Dedicated – Carly Rae Jepsen

Harry

In the weeks leading up to the release of this album, my excitement gradually turned to fear. I realised that Carly had no option but to produce sonic perfection. That is the only way to back up content like “I really (x6) like you”, which she no doubt did on her last full length. For that reason I was very nervous as it appeared she had no room for error (especially with the singles not hinting at a grand change in direction). But enough about context! Let’s get to the review. Dedicated is hands down the best album I’ve ever heard in my life. Lol, jk. I am very happy with it though. The singles are elevated in the album and she clearly has gone all out on this album. The songs are ___, grand and full to the brim with electronic instrumentation. There could have been a couple of  softer moments for me and a couple of songs don’t payoff in my opinion. But a happy customer overall.

80/100

Zach

It never fails to surprise me that someone like Carly Rae Jepsen actually produces music of any value whatsoever, as her style is usually associated with Candy Floss pop with about as much depth as Harry’s taste in girls. After a long hiatus after a stinking success in ‘Emotion’, I was excited to see what she would bring. perhaps my favourite thing about Jepsen’s work is her exquisite songwriting, and this album definitely embodies that. Each work is a perfectly structured gem, boosted by her catchy vocals and great pop production. However, sadly her music has not evolved at all since ‘Emotion’ 4 years ago, and arguably is missing the key element that Emotion delivered so well on: a hit. An album like this needs a timeless banger for the ages, like “I Really Like You”, “Run Away With Me” or God forbid, “Call Me Maybe”, and I think this album lacks that. It feels like the bookending Tracks, “Julien” and “Party For One” are attempting to be that, but in my opinion they miss the benchmark Jepsen set for herself with her previous work. Furthermore, it feels like here are a lot of filler tracks that come across as, and I hate to say it Emotion C-sides. However, this album still has some great tracks and it is groovy and fun to listen to, albeit safe and slightly unadventurous.

76/100