Amazing What Some Controversy & Cherry Chapstick Can Do For One's Career... (One Of The Boys - Katy Perry)

Member Name: GramiWay

Product:	One Of The Boys - Katy Perry
Date:	17/05/09 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a handful of brilliant tracks - I Kissed A Girl and Hot N Cold amongst them

Disadvantages: A lot of bland and repetitive numbers with poor melodies and very average vocals

So you have the rather bland and doll like Avril Lavigne, the feisty, yet do gooder that is Kelly Clarkson and the loud and brash P!nk all taking up space in the pop/rock camp so cue Katy Perry. With a profound stage presence that is usually down to her glamorous outfits and outrageous stunts the singer has created quite a stir since she became an internet sensation with the tongue in cheek 'Ur So Gay' back in 2007 and of course the worldwide smash hit 'I Kissed A Girl' which provoked as much negativity towards its gay orientated theme as it did sales especially considering Ms Perry's strict religious upbringing.

With so much controversy surrounding her it was no wonder that she's made such a huge splash onto the pop scene and whilst she has the potential to roll out killer tunes, once the big fuss is over and her supposed girl smooching has faded away you're not left with a lot to wet your appetite on her debut album 'One Of The Boys', a record that is full of limp pop-rock moments that even her peers Avril and Kelly would be ashamed to call their own.

The title track starts off proceedings here and immediately makes you wonder why on earth you have purchased this CD. Perry has this irritating knack of dragging out lyrics when she sings as if she's trying to make them stretch and fit the messy arrangement of a track. Its evident for the first time here and is notable on other tracks as well. It's a very poor styling of singing and doesn't showcase a lot of talent on her part. This track passes you by fairly quickly and then of course you stumble across the reason we all know her name the heartstopping 'I Kissed A Girl'. Produced by Dr Luke & Max Martin who have reams of hits to their name the track has an infectious beat and a huge rock bassline crawling behind it's more dance orientated beat. The chorus is brilliantly delivered by Katy as the relish at the controversy she is causing is apparent on almost every word she sings on this track. It's one of the best pop tracks of the decade and almost makes you scream out 'ONE HIT WONDER' on the spot though 'Hot N Cold' can easily give it a run for its money. With an even catchier beat and simple but effective lyrics the song worms its way into your conscience even faster than its predecessor and is proof that when Perry tries she can produce surefire hits in her sleep.

'Waking Up In Vegas' begins to showcase the more rock orientated style of the record and is a fairly run of the mill track. Perry's vocals are annoying but the beat is catchy enough for you not to really focus on them that much. The first proper ballad on the record is 'Thinking Of You'. Katy actually shines here delivering a really vulnerable track that is outlined in her vocals. The lyrics are extremely cheesy though which is one of the reasons I don't really feel this track. 'you're like an Indian summer, in the middle of winter, you're like a hard candy with the surprise centre'.

It's awful songwriting and just sounds awful when they roll off her tongue in the song. It's things like this and her messy vocals at times that ruin the majority of the songs on the album.

'Mannequin' does show she has a great seat of pipes on her when she gets going. The track is actually a faint replica of something you'd expect to hear from Paramore or another female fronted rock group. It's an OK track but lacks any spark to make me want to listen to it again.

'Ur So Gay' is another song that generated a lot of publicity for the singer as many believed it to be about Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz, who Perry was briefly linked to. Unlike 'I Kissed A Girl' however, this track is disappointing with a more laid back vibe to it but it just doesn't grab you and the attempt to be controversial by using the term 'gay' as a negative statement is so last decade galpal.

The rest of the album sort of blends into one huge headache with poorly constructed ballads and loosely developed pop-rock offerings. Perry's vocals are nice on 'Lost', taking on an almost haunting edge though apart from 'Self Inflicted', there's nothing else that merits any mention.

'Self Inflicted' is a brilliant slice of pop-rock that actually is catchy and also brilliantly structured. All the negative points that feature on a lot of 'One of The Boys' earlier tracks are forgotten here and the result is something edgy and deep that stands out from the rest of the album.

Depending on which version of the album you purchase and whether or not you nab it physically or digitally you can get various other tracks and extras. I got a rock remix of 'I Kissed A Girl' that ruins the original masterpiece in all honesty...

Katy Perry has proven that when she actually focuses she can create excellent pop music and its tunes like 'Hot N Cold' and 'I Kissed A Girl' that are needed in huge amounts on her next record if she wants to have a successful career. A lot of the tracks here are lazy and she seems to have built her career around one or two huge songs. The writing is at times very cheesy and dull and doesn't leave a lot to the listener's imagination whilst Perry's vocals change tone and such so often that it can be very irritating on the ears.

I'd suggest downloading the four main singles and forgetting about exploring the rest of Katy Perry's world unless of course you see the album cheap enough somewhere and have money to burn...

A complete tracklist is below for those who wish for such things:

01 - One of The Boys
02 - I Kissed A Girl
03 - Waking Up In Vegas
04 - Thinking Of You
05 - Mannequin
06 - Ur So Gay
07 - Hot N Cold
08 - If You Can Afford Me
09 - Lost
10 - Self Inflicted
11 - I'm Still Breathing
12 - Fingerprints

Summary: She could do better but her face was obviously too sore from that girl smooching