Album- Teenage Dream

Artist- Katy Perry

I have to admit that before you read this review Katy Perry is my all-time favourite artist. So whilst I have tried to be neutral in my review, if you feel a sense of bias in what I have said then I cannot help it, I just think she’s awesome. And with the longevity and commercial success of the Teenage Dream era for Perry, it would seem that I am not the only one:

Track 1- Teenage Dream

This is my favourite song ever and I feel this is just a great song. The contrast between the powerful chorus and the delicate verses creates a cotton candy sweet track that gives a great sense of euphoria. And, in thinking of living as a teenager, Perry encaptures the idea of the innocence of youth beautifully. Just dance around and bask in the glory of this song.

5/5

Track 2- Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)

This is the silliest, poppiest, most cotton candy flavoured track on the album. And whilst it’s a little naughty lyrically, it’s not in any way a debauchery fuelled, provocative track about partying hard; it a lights, saxophone fuelled song about living for the weekend with our friends. And if you don’t get up and dance to this at some point in your life, or shout along to the T.G.I.F refrain, then that would be very sad.

4/5

Track 3- California Gurls (featuring Snoop Dogg)

Inspired by Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind”, this is another fun fuelled track that pays homage to Perry’s hometown of California. This ones maybe not as much of a song for younger audiences as the last track but is still in candy coated, nice territory rather than over sexualised. And the Snoop Dogg rap towards the songs end adds a new dimension that lifts the song to a whole new level.

4/5

Track 4- Firework

The uplifting, you are who you are and embrace that anthem of the album arrives in the form of this song. And whilst the sentiment may be cheesy, this is actually a really smart track in that it doesn’t try to be anything other than a self-esteem booster. With a sing along chorus built for karaoke bars everywhere, this will always be remembered in the years to come.

4/5

Track 5- Peacock

With a flavouring of Tony Basils “Mickey” but with a lot more innuendo, “Peacock” is a smart song in that Perry has fun with the idea of sex without making it provocative and over sexualised like other artists. The only issue is that some people might find the repetition within the track becomes annoying, and that the track is a little bit too silly.

3.5/5

Track 6- Circle the Drain

Potentially about former boyfriend Travie McCoy, this is for me one of the most personal tracks on the album. With a more rock production that harks back to her One of The Boys debut, Perry lets her fierce side show and emphasises that she will not be taken for a fool and won’t wait around for people when they trap themselves in a downward spiral.  And it’s great in that we can rock out with her, bashing all those loves that we couldn’t give the time of day of anymore.

3.5/5

Track 7- The One That Got Away

I read in one review of this single that there were better track on the album to choose as a single, and in another review that this was a more boring version of Teenage Dream. I feel these people have completely missed the beauty and vulnerability of this track. We all have someone in life who we wish we could still be with, and Perry explains this nicely in this simple mid tempo track that is sugary but sentimental and emotional, I also think this version is better than the acoustic one, as though the lyrics are quite ballady, it is given more of an impact with the pounding drum behind it.

4/5

Track 8- E.T

This is a really great track in that production wise; it gives some diversity to the album.  A little bit techno driven with a thumping backbeat, this song plays around with the idea of strange love in comparing Perry’s lover to an extra-terrestrial, and is easily earmarked as a club ready remix track.

4/5

Track 9- Who Am I Living For

Sadly this is when the first of a couple album filler tracks songs. Here Perry questions the meaning of life and seemingly embraces the well-publicised Christian upbringing that she is known for. But against the sugary coated goodness of many of the other tracks on this record, it just feels a bit plain.

2/5

Track 10- Pearl

Another plain record that could have been cut, this is a nice track in that it plays to Perry’s strength and uses the softness of her voice. But like the previous track it just doesn’t measure up to the other songs on this record. And with too down tempo tracks back to back, the fun of this album definitely starts to wane.

2.5/5

Track 11- Hummingbird Heartbeat

This for me was like Teenage Dream 2.0. But that is not to say that this is a bad thing. It’s not a rehash of that song but merely holds the same kind of sentiment about love and has that euphoric quality to it. And it brings the album back on track.

3.5/5

Track 12- Not Like The Movies

Like many other artists, Perry closes the album with a ballad. But this is great in that, not only does it feel very personal, it also highlights that whilst she’ll never be the best singer in the worls, she is actually an artist that can thing. And whilst the album is built on a sense of fun and euphoria, she also shows in this song that she is no fool to reality, knowing that your prince won’t always come. But she also expresses that human nature of wanting to be loved in a fairy-tale like way.

4/5

Final Review

This is a better album than Katy Perry’s first major label album in that it has more of a coherence to it and a sense of direction. And its really suited to Perry’s personality: fun and quirky. It’s a great album, and whilst some may argue that she merely creates songs designed for commercial success, that doesn’t mean that that is a bad thing- why would people buy songs if they didn’t think they were good?

8.5/10