Carly Rae Jepsen continues her winning formula of mixing 80's pop with modern breakups on Dedicated. It acts like a second helping of Emotion, but don't fix what isn't broken, right?
Carly Rae Jepsen, the Canadian pop superstar, has blown up in a way that many have: coming out with a huge divisive hit that explodes in a way that many fans and critics will keep bringing up until the end of time. This song, of course, is "Call Me Maybe." That being said, a pop star like Jepsen with this resurgence after the fact has been quite an excellent run so far. Her follow up record to her huge breakout of Kiss was Emotion, a huge crossover hit that combined the best of 80's and modern pop, making her a stand out singer. It was a turning point for fans and critics alike, giving her the huge status of being a longer-lasting singer instead of a possible one hit wonder. Even her second helping of B-sides, Emotion Side B, was excellent too. Emotion was and still is an excellent modern pop record (one of the better ones in fact), but what would Jepsen do next on a newer full-length? Would she break out with even more of that same shiny pop or go even more adventurous down the rabbit hole?
Dedicated, her fourth album, doesn't exactly define anything new sonically and I'm completely ok with that. There's a lot of 80's pop influence across the board, with blaring synths, drum machines, and that lovely flare from Jepsen's vocals that I've come to know and love. It's a continuation of Emotion for sure instrumentally, but with updates on Jepsen's personal and romantic life in the lyrics. Songs about breakups, longing, loneliness, love, passion. It's all on here as expected, which should please fans of Emotion and her more recent material. "Party for One" isn't her typical lyrical endeavor, about the joy and satisfaction of being alone and having me-time. It sounds like a banger of a tune of course especially in its chorus. "Now That I Found You" is the Carly Rae Jepsen lead single that is surely the most familiar. Its chorus, synths, harmonies should remind people of "I Really Like You" or "Cut to the Feeling." It acts like a formula, but a good one. If it keeps working, why fix what isn't broken, right? "Want You In My Room" sounds very Bleachers-ish with its percussion, guitar and chanting, most likely has production from Jack Antonoff.
"Julien," the album's opener, is a knockout punch of a single. Everything that I find enjoyable about Jepsen ends up being on the song, lyrically and instrumentally with its driving warped beats and glistening vocal delivery. Some of the songs are a little more unexpected, which is definitely a good thing, not being completely deja vu. "Everything He Needs" has Jepsen pulling lyrics from the Popeye movie from the 80's, a song about the longing of her guy. It has a satisfying piano and groove-heavy instrumentation. "I'll Be Your Girl" has is more guitar-focused, with one of the best hooks on the record. Others are way too predictable, like "Feels Right," which is way too annoyingly generic in its chorus, sounding like a straight up car commercial.
Dedicated acts like another helping of Emotion, only with some being excellent and some being middle of the road. I still count Dedicated as a solid success. It's not the breakthrough or continuation of experimentation that I wanted from her, some of it being more generic than I would've liked. But, it's still good and I recommend it to anyone wanting some more Carly Rae Jepsen. Dedicated continues to strive in this 80's breakup-pop formula that Jepsen has already set in stone. It's a good formula nonetheless.
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Julien," "Everything He Needs," "I'll Be Your Girl," "Now That I Found You"
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