Having heard of Katy Perry what seems like a very long time ago I really am surprised to see that she’s, well, successful.

     My first taste of Ms. Perry was the song Ur So Gay an acid-tongued, anger fuelled chick song, about a boy who was ‘so gay,but [he] don’t even like boys.’ Don’t get me wrong, the words are genius, but like many before her, I believed her to be nothing more than a gimmick. An American Lily Allen/Kate Nash hybrid, that is many people’s worst nightmare.

    And then it hit us. The song that took America by storm, showing that maybe they are a tad more liberal than we expected, 'I Kissed a Girl'. Now it’s over here, and also like all other artists before her, the album is in stores quicker than a whippet out a trap.

    'One of the Boys' (that’s the name of the album) is OK. The thing with people like Katy Perry is that you kind of want it to be good. You hear the song, where the girl kisses a girl, and hope in your heart that all her songs will have a tinge of bisexuality. Think again. Out of 13 tracks (one is a shady remix of that kissing a girl song) there are really only five that are worth your time. One of them being that kissing a girl song, and the rest?

    'Ur So Gay' is good, purely because it works for guys and girls who like guys. Also, 'Hot N Cold', has to be one of the catchiest, if not THE catchiest pop song of this year. No doubt, this will be the next single, and hopefully it won’t be 'Mannequin'. On this one, Perry screams and whines her way through shoddy lines and even worse half rhymes. People need to realise, that putting things in songs because they sound fun and quirky, doesn’t always work.

    The two other must-have songs would be One of the Boys, which is more of a grower and like a fine wine, gets better after each listen. My personal favourite really has to be Self-Inflicted. On the fourth listen, it reminded me of when P!nk (remember her?) was good. I bet you’re reading this thinking P!nk is rubbish…



And the rest? All filler, no killer as Sum 41 so bravely said all those many years ago.  



Overall, this just seems like a rushed body of work, that really doesn’t fit well together. If it were a jigsaw, it would be all of the corners and a couple of middle bits. It’s a nice try though, and if you’re looking for some-yes I am daring to say it- “chick” music, then definitely hit this up. If not? Don’t even waste your dimes…there is a recession after all.

Posted In Album Reviews, Sep 08 2008.