Canadian pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen releases her second album after “Tug of War” (2008) with a sound resplendent of the likes of early 2000s when Britney Spears, Mandy Moore, Kelly Clarkson and now Selena Gomez and a few others made their mark. “Kiss” manages to bring out a few potential radio hits, but as an album, it is nothing more than average pop fare. The reason behind it is that most of the songs have the same disco electro pop effect, which in turn makes all the cuts seem similar in sound. But her success is no fluke, for the album has a few solid songs with clever lyrics, backed by her sugary sweet voice and a confident display of talent.

Flying away from her folksy sound in her debut effort, Carly’s 45 minute – 13 track album is filled with the sound of an artist trying to prove her staying power and trying to impress a teen audience. The album avoids a few mishaps here and there and manages to stay on. The first half of the album has impressive stuff like Call Me Maybe which eclipses everything else on the album, including the title song This Kiss. The explosive refrain is easily memorable: "Hey just met you/and this is crazy/but here's my number/so call me maybe/it's hard to look right/at you baby/but here's my number/so call me maybe..."

Despite being in her late 20s, Carly manages to woo the teen fan. The opener Tiny Little Bows, produced by Dallas Austin and Cory Enemy, yields a solid neo-disco sound, is catchy with a fairly good chorus too. This Kiss, produced by Redfoo (of LFMAO) and Matthew Koma, drifts into the opener with the chorus again being a highlight.

Her repeated cooing, backed by confident vocals are her biggest asset, even though downers towards the end of the album like Curiosity, Guitar String/Wedding Ring, Your Heart is a Muscle (we didn’t know that) are weak, she still manages to give her best.Tonight I'm Getting over You shows the vulnerable side of Carly, her voice showing sadness in this post-breakup Euro dance anthem. This Kiss is mid-tempo and lyrically speaks about a kiss being something Carly can't resist and the lips of her beloved.

“Kiss” is a typical pop album that is both listenable and a few left to themselves. This would mean that there is a lot of room for improvement for Carly’s future releases. Surely she cannot sit on her only highlight Call Me Maybe and think her next effort will click. That said, Kiss is average material for a teeny bopper who’d love to listen to some danceable pop. Surely there would be more to come from this singer. Keep a watch.

Rating: ***

-  Reviewed by Verus Ferreira