On a recent radio interview Katy Perry remarked that she got every one of Russell Brand's risqué jokes at his ill-received VMAs presenter gig which would lead one to believe that she's in tune with what the dry sarcasm and irony that permeates typical English humour. And just like those who criticised Brand's performance on MTV those who are criticising Perry for the lyrics of her debut seem to be missing the point of what these performers are trying to convey. When Perry admits to kissing a girl we're not supposed to demand she's shot down in flames, we're supposed to roll our eyes with familiar but gentle derision and proceed to sing along with glee, when she tells her boyfriend he's so gay, we're not supposed to get the LGBT to flood her with hate mail, we're supposed to laugh at her social commentary with a wry smile as she picks apart the metrosexual subculture that many a 21st century man has been lost to. It's all a bit of fun but it seems that reviewers are doing what George Michael explicitly told them not to do, they're listening with prejudice, or bias at the very least. Sure she's the pastor’s daughter with textbook examples of teenage rebellion but as much as she's giving a finger to her devout upbringing she's giving a wink to the listeners and asking us to take it all with a pinch of salt.She may be singing of being One of the Boys and Waking Up in Vegas but there's no baditude here, Avril 'I'm a punk' Lavigne hand-clapping her way through a bratty cheerleader chant chorus of ‘Girlfriend’ far more contrived that Perry's sweet and sincere vocals accompanied by non-intrusive but successfully memorable melodies. "Get some cash out we're gonna tear up this town" would be cringe-worthy were it chanted over an obnoxious bubblegum rock chorus but instead Katy sidesteps such pitfalls and thus one doesn't get the feeling that she's trying too hard to be anything that a girl who had a bender in Vegas, and more power to her.
Speaking of vocals, Perry's are delightfully effortless and expressive, from the breathy coos of Hot n Cold to the bombast of I Kissed a Girl to the tortured (for Perry), rawness of Lost she never seems to be straining or shoe-horning vocal gymnastics into every chorus. The musical template seems to be mid-tempo, guitar-based pop rock and this formula works to create a happy medium between the air-guitar shredding of Avril and Ashlee's debuts and the purely digitised confection of Britney-bot's last opus. When her lyrics aren't "controversial" they're occasionally cheeky, sometimes a little trite but never banal or completely reliant upon the 'ooh baby baby's that so often act as filler between the generic rhymes of higher, desire and fire or other such pop-by-numbers staples.
There are no real stinkers here, naturally I Kissed a Girl is the standout but it's safe to assume that her debut single will soon fall prey to being overplayed if it hasn't already. Second single Hot n Cold is a cheeky 80s disco throwback if a little generic and If You Can Afford Me follows a similarly fluffy but irrestiably catchy (and sassy) template. Mannequin is a breezy mid-tempo with an anthemic chorus and Thinking of You proves that Perry knows her way around a ballad with an affected vocal and poignant lyrics. There are no 'turn this off immediately' duds to mar the flow of this sassy slice of pop but the first half of the album is quite a bit stronger and more memorable than the latter half which sees the formula wearing a tad thin as each track passes. I'm Still Breathing boasts a more sedate, sombre sound but screams b-side nonetheless while album closer, Fingerprints, feels like well-worn ground by the time it rears its forgettable head. This isn't one of pop's finest debut albums but it is a strong start. There are no delusions of grandeur here, Perry doesn’t break the mould here and no one’s asking her to re-invent the wheel. As long as she churns out the odd mega-hit and keeps the singles in between fun and frothy then she can do no harm in my eyes.
The fact that a young, attractive, female artist is writing her own music and making a splash without shaving her head or overdosing is refreshing these days. Somewhere between Miley and Britney lies Katy. In fact my only major complaint regarding this promising debut is the fact that dark, whistle-along assault on metrosexuality Ur So Gay teases the listener with it's unique sound and one is left wishing that there was a little less pop-rock chick and a little more cutting snark and creeping melodies like this beauty. Oh well what is on offer is sure to please fans of the genre and hey, there's always her second record for that, assuming she can outlive the controversy and proceed past her rep and make it to the hallowed sophomore effort.
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