Katy Perry
Teenage Dream

THE REVIEW

Here I am writing the review of an album I expected a lot from. Since the first album by Katy Perry, "One Of The Boys" was, in my opinion, an authentic revelation, a little gem of pure pop of which I greatly appreciated all 12 tracks, when I first listened to this "Teenage Dreams", I was a bit skeptical.

Anticipated by the hit single "California Gurls", where the seductive Katy Perry duets with Snoop Dogg, what presents itself is an entirely listenable album, though some tracks are decidedly inferior to others, something that, in my opinion, did not happen in the previous album. To better explain what I mean, I thought of mentioning each track one by one, giving a brief description of each one.

The album opens with the second single released "Teenage Dream". The song is a mid-tempo that's quite catchy but definitely far from the singles of "One Of The Boys". Of course, it remains a standout track within the work, light and easily absorbable.

The second track is "Last Friday Night "T.G.I.F.", another mid-tempo with a carefree atmosphere that's especially memorable towards the end, following a peculiar yet decidedly fitting trumpet solo and a karaoke-effect finale. Another rather cute track.

The third is the first single "California Gurls". It is undoubtedly the most memorable song of the entire album, immediate and lively. As previously mentioned, here Katy Perry duets with Snoop Dogg, whose rap input in the song makes it instantly recognizable. Another recommended track.

Fourth: "Firework". An interesting mix between a mid-tempo and a ballad, it has an explosive chorus in which Katy Perry gives her best vocally. I liked it a lot, it’s quickly remembered and has the merit of not being predictable.

And here’s the first sad note of the album, the fifth track, "Peacock". Ignoring the chorus with its unfortunate and not very subtle sexual references which I won’t mention but you won’t have trouble identifying given the song’s title, what I can say is that it’s a frenetic rhythm song that I cannot rate beyond decent. It's certainly listenable, but definitely inferior to both all the songs on the previous album and all those reviewed so far on this album.

Sixth track: "Circle The Drain". This is the first song with some minor rock influence of the entire work. It has a very particular sound but a chorus that doesn't leave a mark. However, in my opinion, it is the worst episode of the entire album, resulting, though adequate, anonymous and lacking in bite.

Seventh: "The One That Got Away". This is my second favorite track of the album. It’s a rather melancholic mid-tempo, where the sound develops well during the verse until it reaches an easily graspable chorus. A rather well-achieved track.

And here’s my favorite song, the eighth: "E.T.". Definitely amazing, both in the verse and the chorus, it is the song that convinces most and leaves a mark. Contaminated by electronic elements that enrich it, it’s the track I most willingly listen to.

The ninth track too is decidedly outstanding, "Who Am I Living For". The sound is dark and the chorus is unusual, but in a positive way. The track convinces, it certainly could never be a single given its gloomy sounds, but it’s still a remarkable episode, in my opinion.

And here we are at another dip in style. The tenth track, "Pearl", is a ballad with an interesting verse, but culminates in a rather anonymous and even boring chorus. It is surely better than "Circle The Drain", but in my view, it sits among the three worst tracks of the work.

At the eleventh track, there’s "Hummingbird Heartbeat", whose sounds are more reminiscent of the first part of the album, the carefree and lively one. Cute and catchy track, well-crafted.

And, last but not least, the twelfth: "Not Like The Movies". Another ballad and another drop in quality. The piece turns out to be repetitive and tiring, the chorus is anonymous. The second worst song, adequate but not at all exciting.

Ultimately what we have is a well-packaged product: in my opinion, it is qualitatively inferior to "One Of The Boys", yet even in this case, the tracks are all still listenable (some more, some less). The singles are certainly qualitatively inferior to the previous album, as is the album itself, ultimately.