I feel Carly Rae Jepsen is an underrated artist. Though her sugary pop hit "Call Me Maybe" ruled 2012, she has made equally good (and sometimes better) music which went largely unnoticed by the masses. Her previous album, Kiss, in particular, deserved a lot more attention than it received.
After three years of studio silence, Carly is back with Emotion, an 80s pop influenced collection of 12 songs handpicked out of the 250 songs Carly recorded for this project. She makes it quite clear, with her notoriously catchy hooks and charming lyrics that she is well ahead of most of her peers in the pop scene, and is also a very capable songwriter. The album features some talented guest artists such as Sia (in Boy Problems) and Rostam Batmanglij ( in Warm Blood) who have assisted Carly in songwriting, and their talent is put to good use.
The album draws you in, with Run Away With Me's saxophone intro, and refuses to let go up till the very end. It gives you one catchy chorus after another and often compels you to get up, wherever you are, and dance like you're out of your mind. The 80s pop sound is ever-present and literally gushes out, on certain songs like the slow and tender All That, which immediately brings to mind Prince's Do Me Baby, with it's occasional bass guitar slaps and synth and piano harmony. The Cyndi Lauper influence shines bright on Gimmie Love and a few Madonna-isms can be found too, like in Let's Get Lost. Gimmie Love is also one of the most smartly produced songs on the album. After creating an exciting build-up to the chorus, the production reduces itself to a simple electronic beat, letting the melody enthrall us to it's fullest. The album, overall, is pretty well produced, and never sounds "choked" like a lot pop music does these days. Carly's producers have made sure that her vocals remain the main target of attention and the production serves only as a tool to complement it.
The tremendous efforts put into making this record (the 250 demos), certainly haven't gone to waste, Emotion is definitely the best pop album of the year so far. The album remains insanely catchy from start to finish, and some songs surpass Call Me Maybe by a mile. The 80s throwback that Taylor Swift attempted with her commercial blockbuster 1989, has been done in a far more effortless and elegant way with Emotion. In the end, I would only like to say that I "really really really" like this album.
Favorite songs: All That, Gimmie Love, I Really Like You, Let's Get Lost
Rating: 8/10
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