Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION

Carly Rae Jepsen
E•MO•TION
2015

Carly Rae Jepsen was primed for obscurity. She has an absolute pop destroyer that came out of no where with "Call Me Maybe". There was no way of getting away from it and for good reason, it was catchy as hell. The album that followed Kiss was quite a disappointment as it tried to replicate that intangible that made the single so successful. From the first single of the newest release from Jepsen E•MO•TION, "I Really Like You" it looked like she was going to stick with the same formula and try and ride this train until the wheels fell off. Not the case at all. For Jepsen E•MO•TION is not about making catchy singles it is about making a pop record that has some teeth and really sticks and  in so many ways she actually succeeds. The first track "Run Away With Me" screams her intent, it is pop at a very high level, the kind of music that makes you want to sing along at the top of your lungs. The album is meticulously produced with each note on each track placed exactly where it needs to be. This all makes sense when you read the list of collaborators including Sia, Ariel Rechtshaid, Peter Svensson and Rostam Batmanglij (Vampire Weekend) it is like a murders row pop song writers. Ariel Rechtshaid in particular makes his mark on songs like "All That" adding a super synthy 80s Prince-esque back beat.

It is not all stars and unicorns for Jepsen however. Where the album really misses is actually the title, emotion. We are well aware that Jepsen wants to be the skew young connect with the younger generation type of pop star, but where is the rawness? "Boy Problems" is so surface level, when you listen to the lyrics this might as well be two 13 year olds talking to each other. It seems like Jepsen would really benefit from dropping the boy-crazy teen vibe for a bit and get into something a little more substantial. However asking for depth from a pop record really is a ridiculous gripe, but it would add another dimension to her performance. One track where she really shines is "Favourite Colour" (Deluxe Only), it blends an amazing synthy pop backing track and a Sia-esque vocal modulation to make something really powerful. E•MO•TION is exactly what it should be, an extremely solid pop record and one that Jepsen deserves praise for. Take a listen and see what you think.

7 out of 10