Album- Body Talk
Artist- Robyn
Swedish recording artist Robyn has been one of the reigning
queens of pop to come out of Sweden through her recognisable soprano vocal and
addictive sound. She has also created some really great hits and has been
someone who has really shown artistic growth, most notably with the 2007
release “With Every Heartbeat”. This album allows us to enter into Robyn’s
creative process in a unique way through how she released to E.P’s before this
album, Body Talk 1 and 2, with songs from those both appearing and not
appearing on the record. We are shown how she picks the songs in a way, and are
also given a slow build to the album. However, when all that is pushed to one
side, is this really a solid pop album, or is it a sign that she really should
rethink her creative process a bit?
Track 1- Fembot
When a tracks title powerfully incorporates the idea of
being a robot, it seems only right that the tone of the track, both in terms of
vocal and production, really has that robotic feel, even if the song is all
about having feelings. The track features Robyn employing her signature rap
vocal style as she uses a range of double entendres in the verses before simply
declaring in the chorus that woman have feelings too, as she has had her heart
broken. It’s a simple and strong song, although the sexually driven end does
make for a little bit of an uncomfortable listen. The singers voice is
powerfully distorted within the track to bring together the lyrical
sensibilities, but she still somehow manages to bring a feisty edge to the
number, perhaps in the speediness of her rap style. The track has a kind of RnB
tone to it, but is very much electronically driven, with production having a
nice simplicity in terms of its two beat synth tones and a squelching
electronic base in the production that all comes together to make a chilled,
mid tempo number that still opens the record in strong way.
3.5/5
Track 2- Don’t
Fucking Tell Me What to Do
When I read the title of this track I thought, ah, she’s to
go into an even feistier mode than the previous track and put people in their
place, making for an awesome song. But sadly Robyn doesn’t deliver here. The
lyrics of the track are pretty much focused upon Robyn telling us about all the
thing that are metaphorically killing her, and then after a while proceeding to
tell us and presumably the world to not tell her what to do, using an expletive
to really get her point across. It could have been a really strong concept for
a song, but the delivery is just very poor, with Robyn coming across as a just
a girl who won’t stop complain and seemingly knows everything, with the list
like nature of the lyrics just feeling so bland. The vocals also could have
helped the track, but instead Robyn just employs a quite monotone sing/speak
style that has no personality, And the only kind of good thing about the track
is the sort of snappy production with its strong bass and simple but clattering
electro tones, yet this too is quite simple, and so is not enough to save the
track from coming across as boring, even if it gives a little insight into the
artist.
2/5
Track 3- Dancing On
My Own
From the blandness of the previous track we enter into much
better material with this track, the first single of the Body Talk era and
arguably one of the best songs that Robyn has produced as an artist. The
lyrical content of the track clearly designates the track as a heartbreak
anthem, in which Robyn puts on the role of a woman dancing alone in a club
whilst seeing her ex-lover with another woman, and offering us this sense of
there being no hope. Yet there is still
that sense of empowerment in terms of the emotional intensity of the track, and
the way that it has that slither of potential to simply reflect upon the idea
of loneliness rather than the idea of love. Robyn definitely brings her A Game
in terms of the vocal performance, which is full to the brim with passion and
sound both silky smooth and fragile at the same time, with the vocal layering
really making for a catchy tune. Production wise the song is created as a
powerful electronic ballad with its misty disco tones and shimmering synths
that sound like a kaleidoscope of heartache, and the production really works in
tapping into the tracks sentiment and just creating something that we can
really enjoy.
5/5
Track 4-
Indestructible
A prominent ballad tone continues with this track, but
unlike the previous number we enter into a more up tempo and optimistic tone.
Lyrically the track is focused upon the idea of love, with Robyn this time
playing the role of a girl who has made some bad moves in life but has found
this guy and has these powerful feelings for him, with the chorus proposing the
idea that she is too forget the past and just love this man in such a way that
she could never be hurt again (hence the title Indestructible). It’s quite a
sweet message that is centred around a strong pop chorus, and once again Robyn
is one fine form vocally, with her light tone giving a touch of sincerity to
the track. The bubbly production with its heavily synthesised beats and
pulsating rhythm alongside some potent strings is cool and just gives a chilled
edge to the song that makes for a comfortable listen, even if we are kind of missing
that emotional punch that we need for a great song.
3.5/5
Track 5- Time Machine
Robyn goes a bit nostalgic for this track in terms of
musical collaborations, as the track is helmed by Swedish pop producer Max
Martin, a leader in the musical charts for today’s pop music and the man
responsible for some of the early hits of Robyn’s career. The song has a
powerful edge in terms of the vocal performance and the production, but this
kind of works in both two really cool ways in kind of masking but ultimately
making the lyrical content of the track that little bit more powerful. Here we
find Robyn singing about the end of this relationship where she thought she
would be on top but now she is really hurt over this end and just wishes to
take back all that happened and go back, asking for a time machine to do so.
