beysus will be posting an announcement on Discord including the link to the new album's Rating Google Form.
- You will have the entire weekend (Friday to Monday) to listen to the album and write your review. This is merely optional, so if you do not feel like listening, it's okay, but please remember that everyone loves feedback for their releases.
- An album review must be a minimum of 400 words, while an EP review must be a minimum of 200 words.
- You will rate the albums on a scale from 1 to 10. You are allowed to give give decimal scores (any type of decimal such as 7.4, 9.3, etc. but NOT anything above a flat 10.0).
- You are NOT allowed to rate your own albums.
- Reviews that are blatantly unbiased, unprofessional, or that indicate some sign of cheating or fraud will result in severe action from the hosts and a CAL Court trial involving the parties will ensue.
- After your review has been approved after @beysus verifies the aforementioned requisites are met, make sure to update CALBalance with the money you earned from writing a review.
- Once Monday arrives and at least 3 reviews have been received, @beysus will reveal the album's Metascore and post the reviews in this thread.
- The scores will be converted into a scale out of 100 for the Metascore.
If you have any question about Metacritic feel free to PM @beysus on Discord about it!
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Highest Rated Albums
Thu Apr 08, 2021 8:42 pm
Universally Acclaimed (81-100/100)
- Albums:
Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa
89
Generally Favorable Reviews (61-80/100)
- Albums:
the way i used to - Kelsea Ballerini
74
midnight feelings - Reece King
73
Free Yourself - Keke Palmer
71
Mixed or Average Reviews (40-60/100)
- Albums:
Teary Eyes - Katy Perry
56
Generally Unfavorable Reviews (20-39/100)
- Albums:
N/A
Overwhelming Dislike (0-19/100)
- Albums:
N/A
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Join date : 2020-03-25
Free Yourself by Keke Palmer Reviews
Wed Apr 14, 2021 6:56 pm
CRITIC REVIEWS BREAKDOWN
Positive: 6
Mixed: 2
Negative: 0
- Critic Reviews:
- Variety - 95
- Full Review:
The late 2000s evinced Keke Palmer’s ascendence as one of entertainment’s leading child stars. A string of successful family-oriented films bestowed newfound acting credibility, and Palmer became a marquee Nickelodeon name through her long running sitcom True Jackson, VP. Her stardom ballooned, shining bright with no obstruction. Her prospects seemed infinite. Thus transitioning into music appeared to be the most logical, if not most obvious, decision that would exploit her elevated profile. Palmer signed with Atlantic Records and released her R&B-inflected debut album, titled So Uncool, in 2007. But the music received minimal press coverage, and Palmer attributes So Uncool’s messy creation to contract clauses that restricted the extent of the singer’s artistic freedom.
Actors seldom find sustained success in music. Attempts from even A-list stars, with robust visibility, flop. Atlantic surely expected to yield much greater success, right? Perhaps. But a child star hired as a blank canvas for the ideas of her mentors and producers was clearly no better off. Over the next few years, Palmer maneuvered to reconfigure her identity, leaving Atlantic for a new deal with Virgin Records. The film and TV world took precedence, yet she seemed eager to revisit music at any point in her quest for emancipation.
Palmer declares her new vision with the authoritative empowerment anthem "I Don’t Belong To You", her highest charting Billboard Hot 100 single to date (peaking at number two). Rather appropriately, it is the lead single for Palmer’s first studio album in several years, Free Yourself, taking control of her narrative across 15 songs.
References to lust, alcohol and sex abound. So too does heartbreak. Religion less so. Interludes offer respite from the melancholy. Contributions from Chris Brown, Sam Hunt, and Ty Dolla $ign enhance the mood in their respective tracks. Ultimately, Palmer narrates her life experience through sophisticated minimalist, trap-influenced R&B instrumentation that showcase her vulnerability, meticulously crafted by a sprawling, well-oiled machine of producers that include London on da Track, KAYTRANADA, Ryan Tedder and Jack Antonoff. In Free Yourself’s most daring moments like "Bossy", "Comeback", and "Dysfunctional", the listening experience manifests a certain juxtaposition, where the mellow production clashes with lyrics and hooks that otherwise exhibit authority and control. It is the small details that makes the case of Palmer’s mastering of the art form. Free Yourself is a statement. It is an artistic breakthrough. This is music at its most meticulous, bold, and transcendent.
AllMusic - 87- Full Review:
On Free Yourself by Keke Palmer, the album begins with a very chill and laid-back R&B vibe. The first track "Get Away" has a very relaxing production and the instrumental encapsulates the escapism that the song is about. Listeners can close their eyes and listen to this track while they're trying to gain cathartic moments, providing a thorough get away from reality. The vocal performance of the song is also impressive. The second track, "Good Together" follows the soothing energy but "Easy Breezy", the third track picks up the speed and is more uptempo which shifts the tone of the album in a pleasant manner. The fourth song, "Something Real" introduces the first feature on the album, none other than Chris Breezy. However, their voices blended well together and London's production always elevates the music. The interlude was a meticulous contribution as it added personality to the album displaying Keke's authenticity. It leads perfectly into the next track, "Comeback" which is a play on words and is very sexy. The bed creaking usage in the song's production was extremely clever as it aided perfectly in conveying the sexual energy Keke is singing about. The vocal performance is also astonishing. This track is definitely a highlight. The next interlude, "11:30", is exceptional, however the length is disappointing. "Let it Rain" is one of the weaker songs on the album but it's still a good song and Ty Dolla $ign always shines on collaborations. "Bossy" showcases the versatility and talent of Ms. Palmer as she raps on the track which highlights a difference to other tracks as they are sung. The song is a pure vibe and can definitely smash in today's music climate with a fierce video. "Dysfunctional" is another track that is on the upbeat side and has that trendy disco sound, this track is an earworm and you just have to dance to it, extremely catchy and can do well on pop radio. "Light Signal" changes the energy of the album back to a chill environment but very briefly as the track that follows has a very rhythmic beat. "Let You Go" is quintessential R&B and I can hear the Brandy influence on this track. "I Don't Belong to You" reminds me of a Tamar Braxton track which showcases pure emotion and soul. Though I am not a fan of the Sam Hunt feature on "Grieving", it is nice to see her experiment with different sounds. "Lost" is a great closer to the album as it mixes the chill and catchy sounds together perfectly. I wish the album had at least one classic piano-driven slow R&B ballad with pure belts but that is just personal taste. Very impressed by this album. R&B at its best with few missteps.
Highlights: "Get Away", "Bossy", "Dysfunctional", "Comeback", "Good Together", "11:30", "Let You Go".
Entertainment Weekly - 85- Full Review:
Keke starts off the album with the track "Get Away", a soft soothing opener that really tells you how you'll be taken on a wondrous journey throughout this body of work. By the end of the track Keke displays us how much she has improved her vocals and mastered her control no matter what the setting is. "Good Together" elevates where "Get Away" left us off with its top tier production, truly encapsulating the listener. "Easy Breezy" is headed into the right direction but falls out on being curated to a Flux stream, with the right touch it would've made an exceptional 4 min+ song. "Something Real" picks up the steam and goes more for a mood booster song. The later half of the song slows down and transitions heavenly into the first interlude of the album where we hear Keke at her lowest. Instead of hindering the emotions she felt alone she embraces it and shares her vulnerability with the listener. Appropriately titled "Comeback", it seems that baby steps are the way to go for Miss Keke. "Let It Rain" is accompanied by superstar Ty Dolla $ign and keeps on cementing his legacy as the ultimate feature king, heightening the song to its peak. "Bossy" seems a bit odd as it starts well but you get hit by its fast pace. The lyrics during its chorus are nothing to be amazed at but the verses even it out to a degree. A stupendous transition into "Dysfunctional", with the introduction reminiscent of Madonna’s "Vogue", we are introduced to one of the highlights of the album with the help of KAYTRANADA. His techniques bring out the peaks of the song and Keke blends in angelically. The next interlude, "Light Signal", elongates the peak which follows up with "Let You Go". A more softer track that has just the right amount of pop appeal for an R&B track. We reach the lead single of the album "I Don't Belong To You". Since the beginning of the era we knew Keke was not going to bow down to anyone anymore and coming right after "Let You Go", she seals the envelope that she is ready to start a new era of her life where happiness and tranquility blossom all throughout her. "Grieving" is such a weird situation. The message, production, and Keke herself deliver their parts but it's the feature, Sam Hunt, who comes out of nowhere. With his country influence it really leads you to wonder, what the hell were they thinking? Fortunately the transition into the last track, "Lost", goes swell and closes the album up to a high. Free Yourself shows us no matter what we all have edges, but they can be smoothed out with the right touch.
Los Angeles Times - 73- Full Review:
Keke Palmer has finally found herself. The young R&B star fits right in with the maturer themes and sophisticated sounds on her sophomore album Free Yourself. The album starts off with a vocally pleasing, albeit boring, intro "Get Away", which transitions into the sultry, smooth "Good Together". She follows with single-ready tracks like "Easy Breezy" and "Something Real", showing off her ability to make surefire hits. The LP’s production stays relatively calm, relaxed, and trippy throughout the project making for an easy listening experience. Tracks 5-8 range from decent to forgettable and lead into the biggest flaw on the album showcased on track 9, "Bossy". Here, Keke tries to shift the tone of the album from R&B to trap. However, instead of being a welcome change, the track comes off jarring and noisy, and ultimately ruins the mood of the album. It doesn’t help that Palmer sounds like a young teenager trying to come off as tougher than she really is on the track, which is a completely different image from the one she portrays of sexiness, growth, and peace throughout the album. The album picks back up around track 12 with "Let You Go". Palmer's vocals sound crisp and the midtempo production contrasts well with the somber theme of the track, making it reminiscent of a talented Cassie. The singer's lead single, "I Don't Belong To You" sounds much better within the tracklist than it did as a standalone song, elevating and extending the album's narrative. Track 14, "Grieving", brings back the familiar snooze worthy feeling that was present during "Comeback". The contrast in themes with the previous track, "I Don't Belong To You" is also a regressive change. Palmer sounds fierce, strong, and powerful on the latter, then immediately regresses into a woman mourning a dying relationship with "Grieving". The final track, "Lost",' sees Palmer channel her inner Jhené Aiko. It begins as a pleasant, soothing melody until the 3 minute mark when the beat kicks in, changing the structure of the song for the better. "Lost" leaves the listener with a feeling of satisfaction. Had the structure of the song not changed, it would have remained a simple song - good but not great. By allowing the beat to kick in well over the halfway mark, the listener is met with an unexpected yet pleasing wave of instruments that evoke a sense of curiosity that prompts the question, "What does Keke have to say next?" Perhaps this can be answered with a potential deluxe edition in the future. Free Yourself is a strong start to Keke Palmer's reinvention of herself. She takes adulthood by the horns and sets out to leave her musical mark on the world. The result? A fresh new voice in R&B who seems eager yet shy to experiment fully with herself. We can hope for many more experimental and new sounds on Palmer's next album. In the meantime, we'll be keeping "Good Together", "Easy Breezy", "Let You Go", and "Lost" on repeat.
The Observer (UK) - 70- Full Review:
Keke Palmer's debut album Free Yourself is mostly a solid and convincing take on contemporary R&B. Combining various elements from R&B, Neo-Soul, and Hip-Hop, the album is consistent and engaging. Groovy production from KAYTRANADA, D.A. Got That Dope, and more aid Palmer in convincingly conveying what she is feeling and expressing her sexual freedom. The opening track "Get Away" is a solid opener as it sets the tone, reminiscent of SZA's "Pretty Little Birds", Palmer signs about wanting to escape with a romantic partner over angelic production. Lyrically, the album primarily focuses on topics relating to relationships and sex. "I want something I can feel", the singer manifests on track 4. "Ari's Tale" features possibly the strongest lyric on the entire record, as Palmer expresses her sexual freedom saying "That dick, spoke, life into me". The first dud on the album comes with "Comeback", a boring and uninspired track with bland production, however Palmer continues to be unafraid to speak her mind. The album picks back up on the next track, a great interlude where Palmer continues to be horny, as she states "When you're not here, I touch myself at night" over rich production from Israel Fowobaje. The next track "Let It Rain" is another groovy and catchy track, where Palmer describes the pain in a toxic relationship. Despite Ty Dolla $ign’s attempts to ruin the track, it is still decent and matches the theme of the record overall. Next is "Bossy", an empowering and bold track which also features great production (again), as Palmer sings about being independent. Next, Palmer continues to discuss a toxic relationship which is on the verge of breaking on "DYSFUNCTIONAL", over an upbeat and groovy instrumental. The album then goes in a bland and dull direction on "Let You Go", where the songwriting is extremely repetitive, and the production is cheap and uninspiring. On "Grieving", Palmer enlists James Blake to help her convey the regret of ending a relationship. Lyrically, the track focuses on the aspects of a toxic relationship. Unfortunately, Blake brings nothing notable to the track, and the feature is pretty pointless. The album closer "Lost" is a questionable choice for an album closer, however it still featured smooth production and vocals and was a decent track. Overall, Palmer delivers a persuasive album. Despite a few pointless features and two uninspired tracks ("Comeback", "Light Signal"), Free Yourself is a solid album.
Rolling Stone - 67- Full Review:
Since the medium itself existed, albums have been a way for artists to share their latest life experiences with listeners. When Keke Palmer made headlines in late 2020 for having an affair with basketball superstar LeBron James, one could expect that her upcoming album would have all the details. If the music video for "I Don’t Belong To You", the album’s lead single, was not enough for the gossip-hungry fans, then Palmer had to deliver for them on Free Yourself. The album title choice itself was explained by Palmer as ‘I broke away from a toxic relationship’. Throughout the album, Palmer does paint the picture of the relationship, but it is clear that she was painting by the numbers.
As with any relationship, Free Yourself starts off in a hopeful tone from the opening track "Get Away". The track is tranquillizing, which may come as a surprise to those expecting immediate dirt spilling. While being fairly short, as one listens, one does not want the song to end. However, when it does the tranquil vibes are matched by "Good Together", the album’s second track. Reaching into a more disco-influenced sound, unlike the R&B one can expect from her, Keke Palmer is oddly at her most comfortable of the entire album. While this sound will later make a return on "Dysfunctional", a song that manages to perfectly blend disheartening lyrics with a feel-good beat, the first two tracks are a reminder of the great potential this album had to be something undeniably amazing.
