Music Shop: Teenage Dream

I was SO excited for this album to come out. Katy Perry is my favorite singer and I absolutely adore One of the Boys. Her songs on that CD have a very playful but fierce feel, and what I like about them is that, despite the fact that they are all great songs individually and all have something unique about them, they all seem to go together as an album.

So of course I was really anxious for Katy to release a new CD. When California Gurls came out this summer, I was a little wary cause it sounded different than anything she had really done before, but I really liked the song, so I wasn't too upset. It was so catchy, and when Teenage Dream came out, I instantly loved it. It reminded me of something that might be on One of the Boys. Of course at this point I wanted the CD to come out so bad!

Well I just got this CD today and I have to say I'm extremely disappointed. Having said that, I've only had it for today, so there's a good chance that the CD might grow on me. I don't think there's a good chance that I will like it as much as Katy's first CD though. All these songs seem to be so out of place to me. The album starts out with what I think is the best song, "Teenage Dream". It's catchy and well written and truly does make you feel like you're living a Teenage Dream. But then we get to songs like "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" which, while catchy, really doesn't have a whole lot of substance and sounds like something Ke$ha might sing. And then there's "Peacock", which honestly reminds me too much of "Hollaback Girl" to even be taken seriously. If I was to compare it to something off One of the Boys, I would have to say "Peacock" is just like "Ur So Gay"- funny and inappropriate, but not anywhere near to something a serious artist would create. However, while "Ur So Gay" was somewhat tongue-in-cheek and cleverly written, "Peacock" just seems to be silly and dumb. Then there's "E.T." and I don't even know where to begin with that one- all I can ask is...Katy...why?

There are a few songs that have grown on me since I started listening to it, including "Hummingbird Heartbeat", "Pearl", and "Firework", but then again, they just don't really seem to click together. Katie's attempt at a heartfelt ballad "Not Like the Movies" really doesn't live up to amazing predecessors such as "Thinking Of You" and "Lost". "Circle the Drain" is a good song- really upbeat and hardcore, but the only one of its kind on the album. That seems to be true for most of the songs. I just feel like this album is a huge mess. Like I said, I'm sure it will grow on me, but it was definitely disappointing.