It’s a strong statement that is given power through the simple and catchy tone
of the chorus and the way that the message is something that many people can
easily identify with. The power that exists with Robyn’s voice really comes out
strongly in this track, particularly in terms of the way that the chorus builds
to that really nice falsetto moment of fragility, as well as the nice ad libs
in the final sections. Martin brings his strong pop edge to the production in
terms of the steady, pulsating dance beat and the cool, electronic, synth based
tones that create a let loose and dance heartbreaker song. The fast paced,
disco beat rhythm of the middle section is also really strong and just gives a nice
finish to the track.
3.5/5
Track 6- Love Kills
With such a title as “Love Kills”, you can’t expect anything
but a continuation of the heartbreak theme that has kind of strengthened the
first half of the record in terms of its catchiness. However the track is a
nice change of pace in terms of how the lyrical quality of the track focuses on
simple statements rather than a kind of storytelling lyrical element, putting
Robyn in the role of a wise teacher in the game of love. Yet whilst the lyrical
content is a nice change, its strong potential is really hindered by the way
that the song is very much built upon lyrical repetition, and so you can
quickly become annoyed by Robyn trying to teach us. The track is strong vocally
as the layered tones give an innate strength to the track, although the song
feels a little too steely in terms of the depth of the vocal and so it is not
quite as catchy as some of the other tunes. The production is probably the best
part of this track; with the pulsating beats have a real hard edged quality
that perfectly intertwines with the ideology of the song, although like the
lyrics it can become bland after a while.
2.5/5
Track 7- Hang With Me
Originally recorded by Swedish singer Paola Bruna in 2002,
producer and writer Klas Ahlund added a chorus and made it more up tempo to
give to Robyn and include on her Body Talk album. A more hopeful quality can be
exhibited alongside the fragility in terms of the lyrics of this track, as
Robyn puts on another musical role, this time of a girl who is falling in love
but is a little scared, and learns to trust in the relationship. The song is
quite straightforward in its sentiment, and with her light tone Robyn really
brings that sense of truth to the track that makes for a catchy tune. The electro pop production is another radio
friendly sound that brings this strong emotional edge to a club ready level
with its relentless beats and light synth energy, which is nice and makes for a
sweet if fragile tune to just kind of
dance around too.
3.5/5
Track 8- Call Your
Girlfriend
Nominated for a Grammy Award in 2011, this tune is another
electro pop ballad that finds the singer in a state of emotion that is quite
intense sounding and can really speak to us. However, the lyrical pace of the
track is a nice change in terms of the kind of fast paced energy of the verses
against the simplicity of the chorus, and it’s also a nice change in how Robyn
isn’t the heartbroken girl, but rather she sings about being in a state of
happiness within this new relationship
that is going so great, but worries that her partner’s ex may be very hurt, and
so asks him to call her and end that relationship, giving him tips on how to
handle the situation. It’s another example of how Robyn is an artist that is
very in touch with very real, human emotions that so many people go through,
and this really makes for excellent pop tunes that are commercial in sound but
universal and powerful in sentiment. Vocals on this track are superb, with
Robyn really giving both strength and fragility to the track and also giving a
graceful quality to her performance. The buzzing rhythm and powerful synths of
the production make for a nice sound that you can slowly dance around to , with
the chord changes giving us a satisfying tone.
4/5
Track 9- None of Dem
(featuring Royskopp)
One of the few tracks that has no input by Ahlund, this song
is, according to the notes of the album, completely composed by Robyn herself
in terms of the song’s lyrics, whilst featured artist Royskopp acts as a feature
in terms of his role as a producer. The tracks lyrical message is a nice change
from the other tracks as we find Robyn not focused on love but instead on this
sense of being stifled in this place that she finds herself, and wishing to go
somewhere that she can have this sense of freedom. The chorus has a potent
simplicity and is memorable, but the verses suffer in terms of the lyrical
simplicity and the repetition that becomes annoying. Vocally this is also one
of the weaker moments for Robyn as she doesn’t provide the song with enough
personality and gives a performance that feels like it is based too much on one
level and just doesn’t excite you in the way that it should. Royskopp provides
production that is both a cool change in terms of it’s arguably deeper and
darker tone, but which doesn’t sound as catchy. The synth based, electro pop
elements of the previous songs are all there, but they just seem more subdued
here, and the track suffers in terms of the way that the sound is just dragged
out for too long.