The main flaw of Free Yourself is that the album is attempting to be Palmer’s deeply personal revelations, almost like her diary, yet completely lacks anything actually personal to Palmer. This overarching fault is best demonstrated in the lead single "I Don’t Belong To You" which is supposed to serve as the climax point. At this point in the album’s story, Keke Palmer has seen the downfalls of her relationship and is preparing her exit. It is clear that the song is striving to be heart-wrenching, however, the clunkiness of the lyrics makes it come across as clichéd. There is no true depth to the song. Nothing individual to Keke Palmer’s experience. Anyone could have written to it, regardless if they have ever been that hurt by a relationship before. That is the problem. While it is usually seen as an accomplishment to write a song that thousands of people can relate to, at a certain point that relatability crosses the line into genericness, and "I Don’t Belong To You" is miles past that line. Even when Free Yourself begins to show signs of actual depth and distinctness to Palmer’s heartbreaking experiences, such as "Light Signal", the song ends before it gets the chance to fully blossom.
Do not be confused, there are some songs that while lacking idiosyncrasy, are still excellent displays of Keke Palmer’s talent; "Comeback" being one where Palmer delivers the album’s best vocal performance along with her unapologetically embracing her sensuality. But for each of the aforementioned, the listener is taken right back into a "Bossy", a song completely void of any meaning or display of talent whatsoever.
By the time the album comes to a close, the listener is left unsatisfied. The final track "Lost" is a fine song, yet as an album closer, it fails. Throughout the entire album, Keke Palmer spent song after song detailing all stages of the relationship. The honeymoon phase, the downfall, the breakup. While the aforementioned are needed exposition for her story, the most important thing is left out: how she overcomes the relationship and is confident being herself, without a partner. Never once does Palmer define herself outside of her relationship. We know she is a lover. We know she is an ex-lover. But we do not know who Keke Palmer truly is. This ties into the album being void of her own unique journey.
On Free Yourself Keke Palmer claims to be telling "her" story, however, she may as well be talking in the third person.
Pitchfork - 54- Full Review:
It has been over a decade since her breakout role in Nickelodeon's True Jackson and even longer since her debut mixtape, but Keke Palmer just recently landed her first hit with the song "I Don’t Belong To You", which topped charts across the globe. A true surprise to anyone who has heard the track and it did not inspire much hope for the quality of her full-length debut album. Diving into Free Yourself, it is immediately apparent that nothing on the album is quite as bad, but that proves to not really be an achievement.
Starting off with the positives, the album does deliver a few genuine highlights. On the opening track "Get Away", Keke delivers angelic vocals on top of serene production. "Easy Breezy" is an infectious banger and even though it could have used a bridge or a more explosive final chorus, it is sure to become a massive anthem this summer. The same fate would surely await the raunchy "11:30" if it were a full length song and while purely spoken word, "Keke’s Drunk Tale" is hilarious and showcases more personality in 50 seconds than some of the albums’ other cuts in three or four minutes. The album’s crown jewel is easily "Let You Go", a late 90s/early 00s inspired, laid-back jam. Keke’s sensual head voice is incredibly intoxicating and meshes beautifully with the simple guitar chords, making one wonder why she didn’t tap into that part of her range more throughout the album.
The album’s biggest problem is that the melodies are weak and Keke sounds bored on many of the songs, which just further accentuates their other flaws, like the weak groove of "Good Together" or the corny and obnoxious lyrics of "Bossy". A majority of the album also suffers from bland and washed-out production. The aforementioned "I Don't Belong To You", which has tinnitus-inducing mixing to boot, is a prime example of this, even though that criticism extends to all tracks not mentioned in the previous paragraph. "Dysfunctional" is the only exception, as it suffers from quite the opposite problem. It features an inventive and quirky beat from KAYTRANADA and Pharrell Williams, but Keke’s uninspired vocals don’t match the tone or quality of the song. The glacially slow and bland "Lost" ends the album with a whimper. There is an attempt at adding some much-needed variety to the song with the drums picking up during the outro but it is too little too late. Not all of the blame for the album’s misfires can be placed on Keke and her main producer London on da Track, as all of the guest vocalists also manage to underwhelm. Chris Brown sounds as bland and generic as always on "Something Real", Ty Dolla $ign strains to hit his notes on "Let It Rain" and even though Sam Hunt’s falsetto on "Grieving" is a welcome surprise, his unfitting melody ruins what starts out as great and emotionally resonant alternative R&B ballad.
Free Yourself was marketed as an exploration of Keke’s past abusive relationship, but barely any tracks approach the topic in a very nuanced or unique way. It attempts to tell a cohesive story, but contradicts itself in details of her relationship from track to track. The album is at its best when it is offering funky jams instead of delivering the spacey, watered down R&B that has been dominating the charts recently, trying to emulate cuts off of Rihanna’s ANTi or SZA’s CTRL without understanding what made either album so great. This is a simple case of an artist being better off making care-free, catchy songs instead of attempting to deliver "serious" music, when they clearly are not bringing anything new to the conversation, lyrically or sonically.
The Guardian - 40- Full Review:
It's fair to say that Free Yourself is Palmer's most cohesive project yet, but unfortunately that is not saying much.
The main problem lies in the fact that A LOT of these songs could’ve been kept in drafts, not particularly because they are bad but they are so boring that you feel like you’ve just finished running a marathon by the time the last track finishes. Multiple of these songs have the same tone that you’d probably need to listen a couple more times to fully identify which is which.
The issue also lies with the fact that this album doesn’t really know what it wants to be. We have some slow tempo break up songs then hear ratchet anthems with Palmer proclaiming "Lil booty's mine, don't need a lot of ass" plus "Gucci on my booty" the very next.
On to reviewing the tracks, "Get Away" opens up the album in a dreamy tone, but what is actually a short song feels like it overstayed its welcome. You would hope for an attention grabbing song after feeling a bit drained, but "Good Together" falls flat in the aspect and doesn’t help either. A song with a groovy chorus suffers from monotonous verses and bridges that leaves one questioning where exactly Palmer is going with this. First highlight of the album is "Easy Breezy", a melodic and luscious song about Palmer asking her lover to be more straightforward, leaving us questioning why did Palmer bother pushing "I Don’t Belong To You" as the lead when this exists? Same goes for another potential hit of the album, "Something Real". Once "Keke's Drunk Tale (Interlude)" plays, the album takes a nosedive within the next few tracks, including 90’s throwback inspired "Let It Rain" which features Ty Dolla $ign who is usually pleasant to the ears in features, but not in this case. Thankfully "Bossy" & "Dysfunctional" pick up the album with a glorious 1-2 punch. Afterwards however, we are back with a nosedive as none of the tracks are as memorable as "Let You Go", which take one back to the glorious days of Brandy Norwood, Monica, and Aaliyah.
With Palmer’s last album being in 2007, we were left craving for a vicious comeback… and even though this is technically her "magnum opus"... we’ve still received a very mid project with about 5-6 memorable songs that leave us wondering if she should stick to acting full time or not.
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midnight feelings by Reece King Reviews
Sat May 15, 2021 1:57 pm
CRITIC REVIEWS BREAKDOWN
Positive: 6
Mixed: 2
Negative: 0
- Critic Reviews:
- Rolling Stone - 91
- Full Review:
The emotion and revelations coming from heartbreak on the dancefloor have been explored by pop titans like Michael Jackson to indie darlings like Robyn. On his debut album, midnight feelings, Reece King aims to take his place among the aforementioned greats, and while he doesn’t quite reach the omnipotence of a song like "Dancing On My Own", he gets closer than almost anyone.
Our first introduction to this album, and Reece himself, was the single "in a dream" which was released late last year. The track conveys an intriguing self-conflict between the love for a past love and the knowledge that being away from them is the best thing for yourself. On midnight feelings he continues to explore that inner conflict. Album opener "take yourself home" finds Reece in his head and trying to convince himself to go home. The song hints at some deep topics like suicide that make it a much more interesting listen than just a song about being sad about a relationship. Ultimately, that advice is not taken and we find himself back at the side of his lover which opens up the content of the rest of the album. The album is filled with uptempo to mid-tempo tracks that are plagued with a dark melancholy that is sonically brilliant. Reece pines after his love ("easy", "try again") and admires his physical shape ("stud!," "rager teenager") but he also sees the negative aspects of this relationship ("done for me", "boy").
While most artists telling this story would end it with a triumphant song about breaking free and being independent, Reece takes an alternative approach and ends the album with "in your eyes" and "in a dream", two songs about being weighed down by the past relationship and still not feeling able to escape it. Leaving such an open end to the album’s throughline was a brilliant move because how often do we all reflect on ourselves late at night and never change anything we reflect upon despite our intent to. The album is a great listen and fun to analyze however Reece does make some minor missteps. The jarring outro of "in your eyes" feels out of place on an otherwise mellow album and the interlude length track "could cry thinking about you" fails to make an impact and could have been left off. However, these are minor things and do little to take away from the album as a whole and from the potential Reece King possesses as he continues to develop and grow as an artist.
Variety - 80- Full Review:
midnight feelings is a promising debut that perfectly articulates what a dreamy yet sad atmosphere would be like.
We may not be allowed to dance the night away with this album at some club in this climate, but we can still take ourselves into a deep yet careless night ride with the windows down with it, which this is also perfect for. King dives into heartbreak, a generic topic, with a unique sound. Not only that but this debut project feels like one is eavesdropping on King’s journal, he grabs our hand and takes us through his self-discovery journey.
The album starts us off with a delicate yet increasingly loud banger "take yourself home", where King expresses his frustration with being alone. Then we are taken away with the dreamy track "easy" filled with melancholy but one can’t help to jam along to it due to its infectious melodies throughout the song. The next track "boy" features a lush production that makes you feel like you took a trip back to the 80’s. "could cry thinking about you" is a good track but you’d miss it with a blink of an eye. "stud!" is a delicious track which perfectly demonstrates King’s freedom with his self-expression while showing us a heart-racing vibe with sex. "try again" is one of the highlights, which is very reminiscent of *NSYNC and Britney Spears in the 2000s and a perfect example of radio candy. We then take a breather with "Better Now", a slow and sorrowful track about a broken relationship. One of the best songs has to be "rager teenager" which makes you want to grab your keys at 2 am, take a night ride and rebel out. Another track reminiscent of the 80s, "done for me", features Dua Lipa and is another highlight. "in your eyes" is another radio candy single that is definitely single worthy with the infectious saxophone solos and luscious vibe provided by King. We are then left with "in a dream", a perfect closer that perfectly sets the vibe of the album and makes you feel like you are walking out of a theatre during the end credits.
Now that Reece King was able to self express himself during his debut project, we can’t wait to see more of the risk-taking yet sexy, dreamy and melancholic nature he provides for us next for his next project.
Entertainment Weekly - 80- Full Review:
New artist Reece King took Europe by storm with his debut single "in a dream" in where Reece talks about trying to find peace but still can’t stop thinking of his ex-boyfriend, struggling to accept the finality of their breakup but resolved that they can’t get back together. The quirky synthpop beat takes influences from new-wave and King's wistful delivery sells the meaning of the song in a fun and catchy way, with such an amazing song it also gave such high expectations for his debut album, midnight feelings. Alongside the album release, Reece released "try again" as the second single off his album. The song is an alternative/indie bop that sonically takes you through a trip to the late 1990s as if you are hearing a new Backstreet Boys song, with Reece delving into 80s-inspired but modern synthpop and electronic sound. King’s vocals also work great here, as he inhabits the themes across the album & conveys them to the listener passionately, from the longing and tragic nature of "easy" to the seductive yet insecure leanings of "stud!". Reece also experiments with the retro sound of the 80s on "in your eyes" singing about how he believes himself to be a cold-hearted person that surrounds himself in a facade so as not to be hurt by love ending with a wonderful saxophone number. "done for me" a duet with Dua Lipa, finds Reece and Lipa both giving their perspective on a failing relationship over a classic '80s pop instrumental. King calls out Dua for cheating on him, which the "Break My Heart" singer denies. A song that stood out was "rager teenager", slowing things down as Reece talks about wishing he could go back to the recklessness of his adolescence. Throughout the song, King sings emotionally as he yearns for the freedom of being a teenager again on a slowly building production that allowed Reece's voice to be the focus of the song for its entirety. The only problem I have with this album is the bad execution at opening the album with "take yourself home". It might ruin the experience for the average listener, but although it starts off slow, midnight feelings picks up later on and is definitely a great start to Reece's career and shows potential for more queer artists to get recognition. It seems like Reece King has already found his sound fully realized as an artist here and is in control of his craft.
Pitchfork - 75- Full Review:
This time last year, no one in the world knew what a Reece King was. And while he is still relatively unknown in America, the British pop singer has risen to meteoric heights in Europe. His debut single "in a dream" was well received by critics for its idiosyncrasy and became 2021’s defining song in the Old World, reigning on the European Singles Charts for a whopping 13 weeks. Achieving such instant success for one’s first-ever song most certainly leads to an insane amount of pressure for their debut album. Luckily for King, midnight feelings is an impressive record, which is certain to launch pop’s newest rocket even further in the stratosphere.
At its core midnight feelings is an adventurous break-up record that crosses the line between today’s indie pop and the evergreen classic bubblegum pop sound. "take yourself home", the album’s opening track, has King at his most innovative. With assistance from Jack Antanoff’s defining percussive guitar sound, King skates through the song, delivering a lush ambience to listeners. Admittedly, at times the album’s search for innovation results in clunkiness, such as the instrumental outro of the aforementioned song, or "could cry thinking about you", an unnecessary clamorous interlude, however, blunders are to be expected while innovating, so the record is not dismantled by an occasional misfire.
One of the record’s standout tracks, is oddly the most conventional. "easy", the album’s second track, is blessed with pop genius Max Martin’s production, yet still delivers surprises. Very reminiscent of the 2014 hit Taylor Swift song "Style", also produced by the Swedish mastermind, over an ’80s-inspired beat, Reece King admits to cheating and divulges an apology. Through clever metaphors and pure honesty, the listener surprisingly finds empathy within King’s words. But the emotional climax of the album comes on "better now". On the track, King delivers his most raw, heartbreaking, and best lyrics. Remembering a past relationship, King pours his heart out on his sleeve for all 3 minutes and 49 seconds. While the song’s hook is brilliantly catchy, it’s the last two lines of a rather short bridge that make the most impact: ‘I swear to you, I'll be okay / You're only the love of my life’.
Being one of pop music’s openly queer artists, Reece King could find himself very easily typecasted by his sexual orientation. One could have expected an album full of pride-anthem "Born This Way"-esque songs. While there are some explicit mentions of his sexual orientation, past the inclusion of male pronouns, such as "stud!", a song detailing coming to terms with one’s homosexuality, King decides to not discuss it elsewhere. The young pop star choosing to not center his art around that subject matter, allows him to not be defined as ‘that gay pop star’, but an emotional artist who deals with love and breakups just like anyone else. Sometimes the best form of representation is normalization, and King proves that.
Throughout midnight feelings, Reece King is sincere with his listeners, broadcasting his heartbreak, insecurities, and happiness, thus accomplishing what every debut album should do, characterizing the artist. While the album does leave some room for growth for the young singer, after listening, one knows that King has what it takes to continue to blossom as an artist.
