Dedicated

In a time where most popular artists involve hip hop or trap into their songs, Carly Rae Jepsen stands out for her glitzy, 80's inspired pop. On her third album, Dedicated, she dives even further into this influence and comes out triumphantly. With a few years of practice with this sound, Carly has a complete grasp on it, and her songs about love, both fun and longing, are pinpoint in their lyrics, pace and production. The end result isn't quite as good as the now legendary EMOTION, but what can be? Dedicated is a must-hear synthpop album, a shining example of how good the genre can be.

Dedicated's sound thrives on the throwback. 80's elements like the big drum machines, the shimmering synths and lyrics about nothing but various forms of love are all present. Rather than just emulating the sound, Carly combines it with more modern pop sensibilities and rhythms to make it her own. Any of these tracks you could hear on their own and you'd know it's Carly. Her delivery is again excellent, and the lyrics are still concerned with the many facets of love. On highlight "Too Much", she wonders if her love is overwhelming, if she goes too far in the things she does for the one she loves. It's contrasted by a bouncy synth beat, and keeps the song fun in the face of uncertainty. The sexy "Want You In My Room" has a vocoder delivering the hook, while "Feels Right" features strings and Electric Guest bringing unparalleled jubilance. These simple grooves in the formula keep song after song catchy and joyous.

This album is filled with an abundance of mid-tempo synthpop efforts, something Carly has become the master of. As a result Dedicated is more sublime than EMOTION, but no less danceable. Be it the jaunty pianos (Feels Right, He Needs Me), the explosive drums (Now That I Found You, Automatically in Love) or the moodier synths (Julien, Too Much), every song is remarkably enjoyable in its own way. The commitment to the 80's style maybe leads to a few songs sounding too homogenized, but the lesser tracks are still so impeccably produced that they're much better filler than most albums have. If anything the album doesn't have a major moment quite like "Run Away With Me" or "I Really Like You". The closest is "Now That I Found You", but even that banger is committed to the synthpop style and isn't as explosive as some cuts from EMOTION.

We have to be thankful that Carly shed the meme status that "Call Me Maybe" bestowed upon her, because she's matured into one of the best pop singers of her era. Dedicated is another highlight filled effort, an album that's many things great but most of all fun. At the end of the day, isn't that what pop music is supposed to be?

Standouts: Julien, Now That I Found You, He Needs Me, Too Much, Automatically in Love, Feels Right