I feel extremely dangerous right now. I just graduated college, secured a well-paying job, and I (likely) passed another actuarial exam. Usually in times like this, the death metal-loving side of me emerges to bear its teeth. But danger doesn’t have to be clad in scary t-shirts and black skinny jeans. These days, simply embracing your whole self can feel dangerous. And for some unknown reason, Carly Rae Jepsen encourages me to do so more than any other artist.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to experience Carly’s musical embrace in person. It was a flawless concert in a beautiful venue (The State Theater in Minneapolis, MN), and Carly’s voice sounded as good as it does on the album. Furthermore, the concert was dedicated (see what I did there?) to the music. No flashy dance routines, no crazy pyrotechnics, and no unnecessary monologues. Just a few thousand girls and gays all gathered together to hear her sing her heart out. It’s what live music was meant to be.
Dedicated is Carly Rae Jepsen’s long-awaited follow up to 2015’s Emotion, an album that has been granted immortality in the halls of pop music. Emotion had it all: a well-defined direction, fantastic performances, and an exquisite sequence of 80’s-influenced dance-pop. The final chorus of “Run Away With Me” is just one of many unforgettable moments that come to mind.
I’ll avoid proclaiming that Carly deserves to be more popular, because pretty much everyone says that about the non-mainstream artists that they love. Some Scooter Braun-centered rumors have swirled about some external influences that may have hindered her career, but they remain rumors. It is certainly worthwhile to note the news about Carly’s unreleased “disco” album that may well be her version of All Lights Fucked on the Hairy Amp Drooling, especially since Dedicated has tinges of disco sprinkled throughout. It’s much more worthwhile to cherish what we have, especially since a more-popular Carly Rae Jepsen may not have been given the creative capacity to make an album like Emotion.
Carly doesn’t seem to dwell on the fact that most people know her as the “Call Me Maybe” girl. At the show I attended, she performed the song with just as much fervor as any other tune, and it remains the lone song from Kiss and before that truly survived Carly’s artistic evolution later down the line (except maybe that fucking stupid “Good Time” Owl City song, if you count it).
Dedicated marks a curious lean back towards mainstream pop. While Emotion almost exclusively stuck to its 80’s influences, Dedicated contains several tracks that sound a lot more like today’s Top 40 hits, such as “Too Much” and “Feels Right.” It’s not that Top 40 music is necessary bad, but these points on Dedicated tend to be the weakest. Of course, “weakest” is just a matter of perspective, since every song on the album is quite enjoyable.
Carly’s disco side is what makes her shine. Perhaps the best example of this is the album’s opener, “Julien.” The penultimate single to be released prior to the album, “Julien” is a song that wins the heart on the first listen. When I first heard it, I knew that Carly had finally struck gold again. Other early singles such as the cat-dedicated “Now That I Found You” and the smooth-as-silk “No Drug Like Me” are also impressive highlights.
Dedicated marks Carly’s attempt at a much more varied set of songs. While Emotion perfected a particular style, Dedicated hits on disco, mainstream pop, electronica, and more. The light atmospheric cymbals and rim hits on “Too Much” contrast nicely with the deep warbled bassline/pretty piano riff combination on “The Sound.” Both have undeniably catchy hooks.
While Dedicated is not quite as consistent as Emotion, and certainly not as focused, it marks an important achievement in Carly’s artistic journey. She has proved that Emotion wasn’t just luck. While the music is quite a bit different, she has embraced herself and stayed true to the lyrical themes that make her music so likable. What her songs lack in deep meaning make up for in catchy and relatable quips about the joys of love, the stomach butterflies of attraction, and the sadness of heartbreak. Very few artists possess the ability to simultaneously make music that can be enjoyed by everyone and make music that’s artistically adventurous and interesting.
On a personal note, Carly’s music is important to me because there is no inhibition in enjoying it without reservation. As someone who’s more in tune with the punk and metal scene, it’s refreshing to be able to embrace music so glittery and inoffensive. And I know I’m not the only one, because several of my hardcore-loving acquaintances have expressed appreciation for Carly as well. A more insecure person might want to keep their enjoyment of this sort of bubblegum-flavored pop a secret, but I’ve yet to meet a secret Carly Rae Jepsen fan.
This review is obviously a biased view of the album, but writing about Dedicated from an objective perspective would be really boring. If you can’t gush a little about music that makes you smile and dance your heart out, then what’s the fucking point of anything? When I can let my inhibitions go and just enjoy something, that’s when I feel the most dangerous. Dedicated isn’t perfect, and it isn’t nearly as good as Emotion, but it’s an album that lets me embrace my sunnier side for a little while. That’s something I can always use more of.
Ryan’s Score: 7.8
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