The Observer (UK) - 73- Full Review:
In Reece King’s new album midnight feelings he explores indie pop and tries to convey emotion using a very distinct way to tell the story and present the feelings the songs have. And he succeeds, for the most part. It’s not the most approachable way to tell stories but in this distinctive way to tell this story he offers a mixture of indie rock, tech-house and theatrical emotion. He opens his album with the Jack Antonoff produced track "take yourself home" and it certainly leaves a big impression which is not entirely a positive one but it isn’t a completely negative one either. The biggest highlight of the song is the angst-ridden chorus which really helps to present the mood of the album. The second track titled "easy" is a clear standout in midnight feels, a big improvement of the opening track. "easy" narrates a person trying to salvage a deteriorating relationship after what could possibly be infidelity on the part of the narrator and it’s a beautiful and catchy portrayal of a person trying to save what seems to be a doomed relationship. "boy" is an interesting addition to the album, while it being a nice addition to it a standard pop song with a catchy hook and great mixing, the lyrical content doesn’t really fit in the collage of this album, talking about pursuing an older guy and whining about when they treat you like a kid doesn’t fit in the angst-ridden break-up story of the album. The 53 seconds interlude "could cry thinking about you" is a perfect way to portray the sadness of the end to a long-term relationship in which you don’t know who you are. Techno induced "stud!" explores the desire for sex and the insecurity of the narrator with their body. "stud!" is probably the track that ties everything in this album to a centerpiece. It falls into the 'do I wanna be him or fuck him' trope and it does so very nicely, in addition with his auto-tuned voice, he teases flirtatiously the subject of his desire. The Timbaland produced track "try again" dives more into the indie rock part of this album and it does so with Reece wanting someone back, begging them to come back despite the fact that the person who’s at fault is the subject of the song and not Reece. Its very experimental production pays off until it becomes a drag to listen to. "better now" a track co-produced by Frank Dukes and Andrew Watt, is an intimate acoustic take on reminiscing about a relationship gone wrong, making it another highlight in this album. The song serves as an intimate peace that feels warm despite the sadness in the lyrics. Angst-ridden "rager teenager" is a perfect track, an indie-pop techno-ridden ode to songs about angst and wanting to lose oneself in the dark of the night, something Reece has mastered in this album. The one collab on this album, "done for me", with none other than Dua Lipa, sticks out like a sore thumb. Dukes R&B inspired track about some sort of devotion in a relationship that isn’t reciprocated feels misplaced in an album full of indie-inspired sounds. 80s inspired track "in your eyes" is a nice odd to 80s synths and that era of music, but then again it doesn’t feel like it belongs on the record. The album's closing track "in a dream" produced by Jack Antonoff concludes the album by recalling the indie-pop inspiration the album started with. It’s a nice closing track and it ends the album with the narrator portraying the angst, heartbreak, and reminiscing this album revels in. midnight feelings delves into indie inspired music and sticks to it more of the time, but somewhere along the line loses cohesiveness and tries to extend past its genre appeal. That's where it fails the most to its listeners as it tries to convey the emotions of the late hours of the day but then when it goes to try and dive into a pool of genres it loses the emotion it's named after. However, overall it deserves its name and delivers what the title promises.
Paste Magazine - 68- Full Review:
Track by track review:
"take yourself home" - This song has some distinct sections, which earns it a few points, but I find that they don't mesh amazingly together and some of them aren't quite as good as the others (such as the ending), leading to a more inconsistent listening experience. Still good overall, though.
"easy" - A good song with a thumping, driving beat that more or less carries the song. The vocals are enough to not ruin the song, and the echoey feel adds to the rush that the song provides. Reminiscent of "Hold On" by Justin Bieber, though that might just be me.
"boy" - An incredible bass line serves as the foundation for a great song using excellent, varied melodies. Lyrics are eh, and what I think is supposed to be the wham line kinda ruins my immersion, but with a bass and chorus that great, does it really matter? In my opinion, no.
"could cry thinking about you" - A bit of a slower song, which does fit the lyrical content well, but isn't quite my cup of tea. Despite that, I can still see that it's a well-crafted song, with the pleasant melodies mostly carrying the song, and I can respect it for that. A short one, but a good one.
"stud!" - To be honest, I find the vocal effect in this song to be really grating, not helped by the rhyming scheme on the chorus exaggerating it. Everything else about the song is quite good (except the lyrics, which are... kinda TMI? I guess?), but it's just not enough to make up for that horrible misfire.
"try again" - Perhaps the best beat and percussion on the album, helping to make this song an intense, driving piece. The breathy, cutting and intense vocal performance just adds to the atmosphere.
"better now" - This one still contains the iffy lyrical content and feels like it is missing something. Maybe it is the basic guitar line, and an eh vocal performance with, once again, weird vocal effects that kinda make me want to say "autotune?". A stronger vocal performance and driving beat could have saved this song.
"rager teenager" - Is that... an organ? Not sure, but wow, that angelic backing earns some points from me by default. But the lyrics are eh, and the vocals are okay at best, and the buildup goes... to crappy percussion. Where'd the production of the other songs go? You had something great, and you blew it.
"done for me" - One of my favorite songs already. The duet works the two perspectives to its advantage lyrically, with an absolutely incredible bass and percussion and some amazing vocal performances to boot. Easily the best song on the album.
"in your eyes" - A sax solo? In 2021? That earns this song an A+ by default, but it doesn't rest on just that, having a good enough lyrical sentiment carried by great vocals and an overall polished and positive listening experience.
"in a dream" - The bass and percussion come in clutch once again for a fast, driving listening experience. The lyrics are okay, and the vocals... wow, they're great! Strong singing and carrying of the melody, combining with the intense tempo for an overall great song.
Final thoughts: An inconsistent album. There are some absolute bangers that will be going on my playlist for a long long time, but there are also some stinkers that really bring down the listening experience. Overall, for a first album, despite its big missteps in individual songs, this album shows that Reece King has a lot of potential as an artist.
New Musical Express (NME) - 60- Full Review:
midnight feelings is Reece King's debut album that has been storming around Europe. The opening track "take yourself home" starts it off in a calm soothing manner, until you hit the outro of the song and it leaves you in shambles. Funny enough it works into the second track "easy" which is heavily auto-tuned and unfortunately it doesn't deliver the potential it wanted to show. The only highlight of the song was the chorus where the auto-tune was stripped off and showed that the track had potential. The short 53-second track "could cry thinking about you" posed itself with such teenage lyrics that it doesn't attach itself to how serious Reece is trying to portray the mood. The last three words being 3 letters took in the most time of the track and rightfully so, all while finally making that connection. Once again auto-tune doesn't take the right course and disorders the listener's attention on the track "stud!". Seems to be another one of those cases as when the auto-tune finally disappears the song finally starts to bloom. Most of the instrumental bits do not help its already disappointing behavior. "try again" begins with its alarming production from the calm we were in, but it seems to be a highlight as we steer into it. "better now" introduces a more silent tone which perfectly transitions into "rager teenager". This is undoubtedly the best song on the album as the soft production that eventually gets more intense is its key feature. Going on about how he wishes he was still living his wild crazy teenage time, which he insinuates that he could be taking that path once again. The outro of the song is where the difference easily hits the most, an only instrumental ending but leaving it with such high expectations. "done for me" features pop diva Dua Lipa who has been grinding out collabs left and right. They both strongly complement each other and is a shame that Dua wasn't more involved in the track. "in your eyes" is another standout of the project. Its saxophone use is superb and the lyrics deliver. The European colossal hit "in a dream" is the album's closer and a small downgrade from the previous track as it left us with such a high. Nevertheless, the track gets the job done. The production once again is the stronger part of the song and once it hits the chorus, it is such a journey. It really ends the album on a high and shows Reece has potential but will need a helping hand to make sure he fulfills it. midnight feelings is a moderate start to the rising star, we hope Reece dismisses the heavy auto-tune onto his new projects as it was the main reason the album didn't reach its peak.
The Guardian - 58- Full Review:
Europe has had its fair share of superstars in the past; from France's flashy David Guetta, the UK's soulful Amy Winehouse, and Sweden's poppy Robyn. They all offered euphoric sounds behind uplifting and anthemic lyrics which make it clear it is music that will be remembered as time goes on. LGBT queer Reece King tries his hand at Europe dance with midnight feelings, his debut album from Lighthouse Records. We got a taste of the album with the European smash "in a dream", which broke records across the said continent. The album starts with "take yourself home", which builds and builds to no avail, and finally, and the end, sounds like something. There have been worse album intros in the past, but a shaky start, nonetheless. A track that caught attention was "boy", which can be seen as a song to fill the department store as you look for your child's back-to-school clothes. Although you surely move your head while going through the clearance racks. A highlight. Another highlight that has to be mentioned is "try again". Branching off an early 00's teen pop sound that has been used by pop starlets like Britney Spears and NSYNC, the track immediately puts you back in that time. Fabulous for a throwback indeed. For our luck, it's the official 2nd single from midnight feelings. However, it may be noted, it doesn't fit the rest of this EDM clustered album. Doubts start to settle in whether this album wants to be mellow or flashy as the next track plays, which is "rager teenager!". Not a bad listen but the tempo of the overall product is getting blurry. The album starts to gain personality again with the sparkly "done for me" featuring fellow British pop sensation Dua Lipa. This one is begging to be pushed commercially, especially with the powerhouse Lipa attached, the album gains another highlight. "Better Now", a slow acoustic cover, surely lures the eyelids shut. The issue becomes clear as the last track plays (which the name of it has moved past remembrance), the album is lacking true cohesion and clarity. Questions arouse such as why "could cry thinking about you", a clear rehash from a #1 smash hit earlier this year, and "try again", a song from Backstreet Boys old mp3 files, are on the same album. Topic, sound, and sonic are all different. Lighthouse A&R's could've achieved a better tracklist, or better producers, as the overall LP leaves no impression after listening.
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Teary Eyes by Katy Perry Reviews
Sat May 15, 2021 2:09 pm
CRITIC REVIEWS BREAKDOWN
Positive: 4
Mixed: 2
Negative: 1
- Critic Reviews:
- All Music - 73
- Full Review:
As one of the 2010s biggest stars the Katycats and the world were in shock when Katy Perry announced a hiatus out of nowhere, which led to the question, would she be forgotten or will she prevail when she returns? Well now is the time to get an answer to that, with the release of her long-awaited album Teary Eyes. As a concept Teary Eyes shows a lot of potential, as the title track states 'just keep on dancing with those teary eyes'. Katy urges people that are lost in life to keep going on, over a catchy dance track. Teary Eyes seems to be split into two sections. The first section of the album seems to be deeper where Katy explores female empowerment on tracks like "Hey Hey Hey" and "Power" 'You can't clip my wings, can't wilt my flowers' and political ideas such as on "Chained To The Rhythm" a disco/dancehall track which is a cry for society to stop living in a bubble and become more politically involved, living far away from difficulty or unhappiness and who aren't willing to come down out of their 'bubble' to see real problems that need to be solved in the world. This album has its up and downs, the first half of the album seems too long and as a listener I was confused for a couple of the tracks like "Pendulum" & "Tsunami" which seem to be too basic and go nowhere, then comes a beautiful interlude "Grace", which doesn't transition well into the second act of the album, the second half of the album seems to be stronger than the first, with amazing pop tracks like never really over The electro pop dance song is a return to form for Perry’s pop legacy, proving that Katy is at her best when she’s using her soaring vocal chops to motivate, another track that's unique on the album is "Harleys in Hawaii", which is a metaphor for comparing riding a motorcycle in Hawaii, alongside her lover with the physical intimacy shared between the two, the album ends with "Only Love" a song that caught me off guard, a goodbye letter to her parents and the world with a catchy gospel like chorus, the confessional aspect of it, makes it a great empowering anthem without using the pick myself back up/sticks and stones allegoric methods that she always uses, this song is a step in the right direction for Katy and I can't wait to see more of it, all in all Teary Eyes is a good album but lacks cohesion and more interesting tracks which has always been an issue with her, I'll keep my eye on Katy for what she has next, because she does show potential to finally make a great album.
Entertainment Weekly - 72- Full Review:
Pop's ever-glistening superstar Katy Perry finally releases her 4th album, Teary Eyes, backed off the blockbuster success of the record's lead single "Bon Appétit" featuring Nicki Minaj. Success isn't a stranger at all to Perry, which has amazing statistical achievements to her credit. On this album, after a long 8-year break, we find out if the veteran is sticking to her true pure pop colors.
"Tsunami", one of the first tracks worth noting, gets references from the old flashy 80's synthpop sound as we're instantly getting nostalgia from those times. It is truly a great track to start the album off.
The cohesive 80's synth continues from loud tracks like "Déjà Vu" all the way to the power-pop track "Into Me You See", which is an emotional rollercoaster on which Perry pours her emotions out for listeners to hear.
The album then goes back to the true Katy Perry form, which we all love to hear. "Hey Hey Hey" is a classic Katy Perry song in terms of structure, memorable melody, and catchy lyrics. The track should be an instant favorite for the 3rd single from Teary Eyes.
The tracklist continues to impress as "Chained To The Rhythm" comes across our recognition. Another classic Perry record, but the lyrics are very different for the pop star. The pop star aims for listeners to be conscious and aware of their surroundings since things are changing every day. Yes, that's deep for Katy Perry. However, it's something to be commended.
A clear transition then happens on the album, as "Grace" starts to play. The transitional record is meant to sound like movement is happening, but it's very dramatic. You can say it's doing its job by the extra operatic vocals at its climax. The track was unexpected for sure, but a nice surprise from Perry.
"Teary Eyes", the title track for the album, starts as the song that follows the infamous transition that just played. The first track of the album that's really skippable, but someone can still find it somewhat playable somewhere. The unbearable instrumental really ruins this track, unfortunately.
The record then picks back up immediately as good tracks pass over. Some highlights lists as: "Never Really Over" (which is the 2nd single), "Daisies", "Harleys in Hawaii", and "Smile", an influx of songs that follow the Katy Perry formula (something that just works.)
Perry usually gets flak from other publications about her sound staying stuck in one place, but that just works for the veteran. Elders have always said one thing, "If it's not broken then don't fix it." Teary Eyes is just another Katy Perry album that's true to her sound. When a song comes on from this album, you know it's by Katy Perry. Identity, which this album has, shouldn't be penalized.
Katy Perry's formula simply isn't broken, which is why her music continues to be a hot commodity both critically and commercially.
