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49 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It sounds like the girl is a bit confused...., July 12, 2008
...but somehow you get the idea that it's all in fun. This pop/rock recording makes for a fine debut. Katy does seem to have a bit of gender dysphoria...she kisses girls when drunk [and enjoys it], sometimes she feels like "one of the boys", and "ur so gay" and "hot n cold" depict her boyfriend has having some confusion of his own {PMS, indeed}. The lyrics, though are clean...well, there is a line in "if you can afford me" about not being a piece of a**...and I, at least, was left with the impression that she doesn't really mean it, and is just having a good time with us. "i kissed a girl" is not only not offensive, it's my favorite song on the album...really catchy.
Katy is a pretty girl, with a clear, strong, voice...she should go far. The album is well recorded, and presented, with great artwork. The recording may be a bit more "rock" than I like, but only a bit. She manages to take themes which some could use to gross us out, and make a real "feel good" album...that's an accomplishment, right there. You go, girl...
Addendum: I liked it when I first got it, but this is a record that actually IMPROVES with repeated listening...Very high recommendation. Six stars, at least.
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26 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not your little sister's pop, June 23, 2008
After lately hearing plenty of songs I like that don't have a CD full of similarly good stuff to back them up, I was pleased to finally find a must-buy when I was impressed by "I Kissed a Girl" on the radio. Katy's CD is exactly the kind of debut I like, showing off a range of song styles but still fitting firmly within the pop genre. I'll begin by debunking two criticisms I've heard: The CD is supposedly too slickly produced, and some say she tries to be edgy without going far enough. Such cookie-cutter criticisms should be saved for cookie-cutter groups. Claims of overproduction ring false when you can occasionally hear vocal slips that add humanity, and as for edginess I think one of the things that pleases me most about this CD is that Katy is very good at pulling off brash and irreverent flair without being obnoxious. I wish I could say the same of a lot of other acts.
Pop is Katy's strong suit but her songs mostly resist pigeon-holing past that point. Not a single song fits the bubblegum Disney mold, another bogus criticism I've seen aimed her way. "I Kissed a Girl" is almost bouncy rock, unlike anything else I've heard on the radio. The title track, "Waking Up in Vegas", and "Self-Inflicted" are the closest to "classic" pop that she gets; the latter two are among the best tracks on the CD. "Hot n Cold" is another mold-breaker though, reminding me very much of an early '80s sound with a more modern twist to some of the vocals. And I would be remiss not to mention "Ur So Gay", easily the most playful song on the album but one I would hardly classify as pop; hearing only this single would give anyone a very distorted picture of Katy's repertoire because it's little like any of her other songs musically, but among the rest it doesn't feel out of place.
While most of the rest of the CD is likable pop, there are a few slower ballads like "I'm Still Breathing", "Lost", and "Thinking of You". Each of these is different in some way, but "Thinking of You" has the strongest melody and complements that with beautiful vocals. Two days after first playing the CD, this song found its way back into my head and I was pleased to remember it so well.
Katy Perry is a breath of fresh air in an industry that seems to like churning out one-hit wonders with boring CDs, one-style-fits-all vocalists who have no ability to mix it up, or in-your-face yet unoriginal attitude. I like her style, range, and voice, and she manages through it all to be boisterous but not annoying. For me this is a winner.
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33 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Katy Perry's Strong Debut, June 17, 2008
There's a lot to like about Katy Perry. Her song "I Kissed a Girl" is reigning high on the iTunes chart right now. For those unfamiliar with her, I'd place her sound and style in the genre of pop. Her sound is reminiscent of 80s pop and with a bit of a edge that makes her comparable to other new acts like Sarah Bareilles. Don't be fooled by the cover; Katy Perry's music is far from frilly and girly. In fact, often times it's the opposite as she spins out songs and lyrics that have caught the attention of pop royalty such as Madonna.
What you'll like about "One of the Boys" is the chances Katy Perry takes with her lyrics. The song "I Kissed a Girl" isn't truly groundbreaking or edgy but it's a rock-style song with Perry bending gender a bit, taking on the position of a 'girl gone wild' whose just out to have fun and experiment rather than looking for love. The other stand-out song "Ur So Gay" plays with the beat, with Perry's voice dripping and hanging off words and phrases as she rips into her loving boyfriend whose qualities brings questions to her mind. This is what makes Katy Perry so appealing; her music doesn't sound like anything being played on American radio and sounds very fresh and appealing to all audiences. Other stand out songs are "Lost" which is rather ballad-like without being overly mushy and features some great vocal work on her behalf, the very 80s-pop orientated "Mannequin" and "Self Inflicted".
What you may not like are the down-tempo songs that definitely feel like a let down compared to her up-temp songs. While these are okay, they distract and feel like filler-tracks or like something that any other new-act would put out. They sound far too safe for an artist that has the ability to pen some great lyrics and match it to a unique and fun beat. These tracks make the cd drag out and feel a bit unbalanced.
In all, a great debut that deserves your attention and is worth your money. Check it out.
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