Katy Perry - One Of The Boys
Is Katy a one hit wonder or is the best yet to come?
Her album, One Of The Boys is released this week and we reckon it's easily the most instant pop album of the year and is packed full of potential hits. Read our track by track review here...
1. One Of The Boys
Things get off to a cracking start with the angsty title track on which she berates herself for being so much of a tomboy that guys think of her as a mate. 'I wanna smell like roses not a baseball team' she sings. Quite.
2. I Kissed A Girl
The song that everyone's been talking about, it's already topped the charts for multiple weeks in the UK, US and Australia. It's catchy, it's fun and is guaranteed to be remembered as one of the singles of 2008.
3. Waking Up In Vegas
A Kelly Clarkson-esque rocker on which Perry recalls her weekend 'doing a Britney' i.e. getting so wasted in Las Vegas that she's left asking the question 'did we get hitched last night?'. We especially like the 'information overload, situation lost control' breakdown.
4. Thinking Of You
The inevitable ballad, but it's actually a cracking song, written about longing after that person who got away, even when you're with someone new. 'Cos when I'm with him, I'm thinking of you' she sings mournfully. Definitely single material.
5. Mannequin
'You're not a man, you're just a mannequin' sings Katy on this mid-tempo pop rocker about a man who keeps his emotions hidden.
6. Ur So Gay
Vocally she sounds like a cross between Lily Allen and Natasha Bedingfield on this one. It's another track that's caused its fair share of controversy and we guarantee it'll get lodged in your head because of the repetitive whistling.
7. Hot N Cold
This one has the distinctive stamp of prolific hitmaker, Dr. Luke, who has previously worked his magic on tracks for the likes of Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne, all over it. This track also sees her moaning about her man, this time because of his indecisiveness. Sounds like she'd be better off sticking to kissing girls by the sounds of it!
8. If You Can Afford Me
Based on the saying 'don't touch what you can't afford', Katy puts her cards on the table and tells her potential love interest that he should be prepared to invest in her or he'd be better off staying away. If You Can Afford Me is another up-tempo pop / rock anthem that's just brimming with attitude.
9. Lost
Showing the more vulnerable side to her personality, Lost sees Katy ponder: 'Have you ever been so lost? Know the way and still so lost?'. Showing off the gorgeous higher register of her voice, it's a delicate guitar-based ballad with lovely music box-style effects.
10. Self Inflicted
We're in Kelly Clarkson territory once again on Self Inflicted. Co-written by Scott Cutler, who wrote Natalie Imbruglia's Torn and Listen, the Academy Award-nominated song performed by Beyoncé in the movie Dreamgirls, it's an irresistibly hooky song which will no doubt go down very well in her live shows.
11. I'm Still Breathing
Another of the album's more mellow moments, I'm Still Breathing is a song about knowing that it's the time to move on from a doomed relationship. Definitely one of the weaker tracks, but nevertheless shows her versatility.
12. Fingerprints
The album concludes with a real 'carpe diem' moment on which Katy sings about wanting to 'break the mold' and make her mark on people.
While it's a nice sentiment, it doesn't strictly speaking ring true across the album as a whole. While tracks like I Kissed A Girl have pushed people's buttons to a certain extent to due to their lyrical content, the songs do little to separate Katy from many of her contemporaries, mixing up the attitude of Pink, the wit of Lily Allen and the vocal range of Natasha Bedingfield.
That said, it'll be a real injustice if she sinks without trace after one single as there's not a duff track on One Of The Boys.