Los Angeles Times - 68- Full Review:
Katy Perry returns to music after 8 years with Teary Eyes which fails a bit to be a comeback album. Multi-week #1 hit "Bon Appétit" opens the album with an interesting note. It serves the purpose of being an opener for the album but at the same time fails to make the big entrance to Katy’s comeback album. Next is "Tsunami", a track that fails to keep the listener engaged. "Déjà Vu" is a much better direction for the album to go to but it still doesn’t quite land correctly as it gets boring quite quickly. "Witness", a Max Martin-produced track, elevates the mood of the album and serves a much better job than the past tracks to get the listener hooked on the album. Ballad "Into You See Me" contains really great lyrics and conveys emotion lands beautifully in the album, but then it doesn’t really go anywhere. "Hey Hey Hey" almost disarms the good pace the album had going for the past 2 tracks and it doesn’t quite land on its feet. "Power" is another track that keeps this album from developing completely but the experimental side of it deserves a mention. "Chained To The Rhythm" provides a breath of fresh air, it’s simple and catchy and it completely becomes a highlight of the album pretty easily. "Pendulum" adds to the previous track and helps the album land much better on its feet even if it’s a bit late after having many ups and downs for the first half of the album. The interlude "Grace" marks quite clearly the half of the album, it is definitely a shift of what we’ve heard so far and it then leads really strangely to the title track "Teary Eyes" where it completely becomes a totally different album. "Teary Eyes" makes it feel like we’re starting all over again and whether that was the intention or not it helps the album even if it makes it feel like we’re hearing a new record. "Cry About It Later" doesn’t quite boost this album but it’s a track that doesn’t hurt it either, but it’s just pretty standard and it feels like it wasn’t a necessity to put in the album. "Never Really Over" is pretty easily another highlight of the album, a Zedd-produced track that excels and shows Katy Perry at her finest, a catchy track with nice lyricism and great production. "Daisies" continues to improve upon where "Never Really Over" left off. It is another beautiful track with a nice message that totally helps the album make it worth listening to. "Smile", while a catchy track and with a message about smiling after hardships of life, doesn’t quite belong after the last two tracks and it certainly doesn’t belong before track 16. "Harleys in Hawaii" returns the album to an amazing sound, Charlie Puth and Johan Carlsson co-produce a track that lets Katy shine and proves she can make great music. "Only Love" closes the album with a sweet message about leaving the hate behind and taking only the good stuff, love, which is emphasized several times on the album. While Teary Eyes isn’t the powerful comeback album one should expect from Katy Perry, it still manages to create a nice atmosphere despite its many flaws (overly long and tiring tracks) keeping this from being a much better album.
Spin - 62- Full Review:
Track by track review:
"Bon Appétit" - Well, the melody's fine. That's... literally, the only thing that's fine about this song, and Katy is lucky that it's such an important part. Lyrics frankly make me uncomfy, Nicki Minaj frankly just sucks, Katy's borderline whispering is just... bad, and this is overall just a bad experience for me to have forced myself through.
"Tsunami" - The bleep bloop background reminds me of 2014-era DJ Mustard, meaning NOT GOOD. The really slow tempo and uninspired lyrics and delivery just... remind me of that era even more. Man, that's not a good comparison to be evoking.
"Déjà Vu" - This song, meanwhile, has a fine beat and a kickass bass line. The tempo is fast enough to carry the song along, and Katy offers a good enough vocal performance to keep the song afloat. Two thumbs up from me!
"Witness" - A good enough piano line is the throughline for this song, and some okay percussion and an okay vocal performance are what it carries. Overall, it's... okay. I dunno. Not much to say about it.
"Into Me You See" - A ballad? From Katy Perry? Who'da thought? This one's definitely not the worst in the genre, but I wouldn't call it the best, either. The piano line is only slightly above average, the lyrical sentiment is fine and a bit cute, and the vocals are good, fitting enough for the song.
"Hey Hey Hey" - The production on this one seems a bit flimsy, to be honest. The chorus with its shouting is kinda grating, and Katy's performance isn't particularly good. Not especially bad, but definitely not good, either.
"Power" - ...Well, if there's anything I can say for sure about this, it's that it does get close to, if not just straight up embodying power, in its upfront slamming of the melody. Outside of the chorus, though, it's actually quite weak, in my opinion. Slow, with bad percussion and bad vocal mixing... yeah, loud doesn't automatically equal strong.
"Chained To The Rhythm" - A good lyrical sentiment that's quite important in this age, though perhaps from a more surprising speaker. With a great vocal performance and solid production, it all makes up for a slightly awkward chorus to make a pleasant song to listen to, both seriously and otherwise.
"Pendulum" - This is a vibe. A cheesy but cute lyrical sentiment, with production to match (including a choir!) and a pretty good performance from Katy, this one's a good listen, if not anything too substantial in the end.
"Grace" - Well this is... something. Something very good, that is! This choir and string-derived piece is a great segue between the two parts of the album, serving as a clear divide, and a good one to listen to as well! Originality points too!
"Teary Eyes" - The buildup isn't particularly good, and the chorus comes quite suddenly in the beginning, but man, what a chorus it is! A great beat drives this heart-thumping song along, carried by Katy's impeccable delivery. Great title track!
"Cry About It Later" - This song cultivates a dark, intense atmosphere, but the chorus doesn't really rise above that despite a buildup coming before it. Katy's delivery fits this as well, subdued but tense all the same. And then THE ELECTRIC GUITAR COMES IN HOLY FUCKING SHIT!
"Never Really Over" - Although this is the same as all of the other songs Zedd's made, it's perhaps the best of them all, helped by Katy's frantic and powerful delivery in the chorus, fitting the... interesting lyrical sentiment. Overall, excellent.
"Daisies" - This song, finally, demonstrates that Katy still has the chops to make a great buildup and payoff. In fact, the chorus might be a bit... too much. Still, though, a very good listening experience, other than that one refrain of "daisies" at the end of the chorus, which seems to go a bit too high.
"Smile" - A happy song, complete with trumpets and upbeat percussion and vocals! Quite fitting for the title and lyrical content. Overall, the song does what it wants to do very well, and although it's a bit inessential, it's definitely a good song to put on whenever.
"Harleys In Hawaii" - This song takes some trap beat aspects to create a "tropical" feel, true to its title. Kind of average, to be honest, as Katy's delivery isn't particularly special, and neither is the beat. Not bad, though.
"Only Love" - A bit of a cliche lyrical sentiment, but one I find important all the same. Kind of chill, and the vocals are fine. Overall, it doesn't quite reach the importance it seems to be reaching for, but it finds a good spot anyways.
Final thoughts: The second half is easily, by far, better than the first. No question about it. Frankly, if it was only those songs, this album would be a lot better, as with the exception of "Déjà Vu", "Chained to the Rhythm" and "Pendulum", all the songs on the first half are dead weight at best, and complete ass at worst.
Rolling Stone - 46- Full Review:
It has been 8 long years since Katy Perry dropped her last greatest hits compilation and the music landscape has seen quite the change since. Gone are the big glossy pop anthems Perry is known for churning out and filling their shoes are trap hi-hats and heavy autotune. It seems she had no problem adapting to the new climate though, as she made her comeback with the trap-infused "Bon Appétit". The single sounds cheap and has painfully simple lyrics, but it is also catchy, so it is not hard to see why it became such a gargantuan hit. Still it did not inspire much anticipation or high expectations for her full length project, and yet Teary Eyes still manages to disappoint.
Starting with the good, "Never Really Over" is probably the best song Perry has ever released. Why she could not capture more of that track’s magic on the rest of the album is a mystery. With its 80s tinged production, swelling atmosphere, catchy melody, explosive chorus and bittersweet lyrics, it is the definition of a perfect pop song. None of the other tracks come close to its heights, but there is still some fun to be had. "Déjà Vu" for example is an infectious slow jam and "Harleys In Hawaii" is probably the sexiest Perry has ever sounded.
The problems with the album are too many to name. To put it plainly, it is a bloated mess. The album’s runtime spans 57 minutes and it feels even longer. Many of the songs are painfully generic and overstay their welcome. The 4 minute "Witness" for example has nothing original to offer to justify its length. It does not help that some of the tracks, such as the abrasive "Hey Hey Hey", are overproduced to the max, leading to Perry’s vocals during many of her final choruses being drowned out by the loud production. At times this comes as a blessing though, as Perry can go from giving the best vocal performance of her life on the aforementioned "Never Really Over" to sounding horribly thin and barely hitting the necessary notes on the title track. The lyrics on the album are not much better either. They range from serviceable to extremely corny. Is 'Into me, you'll see ... Is this intimacy?' really the best the biggest pop writers money can buy could come up with? The sequence of "Pendulum", "Grace" and "Teary Eyes" makes one wonder if Katy listened to the album in full before its release (who could blame her if that is the case?). "Grace" is undoubtedly a gorgeous little instrumental interlude, but it is absolutely unfitting. It has nothing in common with any song on the album in the slightest and the way it leads into the title track is unintentionally hilarious.
It is hard to be seriously outraged at a Katy Perry album being generic, but many artists such as Taylor Swift or Lorde have shown how great and versatile pop music can be without needing to reinvent the wheel. When Perry tries, she can be great but there probably is little incentive to put in much effort when "Bon Appétit" spends 5 weeks at number one. Teary Eyes is largely devoid of any sort of artistry, but at least the title manages to be a somewhat poetic self-fulfilling prophecy, as this reviewer can’t be the only person who was bored to tears.
Best Tracks: "Never Really Over", "Déjà Vu", "Harleys In Hawaii"
Worst Tracks: "Teary Eyes", "Cry About It Later", "Hey Hey Hey", "Smile", "Only Love"
Paste Magazine - 40- Full Review:
Katy Perry’s long-anticipated 4th studio album Teary Eyes is a bland and uninspiring take on what is supposed to be Katy’s artistic statement. Considering it has been 8 years since Katy released her last album Prism, this is a pretty inconsistent outcome. The album starts with the 5-week #1 smash hit "Bon Appétit" featuring Nicki Minaj, as Katy reunites with producer Max Martin. An okay start, however, not as good as Katy’s previous singles. Next is "Tsunami", a bland pop song that made me want to get killed by a tsunami. Not much else to say. "Witness" is actually the first solid song on the record, featuring catchy melodies and the first track where the song is not overproduced as hell. "Into Me You See" is very awkwardly placed in the middle of the album, and is a poor mellow piano ballad featuring atrocious vocals and production. At this point, I was just trying to stay awake. "Hey Hey Hey" is another overproduced track, as Katy declares that she is feminine and soft, as well as strong and resilient at the same time. Unfortunately, the song sounds like something you’d hear at a 6-year old’s birthday party and features a horrendous bridge. "Power" is a terribly overproduced track, as Katy sings "You can't clip my wings, can't wilt my flowers". The electronic production does absolutely nothing for the track, and the songwriting continues to be incredibly mediocre. The bar is set low at this point. Thankfully, the album picks up with "Chained To The Rhythm", a great song and one of the best on the record. Featuring uncredited vocals from Skip Marley, the track is supposed to represent political liberation. Katy sings about how we are happy to maintain the status quo in our lives over fantastic production from Max Martin and Ali Payami. The album then goes in an inconsistent direction again with "Grace", an interlude that made me piss my pants laughing. It is placed before the title track "Teary Eyes", a decent song about "dance-crying". Another noteworthy track is "Never Really Over", a fantastic track featuring excellent production and songwriting, thanks to help from Norwegian pop artist Dagny. This is one of Katy’s strongest records in her discography and definitely the highlight of this album. "Daisies" is another strong track, an emotional empowerment anthem featuring mid-tempo production from The Monsters & Strangers. Despite Katy’s efforts to produce a meaningful artistic record, Teary Eyes is hurt by its overproduction and inconsistency.
Pitchfork - 30- Full Review:
Like almost all of Perry’s past projects, Teary Eyes is a glorified top 40 radio playlist rather than a proper album.
Katy Perry is no stranger to inconsistency. Teary Eyes had the potential to show a refreshing and interesting side of herself, especially with her newfound life with motherhood, instead, we are given the same old subject matter and sound in the majority of the songs as if the sole purpose is to be radio candy when the singer is pushing 40. Now, there is nothing wrong with wanting hits, but with the aesthetics of the era, you could tell Perry wanted to dive into the acclaim section she’s been lacking her entire career and it’s no surprise that she wasn’t able to bring that out again.
If you are listening to this album mindlessly, then yes, you’ll have a good time. But if not, as most music fans do, you’ll notice the generic and incohesiveness lying through the entire album. There’s a very strange feeling when you hear a ballad such as "Into Me You See" then a mindless bop like "Hey Hey Hey" the very next. Then there’s the medieval-esque interlude "Grace", implying that the second half of the album has a drastic change, only to be left with a generic track that in no shape defies away from the first half, "Teary Eyes" (which for some reason, is the title track…) There’s just no symbol of artistic growth, which as stated above, is crucial for an artist who is pushing 40 and past their prime.
Besides the negatives, the album has some great highs on its own. "Bon Appétit", which features Nicki Minaj doesn’t take itself seriously in a good way… though it being the opener is questionable. Then there’s the psychedelic track "Tsunami", which is reminiscent of the band Tame Impala, which is also great. Other highlights include "Witness", "Hey Hey Hey", and "Chained to the Rhythm".
Ultimately, our suggestion for Mrs. Perry for her next project is that to stick to one thing, an album with careless jams along with tryhard 'woke pop'-esque songs just don’t mix together as well as Perry and her team thought. We’d also suggest staying away from subject matters that are so been there, done that. Maybe talk more about more about your brand new chapter with your daughter rather than your hoo-hah tasting like cherry pie? Nevertheless, she persisted: Bon Appétit, baby.
