Review - Carly Rae Jepsen - Kiss (Deluxe Edition)

So, it’s time for me to review the new Carly Rae Jepsen full length. I bet you all can’t even fathom how I’ll feel about this.

SHOCKER ALERT: the CD is fucking spectacular, and I won’t hear anything else from anyone. I am really interested to read some negative reviews of this album to see what they say. I am not saying that the album is perfect, but it is a killer collection of pop tunes.

Thankfully, the album is not a collection of “Call Me Maybe”’s. Yes, the album does maintain the same bubbly goodness, but the sound on much of the 17 tracks (I am including the US deluxe edition [15 tracks], plus the international deluxe edition bonus track [+1] and the iTunes bonus track [+1]) is much more updated. Dance-floor ready tracks produced by the likes of Matthew Koma, Dallas Austin, Max Martin, and Redfoo (of LMFAO fame) make Carly modern and accessible to Top 40 radio.

Every single track is a winner, but some have more single potential. “Tiny Little Bows”, “Turn Me Up”, and “Tonight I’m Getting Over You” all could heat up radio waves for months to come. We have already gotten “Call Me Maybe”, the Owl City duet “Good Time” (which is on both of their albums), and radio will soon pick up “This Kiss”. Six singles for a CD ain’t bad. Now, her label will likely choose the duet with Justin Bieber (“Beautiful”) simply because of the power his name brings, but if that stretches the album out more and lets her have more singles, I’ll take it.

As the album progresses, you do begin to realize that lyrically, Jepsen is a bit of a one trick pony. A few mantras and thoughts are repeated a few times, and you notice. Ideas like “I just met you and we’re in loveee” and “I have a boyfriend and you have a girlfriend OOPS”. Think of that feeling that “Call Me Maybe” gave you. Now imagine that set to fairly different music (even some of the music gets a bit repetitive – such as on “This Kiss” and “Hurt So Good”). Still great, but you can imagine where it gets a bit tired.

‘Kiss’ opens with a hyperized vocal sample from Sam Cooke’s 1961 hit “Cupid”, which sounds silly on paper, but not only works, it sets the tone for the entire album. “Cupid, draw back your bow” comes up as a dance beat that would make Madeon drool kicks in. “I wish we could be holding hands” Carly sings over the bass, and ‘Kiss’ has already caught you. The album never lets go, and THANK GOD for that.

Did we just find a way to bring the bubblegum pop that was so popular a decade ago into the present day? I think so.

Listen to: everything. Not all at once, but every song.