I won't pretend that Katy Perry musical efforts are mind-blowing--or join the debate over whether or not she's sincere--but she does know how to deliver an great pop album.
Teenage Dream is expectedly immature (the lyrics focus on first loves and adolescent urges) and you still have to put up with uninspired tracks like the obnoxious summer anthem “California Gurls,” but the production value throughout is hard to match. Dr. Luke and Max Martin prove they are still 100 percent dominant, easily flaunting their songwriting skills and crafting catchy tune after tune. Perry also pulls through as a capable singer, never relying on auto-tune or talking her way through songs. “Not Like the Movies” resonates with real emotion that will establish Perry as a staying force among the pop princesses, many of whom cannot pull off a true ballad (I still shudder thinking about Britney's attempts).
Meanwhile, “Circle the Drain” shows off Perry's harder edge—it is the 2010 equivalent to P!nk's earlier hit “Sober” or Evanescence's rock number “Call Me When You're Sober.” And, of course, other upbeat tracks like “Peacock” are sure to get rotation in clubs. I'm betting this record is going to be impossible to escape over the next year. Parents trying to reign in 13-year-old Katy clones may dislike the plethora of lyrics about three-ways, heavy drinking, and seeing a guy's (pea)cock but hey, it's no worse than anything that's been done before. And, hidden among the rhymes about going “all the way,” are lines referencing Of Mice And Men, the phrase “epic fail,” and making out to Radiohead. Hmm, maybe Ms. Perry is cooler than we think.
Sum...ology: Teenage Dream is a fantastic pop party that doesn't leave you worried about whether you contracted Syphilis (Ke$ha) or wondering why your clothes are covered in fake blood and eyeliner (Lady Gaga). It just makes you want to keep dancing and existing in a, well, teenage dream.
