Review - Betty Who - Take Me When You Go

Over the past year or two, I haven’t exactly been trying to hide the fact that Betty Who is easily my favorite pop singer to come along in quite some time. Sure, as a pop writer I’m a big fan of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and dozens of other women, each with their quirks and potential radio bangers, but none of them give me what Betty does—something unexplainable and wonderful.

Betty has so far released two phenomenal EPs, both of which have a few songs that carried over to her debut full length Take Me When You Go. Breakout single “Somebody Loves You” and the more recently “Heartbreak Dream” are both featured, as well as a handful of other previously-released gems, but don’t think that means the album is a cop-out. While there are quite a few older tracks, Who made sure to add plenty of new material into the mix, bridging the gap between those who have been there all along and those that are just discovering her now.

The album is pure, unapologetic pop of the best kind. Betty is a real artist, but one who very clearly doesn’t take herself—or the music she’s making—too seriously. While she keeps to her signature 80’s-esque electronic pop style, there is more diversity on Take Me than on either of her previous EPs. Betty does everything on the CD, from referencing Journey and taking me back to my high school years on “Glory Days” to bringing all the feels on the emotional (and spectacularly sparse) “California Rain”.

Betty’s star has been rising for a long time now, and she’s only going to get bigger. With her original team (her and producer Peter Thomas) and some superstar help (songwriter Martin Johnson of Boys Like Girls and Starsmith, one of the biggest producers in the game) on her side, Take Me When You Go has everything needed to make her pop’s freshest new face.

Listen to: Every single song. Good luck finding one you won’t like.