Spotify Listen Link: Carly Rae Jepsen – Kiss
2013 Grammy Nominations:
- Song of the Year for "Call Me Maybe"
- Best Pop Solo Performance for "Call Me Maybe"
Okay man, yes, I'll admit it - I was not a fan of "Call Me Maybe" when it first came out. That may shock some of my friends if they read this, because that song has become one of my favorites in the past few months. In fact, in my own head, I've got dances figured out to it, and a funny "American Idol" promo utilizing it to get votes. Yup, this is what I do with my alone time on the subway.
Carly Rae was the third place competitor of "Canadian Idol" for the fifth season. She's, surprisingly, 27 years old, and actually has another two albums under her belt that we've never heard of. And she's already been named in two copyright suits. I'll give the girl credit though - in her "Idol" performances she performed everything from Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" to Queen's "Killer Queen." She even auditioned with an original song!
"Tiny Little Bows" starts things off here in a way I can only describe as DDR appropriate. The genre description for this album includes "Disco Pop" and I wasn't sure what they were getting at with that - now I get it. Dance and electronics used in one of my least favorite ways. We're one twist sound away from hitting the next button here. Three minutes is just a little much, and this does not bode well for my remaining album enjoyment.
The second track is apparently another single from the album (I may be behind here, sorry), "This Kiss." Thought it might be a Faith Hill cover at first. From what I can tell, it's far from that. Both she and the guy have their respective significant others, but she can't help it but want to kiss him. Tension.
Who doesn't enjoy a fun Owl City song? Right, Carly's in this song too, but hey, at least there's not a longing nature to this song. "Good Time" really is so based around just what the title says. It's one to jump around to at the club or party. I haven't heard just a nonsense, good, fun song in a while, and this one fits the bill.
After having started this a few weeks (or so) again, I'm picking this album back up at "Turn Me Up" on a Friday Night in my office. Sort of an appropriate back-in track I think. The whole thing's a typical dance sound, and all about her heading out for the night when he cracks up on the phone and she can't get a real answer. She's done and out for the night.
"Hurt So Good" is just a classic phrase of obvious meaning - okay, maybe not, but let's take it as non-sexual, k? Of course it's the girl hung up on the guy who does her no good, but still seems so good at the same time. Musically, nothing changes, but hey, at least there's fun to be had in the frustration that is the male gender!
I'm getting nervous looking at the next song up. Justin Bieber is listed as the guest artist. Ugh, this is happening. "Beautiful" has so much potential too, as an actual song with light strumming and a decent melody. But my very bones are making me prone to not enjoy this. It's cute, and that's about the best I can get out there right now.
"Tonight I'm Getting Over You" actually sounds like something fun and with real emotion. It's a song I think girls could generally enjoy because, let's face it, when you're going through a breakup, you need a loud dance night out and move and shake it all off.
"Your Heart Is A Muscle" is yet another interesting concept for a title. I like the gentle piano plugging this one along, and the singing is in mere whispers in places that make it something special in feeling. I think the chorus is where I'm lost on this one. There's just nothing there that's grabbing the way the other parts of the song are touching.
It's funny, but as much as I love late night drives most driving songs fit better in the day time. With its dance beat and lyrics outright stating it, "Drive" is definitely a nighttime drive song. It's cute, again, but nothing's terribly hitting home. I don't know, but something about the repetition is just boring.
"Wrong Feels So Right" sounds like some weird change-up of "Cotton Eyed Joe" at the start. The song itself sounds like an open invitation to a bad idea, though I'm probably over-tired and reading too far into the thing to see that it's just innocent and sweet.
Final song time! Maybe a little overly excited to be through with this. At least this one's got a fun little jumpy beat that I can bop around the office to while I wait for wrap. "Sweetie" is ummm… adorable. And we're done.
Added to My Playlist:
- "Call Me Maybe"
- "Good Time"
- "More Than A Memory"
- "Hurt So Good"
- "Tonight I'm Getting Over You"
Well hey, I didn't hate it! Mostly, that's because I'm a girl and boys are annoying and it's fun to dance around and be silly. Carly's got a bit more maturity to her than others who are making similar music, so I can respect her just a little bit. Though, Biebs was on here. Eh, let's call this one neutral.