3/5
Track 10- We Dance to
the Beat
With the title of this track I expected an up tempo affair
that would get you moving and would be exciting. However, instead we are given
a mid tempo offering that finds Robyn’s vocals highly distorted and a message
that is seemingly more powerful than the title would suggest. The track is
definitely another example of how Robyn’s music really suffers in terms of the
repetition, as the continual singing/speaking of the title very quickly becomes
annoying, with Robyn simply going on
about how we dance to beat with a variety of reasons. The heavy production of
her vocals gives a robotic tone that isn’t appealing, with the only thing that
is appealing being the kind of 90’s hip hop vibe of the “we dance to the beat”
motif. The electronic production with the thumping beat is simple but also not
strong or appealing, and so this is definitely a track to skip.
1.5/5
Track 11- U Should
Know Better (featuring Snoop Dogg)
Putting Robyn together with rapper Snoop Dogg doesn’t seem
like the most obvious music collaboration on paper. But the track actually does
sound pretty good, as both artists have a cool vocal chemistry and powerful
personas that really come out in the track, which keeps with the electro pop
vibe but has an RnB tone. The track is all about how these artists are
worldwide, awesome people who you should not mess with, and the chorus just
centres on the two artists singing/speaking about how you should know better
than mess with them. The message is strong in the verses, with Dogg being the
best of the artists has he has some credential swag, but the chorus just comes
across as over repetitive and annoying, with the distortion of Robyn’s vocals
being very unnecessary. The whole track also has that over repetitive quality
as we get to the bridge, and although the electro sound keeps a cool steady
rhythm and the dramatic, short string moment at the end is nice, it’s not
production that feels assured or catchy, and so you can easily lose interest.
2.5/5
Track 12- Dancehall
Queen
When a song has dancehall in the title, it only makes sense
that the sound of the track should have a dancehall element, and so this is the
case with this track. However the song also incorporates a reggae groove and a
little bit of 90’s Euro dub. The sound feels very old school but at the same
time feels modern and fresh, and so the bubbly club atmosphere really captures
you and makes for a nice listen. Vocally Robyn keeps things very simple and
gives a light in tone performance that is catchy and really listenable. And
although the lyrical content is a little repetitive, the chorus with its catchy
exclamation of Robyn being this dancehall queen is very good, and we can
totally believe that she does indeed want no hassle.
3.5/5
Track 13- Get Myself
Together
This track is definitely one of the most pop driven and
straightforward sounding of the collection as Robyn plays the role of a girl
who everyone around her seems to see through this façade she has put up, with
the chorus focusing on how she has to put herself back together once she can
realise what is wrong and the hurt can stop. It’s a simple concept that is made
much more catchy by the simplicity of the track, and vocally it’s another light
tone that is very appealing, with the vocal layering giving a smooth essence to
the track, and the key change in the chorus makes for a memorable quality to
the track. Producers Aklund and Billboard produce a great sound with the
thumping electro rhythm of the bass and the clattering disco infused beats that
just sound light, and make the song almost sound like it would work well in the
strong independent woman section of a cheesy romcom.
3.5/5
Track 14- In My Eyes
The penultimate track has a little bit more of a darker edge
in terms of the hard and harsh quality of the production with the stomping bass
and the kind of clunky electro rhythms. Yet whilst the track has this almost
perhaps rough sound, the lyrical content of the track finds Robyn in quite a
hopeful state of being, as she tells her lover that although he may feel that
everything is lost, he will be alright if he focuses on Robyn’s eyes everything
will just be alright. Robyn is once again vocally strong, keeping things much
more simple, and so we are brought to what will hopefully amount to a good
finish in the record
3.5/5
Track 15- Stars
4-Ever
Optimism is seemingly the note that Robyn seems to really
want to end the record on, which nicely contrast with the opening of the album
and it’s hard faced quality. The lyrical concept of this track may not be the
most original, and within the verses there are a few clichés performed, but the
hook of the track has a really sweet and catchy quality that allows for the
stereotypical energy to be ignored. Robyn really brings a light tone to her
work that gives the song a pure and sincere quality, whilst the clattering
electronic rhythm of the track conjures up that kind of firework imagery that
shows how the track is really entwined in terms of each component. A nice end
to the record.
3.5/5
Final Review
If the whole era of Body Talk shows one thing about Robyn,
it is that she is an artist who has a lot of creativity and really does kind of
think about what she puts out there in the music world. This a strong
collection of electro pop tunes that can really cut you emotionally, with some
tracks being real musical gems. The consistency slips a little as we begin to
end the record, and some tracks a marred by lyrical repetition and poor vocals
quality that is over processed. But Robyn pulls it back to a good quality, and
by the end we are really championing her electro pop sound.
7/10
Best Track- Dancing
On My Own
Worst Track- We Dance
to the Beat