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the way i used to by Kelsea Ballerini Reviews
Tue Jun 15, 2021 2:41 pm
CRITIC REVIEWS BREAKDOWN
Positive: 9
Mixed: 1
Negative: 0
- Critic Reviews:
- Paste Magazine - 92
- Full Review:
Kelsea's third studio album the way i used to is led by its title track and tells us how we feel after a bad breakup while you're taking too many shots of tequila, only to find ourselves dwelling more into the problem. The second track "hole in the bottle" was the album's lead single and it's a spectacular drinking song. Kelsea has never had a drinking tune herself, which is the main staple for a country artist and she blew us away with her attempt. "bragger" is Kelsea being extremely cocky about how great her man is and who wouldn't want to continuously brag about their significant other if they were that magnificent. She delivers the attitude throughout the song; putting her husband on a pedestal while understanding why other girls would be jealous. We go onto the next one "the other girl" which is accompanied by global superstar Dua Lipa. A futuristic country-pop song takes on both of the characters' viewpoints. Instead of blaming each other, they said no to misogyny and explained their own experience of who the mistress is. The next highlight, "overshare", is exceedingly catchy. The chorus just encases you into its rhyming beat and you have no choice but to sing along. Seems to be that Kelsea is an over-talker who doesn't seem to get when to shut herself up. She then takes one too many drinks to deal with the anxiety. "love me like a girl" is direct with its meaning and that's not always a bad thing. It's slightly slower than the previous tracks, but still fast enough to bop your head into its gorgeous production. She tells us how she wishes her man was more direct and emotionally attached to her like her girls are. Her friends know when she's riding high or plummeting low and she loves that about them; she only wishes he was like that. Now we stepped into the more ballad-like songs starting off with "love and hate". The piano and violin are beautiful while telling us the story of how a misstep brings a relationship to a screeching halt. "homecoming queen?" tearfully explains to us how even people at the top are still human, bearing resemblance to Britney Spears' "Lucky" back in 2000. Sam Hunt struck gold with his feature on "half of my hometown". Who would've known all it took was for him to go back to country? Their voices are elegant along with the quiet tone of the song. "a country song" paints us how whenever Kelsea is deep in her emotions she does what she's best at, writing an exquisite country song to get her through the pain. The closing track "la" shows us where Kelsea thinks she stands in the music industry. If only she knew how big she has shaped up to be. Now there is no reason to feel that way since Kelsea has been establishing herself as a household name with her recent massive success. the way i used to is a polished body of work with great story-telling, and really informs us on what Kelsea has dealt with so far.
All Music - 89- Full Review:
On Friday, Kelsea Ballerini released her third studio album titled the way i used to. Ballerini expertly mixes country and pop sounds, and she tries to make the pop songs as country sounding utilizing country sounds in every track and she succeeds at creating this pop/country atmosphere. Almost perfectly she demonstrates this in the first track, the title track, utilizing a very pop intro and then evolves the song into a country/pop hybrid that engages us and makes us keep listening to what she has to say. During "hole in the bottle" she embraces country, she knows those are the roots of her music and lyricism and doesn’t shy away from it, something a lot of her contemporaries aren’t doing. During the third track "bragger", Ballerini makes another attempt at hybridizing pop, country and a little bit of rock, she succeeds just like she did in the title track but this attempt is more refreshing and demonstrates the potential she has as a musician. "the other girl", her first real pop song in the record, which is a collaboration with Dua Lipa, is a sincere attempt at creating a pop song with country instrumentals masked as synths, she does well but this one falls a little bit short compared to the other songs that have come before this one. On "club" Ballerini takes her shot at making a female version of the bro-country we all know and while bro-country always falls short and is insincere mostly because of how terrible it tends to be, Ballerini triumphs in this one. "overshare" is Ballerini once again embracing her roots, which she does wonderfully again. However, what makes this song better is the lyricism she employs. She and her co-writers create an atmosphere that is definitely very relatable and something a lot of people will relate to, that it falls as one of the best-written songs in this album. "love me like a girl" is a deeply personal song and Ballerini shines with the songwriting once again, the lyrics and the country/pop production make this an amazing track and a standout in an already outstanding album. "homecoming queen?" is quite possibly the best song in the album. Ballerini demonstrates her power as a country musician, putting her at the forefront of the country landscape this year. The track has beautiful lyricism and production that just elevates all the elements the song has, Ballerini knocks this one out of the park. "needy" feels a bit formulaic and sadly can’t compete with the previous track. While it’s a good country song, Ballerini utilizes the songwriting that’s very common in pop songs and the country twist is quite nice but it still feels rather disappointing. "a country song" is a very nice song to begin to close the album. It does great as the second to last song and some of the lyrics are quite amazing and her storytelling in this one is very good. "la" is quite the song to close the album, it is possibly the song listeners will be most familiar with as it has been her most played single in the recent weeks. She completely delivers an amazing closing track to the album. The lyrics tell how she feels about the City of Angels and fame, and she sells the story she’s telling. It’s the only self-written song in the album and she completely aces the task as a songwriter. the way i used to is an amazing album and Ballerini comes of age in it, though it has its fair share of bumps in the road, she completely excels in this album with very sharp songwriting and expertly mixing pop and country to present what it would be one of the best albums released so far this year.
Rolling Stone - 80- Full Review:
The impressive thing about this project is that there’s a little bit of something for everyone out there. Ballerini is able to cater to different types of moods, diving into her insecurities with songs like "love me like a girl" while giving us a fun song with a pop star you wouldn’t even think would touch country, on "the other girl". And even then, we don’t lose sight of her honestly throughout the songs painted as mindless catchy tunes.
The album starts off with a great start with the title track "the way i used to", perfectly setting the mood of the album, showing the personal side of Ballerini. Then there’s the hit song "hole in the bottle", a clever and playful song about Ballerini’s love for wine. The album lightens up a bit more with "bragger" and "the other girl" with Dua Lipa, showcasing Ballerini’s potential with pop music. "club" is a good example of how Ballerini can deliver a radio-friendly song while diving into her personal thoughts. "overshare" is quite reminiscent of Taylor Swift in her Speak Now days sonically. It's a funny and clever track that somehow makes it seem like the amount she drinks is quite a normal thing. "love me like a girl" makes one feel like they are eavesdropping on Ballerini’s journal and is definitely one of the most personal songs on the album. Ballerini tugs heartstrings even more with the songs "love and hate" and "homecoming queen?", with the former emotionally displaying Ballerini’s relationship problems and the latter being Ballerini offering her shoulder to cry on, letting the listener know that it’s okay to break down and feel how you feel sometimes. "half of my hometown" featuring Sam Hunt shows Ballerini going back to her roots (literally) as she emotionally reminisces of the place she came from. Ballerini lightens the mood again with "needy", a highlight about well… her being needy. Ballerini pushes away from the pop-influenced sound for "a country song" as she goes back to her roots once again, letting us now that she’s not letting go of her country sound yet, and how much writing a country song means to her. Having sung about the insecurities throughout the album, Ballerini continues with the theme of vulnerability on "la", the album closer that touches on her feelings about being homesick and is a full-circle moment with her maturity.
Ballerini may get compared to big champs like Taylor Swift and after this project, we know why. She can display versatility all while giving us meaningful lyrics that make you sit down and think or even feel the same. the way i used to is a solid album that even those that aren’t country fans can easily relate to.
The New York Times - 76- Full Review:
Kelsea Ballerini is nothing new in the music industry. As a southern country blonde belle, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, among others, have all filled that mould before. Because of this, for Ballerini to become something more than country radio’s latest fodder, she must truly break away from the pre-existing female country prototype, and make her own blueprint. On her first two studio albums, albeit them being decent records, she failed to accomplish this task. Both albums had a cookie-cutter approach to making music, which lent itself to a couple of chart hits, but no actual substance. Luckily for Kelsea Ballerini, the saying is ‘third time’s the charm’, and her third studio album does manifest it. the way i used to is an admirable coherent record, which most importantly, has Ballerini beginning the process of defining herself and starting to write her own blueprint.
Throughout the album, the most important aspect to Kelsea Ballerini as an artist is noticed time after time: her relatability. As country music is a genre that more often than not relies on its lyrics, an artist’s relatability is extremely important for the listening audience to be able to connect. Ballerini knows this and utilizes it on nearly every song on the record. Whether it be still wasting time thinking about your ex ("the way i used to"), or being exhausted from the youth of today’s party scene ("club"), Kelsea Ballerini makes the listener feel as if the album that they are listening to, is their own diary. No track exudes her effortless ability to be relatable more than the current single, "la". Despite on the surface being about Ballerini’s insecurities of not fitting in the Hollywood scene, the song’s lyrics detailing the feelings of self-doubt and loneliness makes it personable to an average Jane. When an artist can write about their own experiences, yet have millions of fans feel as if they wrote it themselves, that is something truly magical. However, at times the record’s relatability does reach low points and crosses over to genericness. The Hot 100 number-one single "the other girl" is an example of the aforementioned. Its simplistic mundane lyrics combined with Ballerini’s ‘poppiest’ production thus far, comes across as formulaic. As if the sole purpose of the song was to score a multi-format hit (if this truly was the goal, then it certainly succeeded in doing so, but at what costs?). Collaborating artist Dua Lipa does the song no favours, as she sounds lost on a mid-tempo country-pop hybrid, which is a far cry from her usual energized dance production. Simply put, this lab-produced collaboration sounds out of place on an otherwise coherent record.
On the flip side, "half of my hometown", a collaboration with country singer Sam Hunt, demonstrates the power of a good meeting of the minds between two artists. Hunt’s deep voice compliments Ballerini’s soft tone beautifully, and the song’s endearing message of remembering your roots is charming. Although Sam Hunt never gets sole singing lines, their chemistry while singing together is enough for the listener to be satisfied. Another highlight on the album is the penultimate track "a country song". Being a tribute to her genre, Kelsea Ballerini is at her most natural. Paired with calming production and sweet lyrics, Ballerini reminds listeners of the beauty of country music.
What truly sets Kelsea Ballerini apart from women in country music who came before her, is her willingness to use production as something more than background music. While she can write a pretty good song, she is also not scared to lean into the heartbeat of the song, and depend on it, having production credits on every song on the album. "hole in the bottle", a song which could have been like any other stereotypical country song about alcohol, is set apart by its adventurous, quirky production, topped off by a genius sample. Ballerini recognizes that sometimes it is best to let the music, not the words, do the talking.
For the entirety of the way i used to, Kelsea Ballerini is no one but herself. She does not try to put up a front to be something that she’s not, nor does she lower herself down to fill an industry trope. By no means is the album a revolutionary masterpiece, however, it is a much-needed breath of fresh air in a genre that has become stagnant for over a decade now. Three albums into her career, Ballerini is just coming to fruition as an artist, proving that artistic growth is always possible.
Pitchfork - 75- Full Review:
In a world full of country divas who have crossed over to the realm of pop music, Kelsea Ballerini and her latest release the way i used to, sets herself apart from her fellow country peers. As a whole, the album creates a way to explain the inevitable aloofness with fame and the real world, all in country-pop-tinged sounds. the way i used to is not by any means a "special" country-pop record that none of her peers have released themselves, but what sets the album apart is the honesty and morality that one must adopt in the world.
The song starts with the title track "the way i used to". Right away the song grabs your attention with a vocoder bit that has captured all of pop music. The song then goes on in explaining if anyone will love a man the same way Kelsea does. This one song alone already ties in the central theme of the album. Love, depression, and detachment from the rest of the world. "hole in the bottle" brings back the traditional country twang that will appeal to country fans, but as most country stars these days, you got to "pop it up", which is exactly what this song does. "hole in the bottle" ties in country and pop very well, combining banjo strings, classic finger-picking guitar pieces, but adding those recognizable hi-hats and catchy melodies. The collaboration with pop queen and legend Dua Lipa features a more mellow sound, almost inspired by early 2000's hits. Its self-explanatory lyrics describe competing with another girl for the love of another man.
As the songs go on, the album begins to lose substance and begins to feel more mundane throughout. The production and the ability to write a catchy hook shine the brightest through the first half of the album. There is nothing that is surprising or shocking about the remaining songs and there is nothing that moves you. The lyrical content begins to feel predictable which truly washes away the overall meaning of the album. But it's not until the final song "la", where the central meaning of the shift from reality really takes place and leaves you wondering what you are doing with your life. Even though the critique of predictability still applies to "la", you can no doubt feel Ballerini's heart and soul put into this song and the sense that the city of Los Angeles just makes you feel trapped and away from the world.
Entertainment Weekly - 72- Full Review:
Song by song review:
"the way i used to" - An interesting combination of a trap beat with an acoustic guitar. Pleasant enough, and Kelsea puts in a good enough performance to not sink the song.
"hole in the bottle" - A great use of an unorthodox PSA-type recording to open and close the song. For some reason, it reminds me of a few bro country tropes and considering that the fact that it's not complete ass and is in fact kind of good is super impressive.
"bragger" - Well, this definitely isn't country. Eh. Who cares? An awesome beat backing up a tense, dark tempo, backed up by a fitting vocal tone and lyrics. It's so good that it kind of reminds me of prime Britney Spears!
"the other girl" - Keeps up the dark mood from the previous song, a fitting transition. Personally, the fast, hard-hitting kinds of songs (like the last one) are more to my taste, but with good production and a good performance from both singers, this is pretty good too.
"club" - It reaches the grandness it's obviously aiming for, with great buildup in the bridge and pre-chorus. Bombastic and powerful in the chorus, a great and uplifting song.
"overshare" - Happy and upbeat, plus a great delivery from Kelsea, with the lyrics to complete the package. What's not there to love?
"love me like a girl" - The name drop is a bit awkward and nonsensical, but the production and melody make up for it, in my opinion. Not the strongest song on the album, for sure, but definitely not a weak link per se, either.
"love and hate" - Melancholic, both in lyrics and in tone. The string-derived production fits very well with the topic, and Kelsea puts in a great, emotional performance to boot.
"homecoming queen?" - A similar tone to the previous song, with a similar slow, melancholic production, though the lyrical content is different. Overall, though different from "love and hate", the strengths are similar enough and strong enough to warrant the same high score.
"half of my hometown" - Quite mellow, a moderate tempo, feeling homely and warm. Very fitting, when you look at the lyrics. It might not be something special, but in my opinion, I don't think it needs to be.
"needy" - A strong and locomotive beat strings along a nice little song, complete with strong vocals. A good experience, if nothing in particular to write home about.
"a country song" - Another melancholic song. Personally, I don't particularly see anything in this song to get excited about, but it's not really bad, either. Just... there.
"la" - Even though this song is very different from the previous ones, with its background vocals and snapping and such, I have pretty similar comments. Melancholic and slow-ish. Fine, but nothing to write home about.
Final thoughts: A very strong album, with no skips at all! It's got some instant classics, and a good variety of both bombastic and strong songs, and melancholic and slow ones. Overall, this shows that if this world has any justice whatsoever, Kelsea Ballerini is here to stay.
