ALBUM REVIEW: Prism

Jason Woo
The Silhouette

Prism
Artist: Katy Perry

In any conversation about music, Top 40 is always the butt of the joke – it’s the genre that music lovers frown upon for viagra mastercard its banal lyrics and repetitiveness. People tend to forget that few artists have actually succeeded in the hard feat of crafting a perfect pop album.

Katy Perry’s 2010 album, Teenage Dream, was one such instance, sending five hits to the summit of the Billboard 100 and tying the record held by Michael Jackson’s Bad. Three years later, Perry has returned with Prism, and while lightning doesn’t strike twice, she does come close.

The album is packed with radio-friendly tracks that each seem to be a 90s sequel to a hit from Teenage Dream. “This is How We Do” is “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” 2.0, with the album’s best laugh-out-loud lyric (“sucking real bad at Mariah Carey-oke”). “Unconditionally” is a more mature “Teenage Dream.” The list goes on.

Perry, on top of the pop throne, doesn’t break any new ground sonically, but the Bollywood tinged “Legendary Lovers” and Hip-hop/Pop hybrid “Dark Horse” with Juicy J suggests she is still somewhat trying.

Perry’s highly publicized divorce from comedian Russell Brand makes its presence known in the back half of the album. The Lykke Li inspired ballads here are not particularly bad, just remarkably average. Nothing approaches her strongest vocal effort in “Thinking of You” from her mainstream debut One for the Boys.

Katy Perry has always been at her best with her inspirational and tongue-in-cheek party anthems, and in that sense, Prism still delivers.