|
 Katy
Perry’s ‘One of the Boys’ could quite possibly be the best thing we’ve
heard in a long time.
Not necessarily because it breaks new ground in musical innovation and
originality, because it doesn’t. Not even because the lads in the office
are somewhat smitten by the image of the slender, attractive brunette on
the cover of said album and accompanying single, ‘I kissed a Girl’. They
are, but we’re not going to let hormones get in the way of an honest
critique.
The reason we enjoy Katy Perry so much has little to do with how she
looks or even how she sounds, but because of the things she says. Her
lyrics are so enjoyably unpretentious and refreshingly charming that we
find ourselves nodding along throughout, partly to the beat, mostly in
agreement.
Sounding like Pink giving Avril Lavigne a good kicking, Katy Perry comes
across as a girl who takes no guff, standing bold and strong and
occasionally mocking those who probably need a good mocking.
Take ‘Ur So Gay’ for example. Far from some sort of raging homophobic
rant, this alluring little ditty is a cheerfully sardonic boot to the
groin of pretentious posers and those prone to indulging
image-obsessed self-infatuation. It’s so dazzling different, sharp, and
observably humorous, and is probably our favourite track on the album
thanks to its cheeky wit and breezy vibes.
But Ms. Perry is much more than a one-dimensional character of
confidence and charisma. Beneath such an exterior, on tunes such as
‘Lost’, there lies a delicate figure of almost fragile femininity.
Coming as close to a full-on ballad as you’re likely to find here,
‘Lost’ replaces the sprightly sunshine of previous songs with a certain
depth and sadness and sees a whole new range emerge from Katy’s
trembling vocal.
She is, however, still at her best when rocking it up with the synth-styled
pop stomper of ‘Hot and Cold’ and the punk-lite closer of
‘Fingerprints’. Yet as well-rounded power-pop goes, there isn’t much to
‘One of the Boys’ to pick fault with.
If you like hanging out at the indie bar, revelling in uber-cool with
your best new threads and immaculately groomed hair, Katy Perry is
probably laughing at you and wouldn’t want you to buy her album anyway.
If, on the other hand, you like bopping about to unashamed power-pop
with a healthy dose of attitude and charisma, this is the album for you.
In a Nutshell: Enjoyable power-pop which slaps pretension
round the mush and reveals many sides to Katy Perry.
You Might Like this if you enjoy: Pink, Avril Lavigne.
Recommended links:
►
www.katyperry.com
►
www.myspace.com/katyperry
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