Consequence of Sound - 71- Full Review:
The title track ("the way i used to") starts this album by giving us a clear message that this album is going to be summery. While it doesn't sound like a standout track, it is very cute. "hole in a bottle" gives this album more "energy" thanks to its very good production. Kelsea's vocal performance adds a huge amount of flavour to this as well. We can tell that this one sounds like "classic" material. We can already imagine the people in those crowded country bars singing along to this song at night together. Keeping the album's main theme the same, "bragger" gives this album a different direction melodically. Early 00s sounding verses mixing up with much more current-sounding choruses kinda works here. Playfully "bragging" - yes, pun intended - about how good her lover is to someone who's trying to get with him, the singer may have delivered a bop here. Kelsea & Dua's voices mix up well together on their collaboration, "the other girl". It's amazing to hear the vocals complementing each other so beautifully, which is what makes this song clever. The only issue we have here is that we wouldn't place this track right after a very much upbeat "bragger". The "kinda drastic" transition to this song felt weird. The album takes an even slower turn when it's time to hear "club". Telling us how she doesn't want to deal with the consequences of going to the club, this track is easily one of our favorites off of this album thanks to her very sweet-sounding vocal performance blending with the melody perfectly. The "chill" and "summery" vibe keeps on going with the next track "overture". Delivering us another "sing by the campfire with friends" type of song, the singer blesses us with a song that many of us can relate to. The chorus is very catchy. It doesn't hit much, but we're still digging it. We're getting personal on the next track "love me like a girl". Talking about how the frequency between her and her lover being different affects her feelings, the singer may have given us a "filler" moment here. The song wasn't really needed on this album if you ask us. Right off the bat, "love and hate" didn't capture our attention which made us feel like this album was losing its steam. This track has sadly nothing special attached to it. It's not likely for the listener to "like" this song even though there are some "string" moments here and there. Another "filler". In "homecoming queen?" through beautifully written lyrics, the singer tells us that not everyone can be alright all the time. Her singing over this simple, yet beautiful, production with these lyrics creates a comforting environment which results in this song becoming a warm hug to the listeners. We're quite thankful for this song because of the fact that it saves the album from totally falling off. Definitely in our "favorites" list. The album is picking up its steam back? Sam Hunt's vocals blending perfectly with the main singer's on their collaboration "half of my hometown" makes us clearly say "We think so!". A song about looking at your hometown from a grown-up perspective is what we're here for. A great track, we would say. The pace is changing once again as we get to "needy". We're appreciating it for what it is! It's a good song. Suggesting her listeners to go write a country song when they feel out of place on the next track titled "a country song", the singer gives us another decent track. The singer's current single "la" which happens to be the last track on this new album is a very cute closer. Aside from bland production moments here and there, the singer did a good job delivering an unfiltered side of hers through her lyrics on this pop-sauced country record. The production on some of the tracks can sound cheap but the lyrical content and the vocal performance overall save this listen from becoming a "not-worthy" one.
Favorites: "hole in a bottle", "bragger", "club", "homecoming queen?" & "overshare"
Least Favorites: "love me like a girl", "love and hate", "needy" & "the way i used to"
Los Angeles Times - 65- Full Review:
Kelsea Ballerini finds a decent balance between pop and rootsy country on her third studio album the way i used to. Ballerini tries to negotiate genres, styles, and sounds on what is supposed to be her most personal record yet, as the record includes several catchy pop-leaning songs. The record has its highlights such as "needy" and "half of my hometown", however, it also includes some filler songs. "hole in the bottle", the 2nd track, sounds like a radio-friendly pop song you would hear, as Ballerini sings about 90s country conservatism. Definitely one of the good songs on the record and well-written overall. The following song "bragger" is another catchy country-pop song, sounds like something Taylor Swift would have scrapped in the early stages of her career. However, nothing particularly special about the track. Next is "the other girl", with pop ICON Dua Lipa. Lipa does try her best to save this track, however, unfortunately, the production was fairly bland and this can be considered a misstep on the album. It didn’t feel like country or pop. 'Yeah I like friends and I like tequila' sings Kelsea on "club", another pop-leaning song that focuses on typical country music topics like getting drunk! This also felt pretty bland, for this is supposed to be Kelsea’s most personal record, yet tracks such as this failed to show anything personal. Next on the record is "overshare", pretty self-explanatory, as Kelsea admits she overshares often over a forgettable chorus. "love me like a girl" is another song that can be considered a filler song compared to the other songs. I could not wait for that song to be over, to be completely honest. "love and hate", co-written with Ed Sheeran, is a better song as Ballerini looks back at a previous relationship, singing 'We used to be so happy, didn't we?' in the chorus, over pretty production. Thankfully, the record picks up a bit and finishes stronger than expected. "homecoming queen?" is an engaging song featuring some of the better lyrical content on the record. Sam Hunt is featured on "half of my hometown", another highlight on the record. Hunt and Ballerini have great chemistry on the song and sounded fantastic together. It wouldn’t be a country record without a song about the singer’s hometown. "needy", perhaps the song with the perfect balance between country and pop is definitely one of the best songs on the record. The record closes out with the latest single "la", a fantastic ballad where Ballerini sings about not fitting in with her famous friends and not being cool enough. the way i used to is by no means perfectly crafted or produced, yet it still is Ballerini’s most personal and honest record.
The Observer (UK) - 62- Full Review:
Powered by three top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits before release, the way i used to by "country" starlet Kelsea Ballerini sets to grab attention in a market that's usually not kind to female talent. The title track, "the way i used to", begins the 40-minute album. Layered behind a former lover, the mid-tempo song talks about reminiscing on a past lover. The lyrical content is strong and demanding, however, the production falls flat. Nonetheless, not a bad intro to a body of work. "hole in a bottle" is one of the strongest tracks on the album. Its theme places thoughts on the old prohibition era and the mindset that people had about it and translated it into a decent record. However, it fails to follow the album's overall theme.
"bragger" may be the track with the most commercial appeal after the album's release. One of the best songs on the LP as its catchy chorus was surely made for Flux playlists worldwide. "the other girl", a duet with Dua Lipa, is also one of the album's hits that is a good precedent to the album's sound. Despite the strong tracks to start, the album being labeled country starts to become highly questionable. "club" begins as it's an immediate skip, with no real personality or belonging to the album's overall central theme. However, could've been in the pop with a hint of country tracks that were singles before the album's initial release. The first real country track begins as "overshare" starts playing. The clear track with personality on the album sets in as this could be the overall saver of the attempted body of work. Some more duds also come across the tracklist as the record continues: "half of my hometown" with the lifeless Sam Hunt, "a country song", "love and hate" and "love me like a girl". "needy" and "la" are decent tracks that float in the sea of forgetfulness, and that ironically helps the LP's incoming score. It seems that Ballerini is stuck in a lane that fellow "country" stars such as Swift or Musgraves were also stuck in. Pop with a hint of country singles and adding pure (and average) country album tracks could be Ballerini's strategy after all, but no one over here is fooled. The country-pop genre blend is smart in a marketing sense, but it doesn't make your music have any genuine appeal or sound at the end. Ballerini's project follows that unfortunate saying. Bring real country back.
The Guardian - 58- Full Review:
Over the decades Nashville has delivered us close to all of America’s most talented, beloved and successful country stars. Kelsea Ballerini has definitely proven to be beloved by many and certainly successful, and there is no doubt she has some talent, but talent is not all that is needed to craft a great album. Her singles leading up to the album were a mixed bag, from the endearing "la" to the painfully boring "the other girl, and after listening to the way i used to in full, it is clear they perfectly represented the project.
In terms of lyricism, the tracks vary in quality. Some songs which are filled with many cliché phrases and ideas, such as the title track "the way i used to" or the muted ballad "love and hate", could have easily been churned out by any writing camp. On the other hand, on other tracks such as the tongue-in-cheek "overshare", Kelsea manages to bring so much personality to her lyrics. Her writing is fairly simple and while that can be a hindrance, on songs like "a country song" or the aforementioned hit single "la", the simplicity adds a layer of authenticity and makes everything feel more heartfelt.
"club" is a track that perfectly displays one of the album’s most glaring issues, the often ill-fitting production. The sudden trap high-hats that randomly kick in during the chorus suck out all the life and vibrance built up by the previously very organic acoustic instrumental. To top it off, the mixing can be pretty mediocre at times with the instrumentation during many choruses easily overpowering Kelsea’s vocals. What makes these moments even more frustrating are tracks like "bragger", which show how great the album could have been had more competent producers been behind the wheel. With its thumping horns and multi-layered vocals, it is easily the most lively song on the entire album. Another reason why "bragger" is a highlight is because many of the other songs blend together sonically and sound very similar, so it is a breath of fresh air.
Ultimately the album’s biggest problem is that it lacks flavour. While not offensively bad, many of the cuts are just generic and bland. Outside of a handful of tracks, it is basically a pop album. Adding some twang to the guitars in the background does not make something country. Ballerini is both a capable singer and songwriter but she is in desperate need of something that makes her music unique.
- beysus
- Posts : 643
Join date : 2020-03-25
Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa Reviews
Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:09 pm
CRITIC REVIEWS BREAKDOWN
Positive: 9
Mixed: 0
Negative: 0
- Critic Reviews:
- The Independent (UK) - 100
- Full Review:
With Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa transforms into a pop icon, then to the newfound Queen of Pop! Year after year a new batch of female pop stars appear on the radar in the music scene wishing to make a name for themselves in the likes of veteran pop stars, including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and much more. But like always, the inevitable happens where a good chunk of these female pop stallions begin to dwindle after a good year of stardom and pop radio spamming. Dua Lipa found herself not to be included in this narrative, instead, she releases the record of her lifetime. A record that some stars, such as Lady Gaga, have been dying to make during their whole short-lived career.
The album begins with the title track, "Future Nostalgia", which is honestly so bad it makes you want to hope there is something better. But Lipa never disappoints; incomes the second track her latest single, "Don't Start Now." A tune that is laced with pop perfection and everything that pop music was missing these days. The track features a modern take with the popular '70s genre Disco. The sparkling production makes the track addicting and gets you pumped up at any moment it comes on and just gives you a better vibe throughout.
What makes this record and Lipa as an artist special is that over the years there has been an influx of euro/euro-based pop stars that have attempted to hop on the scene and corrupted our ears on the radios. This long list includes women like Zara Larson, Ava Max, Anne-Marie, Mabel, etc, and Dua Lipa is the one that stomps on all of them. Future Nostalgia proves that she is, in fact, in a league of her own, incomparable to any of her peers. She's like the Beyonce of the recent British (or wannabe British, Ava Max...) pop girl scene, and girls like Zara Larson are the Amerie's or Ciara's.
With the latest project Future Nostalgia, there is nothing exceptionally different about it, but yet, you fail to think of any album like it, which is the fascination of Lipa and everything about this era.
The album's second single "Soul Control" showcased to audiences that she was no one-trick pony and was able to make her deep and husky voice work for any sound. People were perplexed when they heard the disco sound that no one has bothered touching in a long while, and that is what made it great. Whether or not the song was bound to become a smash hit, or a minor one, what mattered was what Lipa was able to bring to the table. As the era went along, people were pumped to hear what Lipa has got to say next, and with the Future Nostalgia as a whole, I can confidently say that listeners are satisfied and found everything they wanted in an album that wasn't able to find in a Lady Gaga album or a Rihanna album.
Carefree and feel-good dance music at a disproportionate time could not have been a greater gift. Songs like “Levitating” just get you out of your seat, and if you're not dancing when this song comes on you are weird or probably a Lady Gaga fan who is pressed she has never made something as good. "Pretty Please" tackles a new take on the disco genre, with more minimal sounds that were meant to have a more sensual feeling, the track is just a great time.
Aside from the ugly opening title track, there is nothing bad that can be said about this album, it is perfect, and truly the album of the decade! I suspect it will win Album of the Year at the Grammys. Get your pools ready!
Variety - 98- Full Review:
Dua Lipa shot to stardom with her self-titled debut album, Dua Lipa, thanks in part to her single "New Rules" which put her on the map. Fast-forward a few years later, and Dua Lipa is gearing up to release her sophomore album, which is a huge deal for artists that have already seen some success with their debut, putting on a lot of pressure to outdo themselves. In this case, Lipa truly did outdo herself. With catchy melodies and snappy basslines that get you up and dancing, Future Nostalgia is danceable, fun, sensual, and is everything disco-pop should be.
Throughout the record, Lipa channels her inner Kylie Minogue and Confessions on a Dancefloor-era Madonna on this album, most notably on "Levitating" where she truly conveys the transformative nature of romance with a CATCHY melody and lyrics. “Levitating” shows Lipa can do it, and it isn’t the only track demonstrating a hunger for dance-pop/disco-pop glory. On “Physical” Lipa sings “Who needs sleep when I got you next to me?” before going on to the chorus which samples Olivia Newton-John's hit of the same name. What Lipa’s powerful voice lacks in emotional nuance she makes up for it with her command of the song. “Good in Bed” brings more of a fun and laid-back sound. It has simple drums, bass, finger snaps, and a chorus that leaves you wanting more. In the midst of it all, there’s a sound like wet flubber, and it pops at just the right, unexpected moment during the last chorus. It’s the perfect touch in a song with its hands in all the right places. The song that caught my eye the most was "Love Again". Sampling the strings from White Town’s "Your Woman", which I think everyone has heard before at some point, the song explores themes of heartbreak and personal growth with proclamations of rediscovered love. Lipa uses her lower register's "husky" vocals that encapsulate an undeniable sense of urgency as if she is mimicking the rush of falling in love. "I used to think that I was made out of stone/I used to spend so many nights on my own/I never knew I had it in me to dance anymore/But goddamn, you got me in love again."
When it comes to disco-pop, danceability is serious business, and Future Nostalgia brings it on every track. This album swerves away from everything we are hearing on the charts and it’s a reassurance that when this is all over, the dance floor will be ours to dominate.
PopMatters - 95- Full Review:
Dua Lipa's second studio album Future Nostalgia has been highly anticipated since its first two singles have seen such great global success, and we can confidently claim it was worth the wait. We begin with the title track and she has such confidence that it's so contagious. Sonically it's a great song with dominating lyrics that she presents throughout it. The new single "Don't Start Now" is the album's second treasure. She keeps on giving you confidence and the production is just magnificent. She moved on from her boyfriend who clearly wants to get back together with her now. We move onto the next highlight, "Physical," following the ‘80s theme of the song, Dua Lipa directly references Olivia Newton-John’s 1981 hit “Physical.” What can't we say that we don't love about this track. The dance beat is so thrilling. Its lyrics are built with such intimacy that you don't spot it at first sight, since you are bounded in chains by its joyous production. She references the 1981 hit throughout its chorus and she certainly knew how to keep it timeless. "Levitating" is truly a masterpiece. The beat is outstanding while really driving the future nostalgia theme into your ears. With its impeccable production, the lyrics are so well thought out that we will be shocked if her management doesn't submit it to the Grammys. It's so addicting you really just wanna keep on hearing it again and again and who can blame you. Unfortunately, the album's only dud is continuing track "Soul Control", we'll just say that we have high expectations so far. "Pretty Please" gives out quite the groovy vibe and once again proves that she is a master of creating timeless songs. Last year Dua introduced "Break My "Heart" as the lead single of the album; we were given high expectations instantly, it's another masterpiece in Dua's arsenal. Her story is that she met this new guy and everything is just right. She knows how previous relationships went and she doesn't want this one to kill her. "Hallucinate" is probably the brightest gem in this enriched mine. It's the perfect banger to hear at the club. We've said this a bountiful of times throughout this journey and sonically it's flawless. She loves this guy so much that she loses her mind whenever she's with him. Future Nostalgia accomplished everything it was going through. Now that COVID-19 restrictions are starting to dwindle, this body of work is what we need to get back out there and relish our stolen time.
