Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream"

On August 24, 2010, Katy Perry gave us her sophomore release, "Teenage Dream". As of February 06, 2011, her album is number 14 on the Billboard 200 after peaking a number 1 upon its release. Notable singles from her project are "California Gurls" featuring Snoop Dogg, and "E.T."

I have never heard Katy Perry before I listened to this album so I wasn't entirely sure what kind of music I would get. I will admit that I already had an idea of her style of music, mostly because I know that teenage girls are her main audience. I was not let down once I started going through the songs. Her music is the definition of young, from the sound to the subject matter. It sounded like it could be the soundtrack to Degrassi with all the talk of partying, having sex, drug abuse, and fairy tale endings. Basically, it was the musical personification of our dreams in high school. Good times those were.

Anyway, I just established that the theme here is "youth", but let me zero in on a couple of things. First, the idea of sex is pushed a bit much, which I find a little disturbing considering Perry's target audience. Not to mention that it's not cryptic at all; what she is talking about is actually very clear. The songs "Hummingbird Heartbeat" and "Peacock" are prime examples. In "Peacock", she says "come on baby let me see/what you're hiding underneath". Not so bad, huh? How about this... "let me see your peacock, cock, cock"...and having it repeated a couple of times. Or how about in "Hummingbird Heartbeat" when she sings, "constantly craving for a taste of your sticky sweet". Now, I have a hard time believing that she is seriously promoting sex among irresponsible teenagers, but someone could make a case that she does with these lyrics.

Another thing I want to talk about is the interesting mix of serious topics that are discussed. Some young people suffer from drug abuse and its downward spiral, which is covered in the song "Circle the Drain". She also tells the story of a girl who is being held back by a controlling boyfriend in "Pearl". These subjects refer back to the overall theme of the album but reminds us that life isn't all partying and fun. Serious subjects can effect young people just like they can for adults.

The last thing I wanted to address were the songs that she released as singles. First, "California Gurls" featuring Snoop Dogg...was one of the corniest things I have ever heard in my life. However, it had an appeal to a mass amount of people considering what the song was about. Having Snoop Dogg make an appearance made it even more corny for me, and his verse wasn't even good. I just had a whole heap of issues with this song and I would be happy if I never heard it again. As for "E.T." I was tempted to like this song, but not because of her. The entire time I was listening to it, I thought of that song by T.A.T.U. called "All the Things She Said", which is a much better version of what Perry was trying to do. I just couldn't get past it, so that single was lost upon me.

To sum everything up, I can't stress enough how much this album is for the younger crowd. If you are older than 18, then this is probably not for you. It was just too campy for me and I wouldn't listen to it again. My rating: NO, 2 stars!

What's Coming Up Next?

I wanted to update and let everyone know what album reviews are on their way! The albums I am about to list are not in order, but the reviews for them will be coming out in the next day or two...

Katy Perry -- "Teenage Dream"

Nicki Minaj -- "Pink Friday"

Bruno Mars -- "Doo-Wops and Hooligans"

Taylor Swift -- "Speak Now"

Cee-Lo Green -- "The Lady Killer"

Lil Wayne -- "I Am Not A Human Being"

Keep checking back and see what rating these albums get!

Review: Rihanna's "Loud"

On November 16, 2010 Rihanna let us have her fifth studio album entitled "Loud". As of January 25th, "Loud" has reached Number 2 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts, her song "Only Girl" hit Number 12 on the Hot 100 List, and her album is Number 8 on the Billboard 200.

After listening to it, I have to say that I was mildly impressed. When you have a such a mainstream singer such as Rihanna, you have to make sure that the music being put out is general enough to appeal to a mass amount of people. I think that she achieved this pretty well. Given the expectations of her role in the music industry, I really can't bash this album too much.

If you are looking for deep, thought-provoking lyrics, don't look here. But don't be surprised either because that wouldn't sell to her target audience anyway. Do you think that young girls and teenagers want to hear songs bearing social relevance? Of course not.

Listening through the songs, I noticed that a few had a flavor of her culture infused within it, and I was a big fan of that. I would love to hear more of that from her, but I'm not sure that would go over well. Anyway, most of this album is radio-friendly, which means generic beats and lyrics, but songs like "Skin" and "Man Down" were definitely pleasant surprises to hear from her. Unfortunately, there's a low chance that either one of these would get released.

