What's it about?

Katy Perry’s second pop offering after her controversial ‘I Kissed a Girl’ single, isoverflowing with sexual innuendo, and this time it is blatant for all to hear very clearly. Surely this is not something her audience would want. But then we’ve also had Christina’s ‘Biopic’ and Ke$ha’s ‘Animal’ that have said enough, but pop as in popular music, just doesn’t get any better without the sexual overtones. Despite having a string of hit singles on her debut ‘One of the boys’, Perry's album suffered due to lack of consistency, which in that case ‘Teenage Dream’ is much stronger. Her songs here are radio friendly and might just catch the hook of her fans who just don’t seem to dwindle. Her career has also been one voyeuristic stunt after another and here she goes at it again.

Music ***

You can listen to the opening ‘Teenage Dream’ which is the album's high-point, and you’d probably know the followup to what runs through the album. Perry has taken the help of Max Martin (Britney/ Kelly Clarkson/ Pink) to get in some catchy hooks and memorable production work alongwith with Dr Luke (Ke$ha/ Pink/Avril Lavigne). But it turns out it’s not such a success. You’d get a good package no doubt but not something you can listen to at one stretch, not the complete album. So try out ‘Last Friday night’, and ‘California Gurls’ that features Snoop Dogg who doesn’t do much than create a feel good effect on the song. There’s also ‘Hummingbird Heartbeat’ that leaves a good taste of uptempo 80's synth-rock pop with a good chorus coming from Perry. On the slower side there’s ‘Not Like The Movies’ balladic and a vast difference from all the other tracks here.

Lyrics ***

One of the high points of Perry’s is her ability to write every song on her album, even though a few songs may sound completely nonsensical. So even though her album is a thumbs down, Perry should definitely be praised for her songwriting. On ‘E.T.’ she compares her lover to a space alien, while the ridiculous slang in ‘Peacock’ would be x-rated material giving her a definite worst song of the year award. Perry snarls “Are you brave enough to let me see your peacock? Don’t be a chicken, boy; stop acting like a bi-atch.” Or more coming in ‘Circle the drain’ when she goes “…….I want to be your lover/not your f*****g mother…...”. Very frustrating lyrics, showing the desperation Perry is in. A good wordplay, but you can’t play this song at home for sure. Pretty awful. But more lyrically satisfying would be ‘The One That Got Away’ where Perry captures the emotions of teenage idealism with a simple hook “…In another life/I would make you stay/so I don’t have to say/you’re the one that got away.” Another piece would be ‘California Gurls’ clubby and talks about beaches and babes. Lastly ‘Who Am I Living For’ shares Perry’s view on the biblical story of Esther, the Jewish orphan who married the Persian king and uncovered a plot to exterminate the Jews. Very compelling.

Vocals *** ½

By the sound of it you can gauge if a song would be a hit or not, from the first note of Perry’s vocals, as she possesses two entirely different singing voices, as she moves from a high pitched level to a more powerful, deeper tone on the more serious tracks. The repetitious ‘Firework’issynth-y house beat driven going …….’boom boom boom’, shows off Perry’s vocal skills in its prime. Her wailing on ‘Who Am I Living For?’ showcases her strong vocal range, while the ballad ‘Not like the Movies’ is tragic and avers over her tragic love life comparing it with Hollywood movies. The song ends the album, in its slow and sweet stripped production style proving Perry’s raw singing voice has its good moments if you really listen carefully. There’s also ‘California Gurls’ which lacks a strong hook, melody, but triumps when Perry's saucy vocals are added.

Orchestration ***

‘Last Friday Night ‘(T.G.I.F.) has a good melody fused with an aggressive sax solo, while ‘Firework’ is more chic and is Euro-club material. Coming back to the slanderous ‘Peacock’ it’s a down and out teenager styled song, catchy no doubt, something you can sing aournd in your bedroom. (where else). ‘Circle The Drain’ has a rocky edge and is one of the better songs on the album, a shot at Britney soundwise. ‘The One That Got Away’ is a song about teenage innocence and definitely a single to look out for. Not moving too much deeper you cannot omit ‘E.T’ for its earthy sound, while ‘Teenage Dream’ is very much close to dub step with its heavy bassline and heavy drumming. ‘Hummingbird Heartbeat’is the story of the birds and the bees.

Sum Up

25-year-old Perry, who also has a scintillating cover inlay and is known for her wild fashion style, is only two albums old and has managed to say what she wants from her heart. ‘Teenage Dream’ is the fantastical world of youngsters and the life they lead. It sets the tone for the album well, its well titled fortifying girls: their hopes, their dreams, their desires, etc. Good in bits and pieces, the album has its good moments and is just about tolerable. Is the album a success or not, well that is not the criteria. It’s how her fans take it and finding the right audience for such work, which is of paramount importance. She’s played naughty, sexy, and lyrically bold, all at the same time and has managed to get away with it. Lyrics included.

Tracks to Experience:

-- Teenage Dream

-- California Gurls

-- The one that got away

- Not like the movies

Reviewed By Verus Ferreira

Rating: ****