Rolling Stone - 90- Full Review:
Dua Lipa's second studio album Future Nostalgia is a magnificent and timeless pop record that tackles empowerment, sex, and more. Lipa's self-titled debut album, which was released in 2017, presented us with a pop star who had clear potential, and Future Nostalgia has certainly shown Lipa is here to stay. Inspired by sounds from her idols (Kylie Minogue, Jamiroquai, Daft Punk, and Madonna), Lipa and her team of producers (including Pharrell Williams and Ian Kirkpatrick) manage to mix three decades of pop music into one classic record. The 13-track album has absolutely no filler songs, instead, being ripe with constant bangers, and makes a strident case for Lipa as a pop visionary. The first track "Future Nostalgia", the title track, written with Pharrell Williams, is a fantastic opener filled with personality, as Lipa let us know "You want a timeless song, I wanna change the game." A fantastic way to start. The second track on the record is the latest single “Don’t Start Now,” an anthemic piece as Lipa reunites with Ian Kirkpatrick (producer of the smash hit “New Rules”) to produce one of the greatest pop songs of all time. YeahISaidIt.mp3. The nu-disco sound on this track perfectly encapsulates the theme of the album, as Lipa mixes 70s disco funk with contemporary pop music, to produce pop excellence, and certainly a career highlight in her discography. Another noteworthy track is “Physical,” which can be interpreted as an ode to Olivia Newton-John’s 1981 smash hit of the same name, as Lipa works with renowned produced Max Martin for the first time. The soaring synths in this track work perfectly with Lipa’s sexual tension in the lyrics, and the middle-eight is a fantastic and euphoric moment on the entire record. It is truly a track that sent Olivia Newton-John into her grave. “Levitating” is another track that one may call a pop masterpiece or a timeless song. This uplifting track immediately hooks you and is excellently written and produced with Frank Dukes and Louis Bell. Crispy rhythmic guitars and fantastic melodies throughout the song carry it to greatness. The post-chorus is so euphoric and the Blondie-inspired middle-eight further shows how much Lipa has grown as an artist since her debut record, as her disco-funk tracks are not only filled with groovy production but loads of personality. A career highlight! The next two tracks on the record “Pretty Please” and “Moment,” two bass-driven songs which continue the titular theme of the record and the incredible high-quality production. On the former, Lipa pleads for sex and sings about being needy at the start of a relationship over a groovy and thick bassline. Although the production is much more skeletal and barer on this track, it still fantastically matches the theme of the record. “Break My Heart”, the #1 smash hit is yet another track featuring slick production, sampling INXS’ “Need You Tonight.” This is another infectious disco-inspired track, which features a fantastic hook thanks to the nimble melodies. Sounding like a classic piece of 90s pop, the song perfectly embodies Lipa’s influences without making it sound derivative. Another track that features a sample is “Love Again” (samples “Your Woman” by White Town). This track is pure disco bliss, and the sample is a fantastic addition to the beautiful strings and creative guitar breaks. The sampling of “Your Woman” highlights Lipa’s knowledge of pop music, and this is what pop music is supposed to sound like. Lipa studied and understood the past of pop music to successfully go forward and revolutionise the genre with this record. To conclude, Future Nostalgia is an excellent and almost flawless pop record, showing that Lipa is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.
Exclaim - 90- Full Review:
It only took 6 months, but the pop album of the year may just have arrived. Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia makes good on its promise by modernizing the pop-disco era of the '80s with new, exciting, and fun production paired with lyrics that make you want to down another martini and grind on barely-legal guys at the gay club. The album opens with the title track, "Future Nostalgia", which is a fiery, attitude-driven song that lets the listener know Lipa’s state of mind. Lyrics such as “You want a timeless song/I wanna change the game,” and “No matter what you think I’m gonna get it without ya/I know you ain’t used to a female alpha” assert Lipa as an artist who is confident in what she wants and knows she will achieve it. It’s worth noting that Lipa’s debut album was far more amateurish in comparison, like that of an artist unsure of what sound they wanted. Future Nostalgia eases those doubts, as Lipa grows into her new role in pop music: a global star. Other highlight tracks include "Cool" (where the lush production and change of pace from the dance-heavy songs offer a softer, and a deeper showcase of Lipa’s vocal abilities), “Levitating” (a pop-anthem that’s basically begging to be the next single), and “Good in Bed” (a sexual song that reveals the raunchiness that Lipa and whatshisface get up to in the bedroom). One area where the album would have fallen short is that by the end of its 13-track run, it all feels a bit “same-y.” And while there are no true duds or misses on the album (it’s true, every track slaps!), it gets a bit exhausting in its final few moments, making it seem fitting more as a playlist for club bangers and less as an album. This would have been a bigger issue if the midtempos on the album such as “Pretty Please,” “Cool,” and “Love Again” weren’t placed strategically to help give the listener a break in between the heart-thumping pop anthems. Future Nostalgia is a carefully crafted album with a terrific 13 track run that reminds us, amongst a world of brooding teens like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, that it’s okay to have fun and dance. This sound of pop has been dearly missed for the better half of a decade and it’s safe to say that Dua Lipa is bringing it back in full force.
Pitchfork - 86- Full Review:
Dua Lipa is a remnant of pop’s past. The “era” for her 2017 self-titled debut album lasted over three years and spawned a whopping eight singles. Such legs for a record have become a rarity in today’s musical landscape of singles burning out within weeks and yearly album releases. In the past six months alone, the British and Kosovar Albanian singer has released three singles, before releasing an album, something unheard of for the majority of her peers. Therefore, it is no surprise that her second record, Future Nostalgia, is a throwback to sounds that established the pop genre as music’s permanent leading phenomenon.
Anchored by lead single “Break My Heart,” which through the use of a genius sample creates one of the year’s most memorable songs, Future Nostalgia is a collection of sophisticated and polished pop music, that proves that for music to be classified as art, it does not have to dwell in melancholy. Throughout the album, Lipa and her solid production team (the genius brains of Max Martin, Pharrell, and Greg Kurstin, among others) submerge themselves into ’80s pop and ’90s club culture. The result, a near-masterpiece that is flawlessly nostalgic, as well as striving into the future.
The record’s strong suit is its production (which does call into question Dua Lipa’s contribution to the album, as she holds no credits for producing). No two songs display the force of nature that the production is better than “Levitating” and “Hallucinate.” Although they are four songs apart from one another in the tracklist, the pair feels like co-pilots, flying the record high. The former is reminiscent of something you would hear off Bruno Mars’ latest album, but make no mistake, it is distinctly unique to Lipa. Ripe with production that is so addictive, one might think it has been laced with crack cocaine, “Levitating” is the no-brainer next single choice. The latter, “Hallucinate”, is as well comparable to a drug, as the song takes the listener through a psychedelic journey. Another aspect of Future Nostalgia is its willingness to step outside of its comfort zone and add a little quirkiness. It is done so excellently on the tracks spearheaded by Pharrell (“Future Nostalgia” and “Good In Bed”), yet falls flat into clunkiness on “Soul Control,” the oddly chosen second single.
Being production-heavy, other elements of the album do take the backseat for the most part. There are a few (very few) instances where the words that the 25-year-old is singing stand out. One of those instances is on the previously mentioned “Break My Heart”, which has the best lyrics on the record and another later on “Pretty Please,” the penultimate track. With moderately simplistic production (for such a banger-filled album), it is Lipa’s slick vocal delivery and catchy lyrics that carry the song into being a highlight.
Future Nostalgia is nonstop, no ballads; for 12 tracks, that is until the album’s closer “Love Is Religion.” Placing the record’s slowest song as the epilogue is an understandable choice, however, due to the song itself, it was the wrong decision. Seemingly influenced by Madonna’s “Like A Prayer” (fitting as the rest of the album also borrows from the pop legend’s discography) “Love is Religion” unfortunately lacks the punch of its inspiration. The most pulled-back instrumentation on the record creates an extremely bland listening experience (a gospel choir on a pop mid-tempo, how groundbreaking!). When Lipa proclaims, “I don't wanna preach, but I’m all that you need/They say love is religion, so say a prayer with me”, there is no covering up that embarrassment of a lyric.
On her second studio album, Dua Lipa made her stance. Setting herself apart from her contemporaries, the singer is now in a league of her own, being able to skillfully command the dance floor, and music listeners alike, through a tight-knit respectable piece of art. The thrill of Future Nostalgia comes from the title itself. Lipa set out to make a modern classic, and she accomplished exactly that.
The Guardian - 84- Full Review:
Dua Lipa’s sophomore album Future Nostalgia proves she is becoming a force in the pop music landscape. The album is a fun cohesive piece of work so ambitious, it almost feels as if it’s made by a seasoned musician. She’s trying to make a statement, getting closer to what she wants to be as an artist. She does make the statement in the first track, as she sings, "You want a timeless song, I want to change the game," and she will get there eventually. The record, as great as it is, is not really a game-changer, though it is filled with timeless songs, a bit ironic isn’t it? Dua Lipa excels in the sound regardless, her influences are pretty clear varying from Madonna to Kylie Minogue, and by embracing those influences she manages to create an almost flawless album.
Dua Lipa also managed to create an experience with this album. It’s such a cohesive work yet all the songs stand out on their own and none of them blend together. "Don’t Start Now," Dua Lipa’s newest single and one of the most acclaimed tracks of the year, is one of the stand-out tracks the album has. From the catchy lyrics to the flawless production it definitely rises above, cementing Dua Lipa as the next big pop star.
The album mixes the past sounds of Madonna with a modern twist, being most present on "Love Again", which begins with orchestral strings, and on "Break My Heart", which has a guitar hook present throughout the entire song. Both songs demonstrate Dua Lipa’s knack for writing everyday lyrics and mixing them with stellar production to form sublime 80s induced modern dance-pop. And in these two tracks, she might do it better than some of her inspirations.
Another stand-out track in the bass-induced "Pretty Please," mesmerizing production with cheeky guitar sounds, synths, and a cowbell make this track nothing but outstanding. And in the same lines "Levitating", the predecessor track to, "Pretty Please", has Lipa creating the closest thing to a perfect pop song that would top the charts. On "Physical" Dua Lipa interpolates the Olivia Newton-John classic and gets rid of the R&B influences to present it with cheeky synths and a darker production that makes it stand out on its own, independent of the hit it interpolates.
While tracks like "Cool" and "Hallucinate" are a bit more experimental, they are still a testament to Lipa’s careful thought process for the album. "Cool" is filled with synths as Dua Lipa uses her vocal ability to its most, flexing her whole vocal range. "Hallucinate", a dance song, is very well another example of how she uses what she knows of dance songs of the past, from the likes of Kylie Minogue, to create a fun track that when everyone is vaccinated will for sure be played in the clubs.
But no album is perfect, "Good In Bed" while catchy and quite an interesting track; feels rather pedestrian in the context of the whole album. While not necessarily a bad track, it doesn't feel like it’s up there with the rest of the album. And while "Soul Control" is a track we’ve already heard, as it served as one of the singles leading up to the album, it is a bit boring compared to the rest of the tracks that Dua Lipa has arranged in the album, especially being sandwiched between "Physical" and "Levitating." While "Moment" is a fun song it’s pretty much a song that gets forgotten once it transitions to "Break My Heart."
As for the closing track "Love Is Religion," Lipa manages to close the album on a high note with a track that samples Madonna’s "Like A Prayer." A choir sings “Love is a religion” which encapsulates the themes of the album perfectly.
In its thirteen tracks, Dua Lipa creates an album that will transport you back to a time where everywhere you looked there were neon lights and synth-induced music blasting. By doing so she elevates herself as a force to be reckoned with.
New Musical Express (NME) - 83- Full Review:
Song by song review:
"Future Nostalgia" - To be honest, I don't really like the faux-whispering parts or the verses in general. I just don't like Dua's intonation. Everything else is peak Dua, production-wise or just the chorus in general, but unfortunately those parts I dislike are large enough to bring the song down.
"Don't Start Now" - A classic already. This is exhibit #1 of Dua Lipa at her quintessential peak. Frankly, the only point it loses is because it's so... emblematic of Dua at her best, that it's actually a bit boring in that regard.
"Cool" - This kind of feels like something Coldplay would make, though I can't quite put my finger on it. Bombastic and catchy, but the stop-start chorus does bring it down a tad.
"Physical" - THAT BASS. THAT SYNTH. THAT VOICE. That is all.
"Soul Control" - A throwback song (though then again that's basically the entire album). A smooth vocal performance, a great bass as always, and interesting touch in synth sounds that vaguely remind me of 8-bit classic music? Well, whatever it is, it sounds pretty good.
"Levitating" - The song peaks at the opening. A classic performance from Dua, and the production's great, but it feels like this song's missing... something. Maybe something to break up the, uh, kind of monotony of the second verse, perhaps?
"Pretty Please" - A bit more laid back, toned down of a song, with much emphasis on that excellent-as-always bass. Avoids the pitfalls of previous attempts at quieter performances from Dua, for an overall great song.
"Moment" - I think the previous song did the toned-down vocal performance better, but this isn't too shabby either. Combine that with a typically excellent percussion and bass, and you've got a typically great song.
"Break My Heart" - Best bass on the album, amazingly. And that chorus opening. Just incredible. And the final chorus, too! This is INCREDIBLE!
"Hallucinate" - Arguably the best melodies on the album, and when you combine that with the production, bass and vocal performance Dua Lipa's known for... well, you've got something incredible on your hands. Loses a point for slight clunkiness on the chorus, though.
"Good In Bed" - Oh hey, the one explicit track on the album! That chorus is... unique. I dunno if I like it, but fortunately all of the other typical virtues you'd find on a Dua Lipa song are there, so it's not like it's a disaster or something.
"Love Again" - This song incorporates seemingly random odds and ends, such as the string-derived opening that transitions to... something that sounds like an ice cream truck, that reappears on the chorus? How does this song work? Well, if there's anything I know, it's that it does, and does really well, using the typical Dua Lipa strengths to its advantage.
Final thoughts: It's an album from Dua fucking Lipa. What, pray tell, did you expect?