As for collaborations with other artists, she had three songs featuring different voices. The first was "What's My Name" with Drake, "Raining Men" with Nicki Minaj" and "Love the Way You Lie Part 2" with Eminem. Loved the first two, but kind of hated the last one. I think he messed up the feel of the song. Their energy didn't match at all. That's all I'm going to say or else I would go on a tangent.

My only complaint and gripe is that she tends to bleat. Yes, like a lamb. I wasn't a fan of "Complicated" and "California King Bed" for that very reason.

Overall, the album was good for its purpose. It was simple, straight-forward, and enjoyable. I would listen to it again and I'm actually keeping a good number of the songs on my iPod. My rating: YES, 3.5 stars!

Review: Jamie Foxx's "Best Night of My Life"

Jamie Foxx is coming at us with his 5th studio album entitled "Best Night of My Life" that dropped December 21, 2010. As of January 23rd, 2011, his album is Number 6 on the R&B/Hip Hop Billboard chart, his single with rapper Drake, "Fall for Your Type", is at Number 7 on the R&B/Hip Hop chart, and his album is number 21 on the Billboard 200.

To be honest, I really had nothing good to say about this album. I REALLY didn't like it. The only song that I really liked was the one he did with Drake. "Freak" was painful, and "Hit It Like This" annoyed me because all I could hear was the Lil Wayne lyric that was repeated throughout the chorus. Of course I could pick out all the individual flaws with each song, but let's get to the main issues that was present throughout the entire album.

First, let's address the overuse of "swag", various expensive name brands (such as Gucci), telling a woman to "drop it low", and making the boring link between having sex and boxing.

If I hear someone use the term "Round 2" one more time, I am going to scream. Guess who used it in two different songs? Oh, hey Jamie!

I felt like Jamie was trying to be hip and cool, but he ended up sounding older than what he is. The beats sounded more interesting than his voice did, and I have a feeling that he wasn't completely on board with the lyrics coming his way. He sounded like he wasn't totally invested in this product. I wouldn't be either if you were trying to make music that would appeal to a crowd that you are no part of.

I also want to talk to the person who wrote this. Can I slap them please? Why does it feel like 2005 all over again? I would like to hope that lyrics have evolved since then, but I guess I was wrong. I guess singing over the same subject matter that people have been doing for years is what's hot right now. Even Ludacris's verse in "Yep, Dats Me" was lacking, and he's usually on point when he's on someone else's songs. And speaking of "Yep, Dats Me".....REALLY? That's what we're calling our songs now? Just looking at the name of the songs should be enough to lower your expectations before you even press play. I know it did for me.

My advice to Jamie: the next time you come out with an album, get a different team. If this was mid-2000s, you would have totally been on top, but this is 2011 now. Let's update your sound please! OR BETTER YET, make music for the adult crowd. Let's graduate from the young sound that you were trying to go for, and move on to more mature music. We have enough young artists but we sorely need mature ones. We need a more refined sound from you Jamie, give it to us.

To wrap this up, the writing was bad, the songs sounded so awkward coming from him, and he needs to come better with his next effort. My rating: NO, 1 star!

Welcome!

I want to welcome everyone to The Melody of Vertigo! Here's a little introductory information about myself and the place you have just stumbled upon...

The Author

Call me Bishop K! I have an intense love for music like most people do, so I decided to get my own little corner of the internet and express my opinion on music of the moment. It may be very nice or very scathing, but it's my opinion so whatever. Of course I'm ALWAYS up for discussion in case anyone wants to put in their opinion. Sometimes that's the best part, right?

The Melody of Vertigo

This specific page is devoted to reviewing current albums that are coming out by today's artists. I try to stay current on everything and I do listen to different genres. I'm not going to lie like other people and say that I don't have favorite genres, but if the music is good, then it shouldn't matter what kind it is. Expect many updates coming soon because I already have a few albums that I need to review that are just sitting on my computer. I hope everyone enjoys what I have to say, and maybe someone will leave here with a new band or artist to try. Enjoy your stay at The Melody of Vertigo!