If there's one thing that Teenage Dream shows, it's that Katy Perry knows how to market herself, even if she has to dumb the music down a bit. From the butt naked album cover to the booklet that smells like cotton candy, its seems she did just about everything to ensure she got maximum sales. Perry also ditched the pop/rock that made her debut album so appealing for a care-free dance-pop record, bringing back Dr. Luke and Max Martin, who gave her both "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot N Cold," to produce the majority of the record. While the new style fits her fine, it may not be exactly what fans of her debut were hoping for. What's perhaps most disappointing is the lyrics. While the lyrics on One of the Boys were clever and funny (for the most part), the lyrics here just sound unoriginal and played. Lines like "That was such an epic fail" and "I wanna see your peacock, cock, cock" are far from poetry and come of as awkward and annoying. Lyrics do improve as the disc plays on, starting about halfway through, but it seems as once the lyrics get better, the production gets worse. "Who Am I Living For?" would be an instant standout if it didn't have painfully generic production. Perhaps the true standout (and best single choice) would be "The One That Got Away", where good lyrics and a good beat finally mesh together and create a super adorable pop song. With all this taken into account, it's a good, average pop album. The only problem is she seemed like a talented musician bursting with potential on her debut, now she just seems like a manufactured pop star. That said, most of the songs are enjoyable, just don't expect to be blown away.
2.5/5 - STANDOUTS: Teenage Dream, Circle the Drain, The One That Got Away