The Telegraph (UK) - 75- Full Review:
The British pop sensation herself, Dua Lipa, has made her return to the industry better than ever with the breath of fresh air that is Future Nostalgia. It has the potential to take listeners' breath away from the get-go thanks to its catchy hooks, beats, and fun lyrical content. Stepping away from what appeared to be her comfort zone that she was in for her debut era, Lipa was ambitious enough to take this risk for her sophomore record to aim towards a different direction for not only her sound but also her entire aesthetic. She seems to be pulling it off effortlessly after the general public gave the singer another global hit under her name with "Break My Heart" earlier this year. It makes us feel very satisfied that the album definitely lives up to its name after witnessing how the singer came up with a pop sound that is so futuristic yet also nostalgic along with lyrics that bring us back to the current times. Also, this is the perfect time for this album to be released because we can already see this defining many people's summer as a whole but especially with the disco-sauced bop materials "Don't Start Now" & "Levitating" (which can easily be considered two of the best pop songs released this year). "Physical" is the perfect choice for a workout. "Cool" is the one you want to hear while chilling at the beach. "Hallucinate" is the choice for a night out + a "must play song" for a DJ in the clubs. The Kylie Minogue inspiration is quite strong on this album especially with "Hallucinate" which reminds us of something off her 2001 release, Fever. The title track clearly gives the listeners an explanation of what is about to happen after that track. This sets the tone for the record perfectly. Of course, this album is very good for today's pop standards but it's inevitable to see some things that just don't capture our attention. The drastic change going from "Hallucinate" to "Good In Bed" wasn't a very good move. Neither was ending the album with a track ("Love Is Religion") that doesn't quite make sense with the rest of this album sonically. Besides the strong album cuts, this one is the weakest easily and it doesn't work as an outro. We can add "Soul Control" to this as well which gets a little too much sonically while listening. The song lacks power and its energy/vibe just doesn't match with the rest. Those tracks don't get along with the rest so those can be considered as the only "flaws" of this record.
Favorites: "Don't Start Now", "Levitating" & "Love Again"
Least Favorites: "Soul Control", "Love Is Religion" & "Good In Bed"
- beysus
- Posts : 643
Join date : 2020-03-25
Dedicated by Carly Rae Jepsen Reviews
Fri Aug 20, 2021 3:33 pm
CRITIC REVIEWS BREAKDOWN
Positive: 3
Mixed: 2
Negative: 1
- Critic Reviews:
- The Line of Best Fit - 85
- Full Review:
After 2015’s Emotion, which went on to become a certified cult classic for pop fans, Carly Rae Jepsen is back with its follow-up: Dedicated. If Emotion was the soul of a teenage girl yearning for love and romanticizing her existence, then Dedicated is its grown-up and more sophisticated sister. On this record, Jepsen often times opts for slower, moodier sounds than the pop anthems on Emotion, while still playing into the 80s style of synthpop, which helps make the distinction between the 2 albums. And while the album doesn’t exactly reach the highs of its preceding album, it is still a work of art in its own right. "Want You In My Room," the second single off the album serves as the standout track with its unique production, use of saxophone, and Jepsen’s coy yet innocent and charming vocals as she sings lyrics such as “I wanna do bad things to you / Slide on through my window.” "Happy Not Knowing," is another standout that reflects on Jepsen not wanting to risk getting into a relationship where she might end up broken-hearted. It’s a wonder it wasn’t made the lead single over the less-catchy "No Drug Like Me." Maybe it’ll get to shine as a post-album single? "Right Words Wrong Time" shows off Jepsen’s head voice during the chorus, while "Too Much" relates with listeners who can’t help but feel "too much" with everything they do - specifically with love. However, the album does not always remain so consistent. "The Sound," for instance, starts off promising with its verses but falters with its repetitive and boring chorus. This problem can be found with a couple of songs within Dedicated that have great verses but fail to impress during the chorus. Another example is "Everything He Needs," where the verses bounce playfully while the chorus repeats “He needs me, He needs me” over and over again until you can’t help but want to fast-forward a bit. Other songs, like "Real Love" and "For Sure" are repetitive in the chorus but are saved by the unique and interesting production kicking in. If Dedicated were to have more lyrical depth within its choruses instead of repeating the same couple of words, it would have made a much better pairing with its amazing and consistent production. Regrettably, Jepsen’s choice to repeat the chorus makes certain songs feel like a chore to get through and ultimately makes the album sound like its purpose is to cater to radio despite its mellow tone that hints at something deeper. Dedicated ends with "Party For One," a song that starts off slow but then builds into a catchy pop chorus. It's a great way to end the album and leaves the listener feeling content with Jepsen's ability to find happiness within herself. Overall, Dedicated is a great body of work. While it’s not perfect, its flaws don’t take away too much from the album and its highs vastly outsoar its lows. With pop music taking such a sharp incline in quality lately (see: Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia just a couple of weeks ago, Lorde’s "Supercut," and Katy Perry’s "Bon Appétit"), it’s great to see Carly Rae Jepsen continue to release quality music amongst her peers while not getting lost in the fray.
PopMatters - 81- Full Review:
Carly Rae Jepsen’s fourth studio album, Dedicated, is a nice and cohesive body of work, that while it doesn’t live up to its predecessor, Emotion, it still is a good follow-up.
“Julien”, the first track, is a soft pop disco song where Jepsen yearns to the titular character of the song, but while the toned-down synths are nice it doesn’t hook you as a listener. Dedicated is filled with the same warm tones of disco-pop throughout the album, and mostly it works; it does the job it needs to be done. Ripe with influences like Cyndi Lauper, the record shows how Jepsen has made this specific sound her own.
In tracks like “Want You in My Room” and “No Drug Like Me,” Jepsen brings out a lush sexy production to contrast with its lyrics about passion and love. Jepsen has done this also quite expertly in her past work but it truly shines here more than before. The same is true with track number 9, “The Sound”, a slow disco song that picks up in the chorus; her vocals sound great along with its production especially in the context of the whole album.
Jepsen's quiet vocals and really unique voice shine in the track “Too Much” which is easily one of the best ones in the album. Easy production, beautiful drums which greatly complement the lyrics, and its content about how Jepsen feels everything too intense that she needs to ask the person she’s with if it’s okay, mixed together easily creates an atmosphere that makes this an easy highlight in the album.
Jepsen also doesn’t shy away from the up-tempo songs she’s known for, such as her most recent single “Want You In My Room” or album track “Happy Not Knowing”. On both, Jensen adds to the upbeat 80s pop songs she started creating in Emotion, especially improving from a track like “I Really Like You”.
“Automatically In Love” and “I’ll Be Your Girl” are tracks that feel like they earned their place in their album with their production, and Jensen’s vocals aggregate a nice touch to the album and make it feel easier to digest. The trumpets at the end of “I’ll Be Your Girl” make it an easy fun pop song that would get played in the heat of the summer or in a coming-of-age film.
And in tracks “For Sure” and “Feels Right”, the latter which oddly features Jensen’s label mate Yungblud, she continues to present 80s inspired fun songs that round off the album quite nicely. With the closing track “Party For One”, which encapsulates the sound of the album, Jensen demonstrates that to make a fun pop album you don’t need big and loud productions, thus making this a great step forward in her career.
Exclaim - 80- Full Review:
With Carly Rae Jepsen's latest project, Dedicated, she further fills the longing void of fun pop music that the world has been craving for years now. With fifteen tracks and spanning at 48-minutes, Jepsen delivers pop excellence and fun production that is bound to get anyone moving. The album begins with "Julien," a song about Jepsen's boyfriend from once-upon-a-time. The song encaptures with glittery pop production along with Jepsen's light and delicate voice which brings the track together and lets listeners know at the ride were about to take. The album then transforms into "No Drug Like Me", a track that once again delivers dance excellence and fun production that would sound amazing in a car trip with your besties.
With Dedicated, what makes Jepsen a league of her own when it comes to pop music is that you can tell there is a layer of authenticity with what she does. She's not making dance-pop music for the sake of getting a potential radio hit. What also separates her from other pop females is that she is probably one of the few people who do not let the infectious production carry the song entirely (Zara Larrson, Ava Max). Every song on Dedicated has a purpose and meaning that ties the album together, not just a bunch of dance music plastered in an 'album' in hopes of getting people to buy their music. With Jepsen, it all comes naturally to her. The catchy pop hooks that she writes and the different types of producers she acquired to make this record for her just proves that she is miles ahead of her other peers.
We first met Carly Rae Jepsen on her monster hit "Call Me Maybe" from the summer of 2012, a song that definitely ruled your entire summer or maybe your entire year. Since then; after years of label and management issues, another major worldwide hit ("I Really Like You"), MORE label issues, and wanting to find a home for her music, Jepsen shines the brightest when she is producing potential pop classics. There is really nothing Jepsen can do wrong when she is meant with meaningless (in a good way) pop music. There have been tons of artists out there that feel like they're doing something special by creating radio-friendly pop music, very pretentious types of artists that swear everything they do is something only they know, not Jepsen. Dedicated is another revolution of pop grounds. Though nothing is spectacularly different, it is just another spark that Carly Rae Jepsen created.
The Observer (UK) - 60- Full Review:
Carly Rae Jepsen takes a calmer approach to disco synth-pop on her fourth studio album Dedicated. The Canadian pop star teams up with several producers on this 15-track album, including Jordan Palmer, John Hill, Jack Antonoff, and more. Jepsen continues to borrow from the 80s, as she mixes disco elements and squelchy synths over smooth beats. Although the record sometimes feels like a continuation of Jepsen’s 2015 record, Emotion, Dedicated takes a more relaxed approach to Jepsen’s typical 80s synth-pop but often falters in its overproduction. The album starts with “Julien” a funky disco opener that gets you on your feet immediately. "Julien" is a song about Jepsen’s singular experience that she refuses to give up on, and it is tracks like this that amplify Jepsen’s identity. “No Drug Like Me”, the 4x Platinum smash single is the second song on this record. It is is another gentle disco song, and it describes the intoxication of new love. The song however lacks the quality production and melodies that we usually associate with Jepsen. “Now That I Found You” is possibly one of the few highlights of the record. It is a well-produced EDM-pop song that sounds like some of Jepsen’s previous work. Jepsen’s vocals also shine over ayokay & Captain Cuts’ production. The latest single off the record is the 4th song on the tracklist, “Want You in My Room”, sounds like a Daft Punk song, if they ever worked on a song for a Nickelodeon special. “Everything He Needs” is another strange disco track as it features calmer production. This track felt lacklustre, and the gluey electronic production failed to match the energy of the previous tracks. “Happy Not Knowing” takes a more classical approach to Jepsen’s songwriting. “But I'll only go so far/I don't have the energy/To risk a broken heart/When you're already killing me”, sings Jepsen. Carly sings about crushing hard on the frantic “I’ll Be Your Girl”. Like a few other tracks, this song falters in its overproduction and fails to be the feel-good anthem it’s intending to be. “Too Much” is comfortably one of the worst tracks on the record, featuring a horrendously written chorus. Another 'chill disco' track is “Automatically In Love”, a song that features sparkling melodies over basic lyrics. Overall, Dedicated is a lacklustre follow-up to Jepsen’s previous work, as overproduction and basic songwriting hurt the few highlights on the record.
Spin - 56- Full Review:
Carly Rae Jepsen seems to have finally become a force in the pop world. Her fourth studio album, Dedicated, has given her higher success than in the previous decade, but is it really for the right reasons? The album instantly starts a bit noisy and we only wished it would stop soon. When Jepsen commences all we could really hear is the booming production. It was distorting the enjoyability of the track "Julien". The second song "No Drug Like Me" was the catalyst of her stardom and we still don't seem to understand how it happened. The real star here is the following track, "Now That I Found You". It is one of the gems that we have found in Jepsen's mine. Once the beat drops we thought that Ellie Goulding was featured in this only to know in our dismay she wasn't. "Want You In My Room" is the summer single Jepsen has birthed us, while we do think it's the better of the two singles it starts quite odd. Luckily it doesn't last for long but it comes now and then throughout it. A couple of duds follow up until we find another shine in this dark mine. "Too Much" was already pulling us in which most of the previous tracks don't reciprocate. Sonically it is quite chilling. The minimalism it gives off really brings out the identity and the connection we are meant to have when listening to music. As we look for another light, "Feels Right" is the one that has caught our attention. The piano enrichens our ears and to our luck, we have a guest. British pop-rock star Yungblud has a small but important role in the chorus and it's what really kept us from skipping. Jepsen was fine in all of it but the chorus, where she comes off pitchy. "Real Love" doesn't shine as bright as the others but we do have to acknowledge its wonderful production. At least the closer of the album "Party For One" is an exceptional track. The message is quite clear but it is enhanced with the powerful confidence she has throughout it. It is indeed quite contagious and we wouldn't be mad if this was the next single for Miss Jepsen. Following the career peak of Emotion, we had such high expectations for Dedicated only to be given subpar results. I guess a musician's highest-selling album will never be their best body of work.
Los Angeles Times - 10- Full Review:
If you blindly played someone Dedicated and they mistake the album for an 80s playlists filled with has-beens, don’t be surprised.
The main problem lies with the fact that Dedicated is an uninspired and been-there-done-that type of album. With Jepsen’s career going on for over a decade now, you would expect artistic growth, but somehow this feels like a complete regress from her "Call Me Maybe" days.
The album starts with a painful note titled "Julien," with the funky guitar being the only flavourful thing about the song. In here Jepsen sings about a topic she has probably touched dozen times before, reminiscing about an old love. The hit song "No Drug Like Me’"gives you faith in the album after hearing it, but then we go back to annoyance with "Now That I Found You," which reminds me of one of those free type beats on YouTube that vloggers use for their vacation videos. The album’s current single, "Want You In My Room," picks you up again and makes me wish the project took this groovy direction. Elevated by Antonoff’s creative touch, it is definitely one of the best songs of the year. This is where the album takes a nosedive. "Everything He Needs" is generic and is full of annoying repetition, which seems to be becoming a theme. "Happy Not Knowing" is a prime example of striving for pure cohesiveness not always working, as the majority of the album sounds like this song, making me feel like I’m listening to a 10 minute song or something.
"Too Much" is when I just got exhausted, it’s almost reminiscent of a The Chainsmokers song that you can’t seem to escape. I can see why this might become a fan favourite, but it’s definitely one of the worst songs on the album, it just feels so empty. "God, you make me so tired," a lyric in "The Sound" is how I felt at that point. The aformentioned song is excruciatingly empty-sounding with generic lyrics that would make Katy Perry seem like the songwriter of her generation… which probably seems like eye candy to the Raepists, I suppose. The album finally picks up again with "Automatically in Love" which is one I definitely hope Jepsen makes a single in the future. "Right Words Wrong Time" is another song that is single-worthy, with gorgeous production and a catchy chorus that leaves you laughing at how she gave us less of this and way too much of stuff like the other tracks.
I have nothing else positive to say for the rest of the album, especially for "Party For One," which was barbaric to my ears, so instead of it seeming like I have a vendetta against Miss Jepsen, I’ll just end my track analysis here.
Although there are very few decent tracks, only 2/15 were something I would go back and revisit, which is why I'm giving this the score that I gave it. To make a long story short, Dedicated is a huge step back from Jepsen’s past projects, but is that saying much?
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