Betty Who Reaches for Greatness on New EP

Betty Who is pop's new it girl. The singer's first EP The Movement provided Betty Who with her best song "Somebody Loves You." This is her best song and of the best songs of the past year. The singer achieved success and got mainstream attention. Her music has been used in commercials and television shows and she's gotten a ton of press. Her music is 80's worshiping dance pop that brings to mind Katy Perry and especially Robyn.
Betty Who released her second EP last month, Slow Dancing.  The EP opens with the magical first single "Heartbreak Dream. The breakup ballad is a touching and fun song that is sure too have people dancing. This song is the best song on the EP and one of Who's best songs.
"In a moment/ You were everything to me/ In this moment/ We're living in a heartbreak dream," Who sings gorgeously during the chorus.
The EP's next song is "Alone Again." This song is a midtempo song that in which Who tells her lover that he'll never be alone again. The song's guitar solo is a nice touch that makes the song stand out form her other music.
"Giving Me Away." is the next track and it picks up the pace a little. The song is an honest look at a love affair and is packed with emotion. Who is good at having a dance inspired song, but making you feel something. This EP showcases her vulnerability and that's what so endearing about her .
"Lovin' Start" is a soulful song that is a nice change of pace from the other songs on the EP. It's good to see that Who can experiment with different genres and styles. While this isn't the strongest song on the EP, it's still enjoyable.
"Silas" the final song on the album is a delicate song that is just beautiful. The acoustic song is a gorgeous ballad that tells a story of love. The song is about taking a chance on love and waiting for a lover..
"I'm hopelessly romantic/ Hopefully he can stand it," Who sings.
The song is one of the best songs Who has written thus far. Hopefully she'll have more acoustic moments on her future releases.
This EP is better than her first and goes to show that Who is a force to be watched in the pop world.

Katy Perry Releases Her Worst Album

Katy Perry rose to fame with her first two amazing albums, 2008's One of the Boys and 2010's Teenage Dream. When Perry released "Roar," the first single off of her album Prism in August I was impressed, but this album isn't as great as her previous records.
No there are lots of good songs. The Middle Eastern experimentation of "Legendary Lovers," the 90s europop of "Walking on Air" and the hip hop elements of "Dark Horse" which features Juicy J all work. Other songs like the 80s inspired "This Moment," the Miley Cyrusisms in "This is How We Do" and the adorable second single "Unconditionally," Perry still knows how to make a decent pop song. However these songs only seem great because they're paired up with lame songs like the poppy "Birthday" or the cheesy "Ghost" make tracks like the Ke$ha meets Daft Punk "International Smile" seem like a pop gem. However next to Perry's other work the album highlights look like children's songs.
Let's get into the bad songs on the album. "Love Me" recalls "Pearl" from her last album, but not in a good way. The album closes with the overdramatic ballads "Double Rainbow" and "By the Grace of God." These songs are about moving on from bad events in life to better things, they're silly and clichéd and not necessary.
The album's deluxe edition tracks are nothing memorable either. "Spiritual" is co-written with Perry's boyfriend John Mayer, who also plays guitar on the Robynesque "This Moment." "Spiritual" comes off as just weird and not memorable. "It Takes Two" is a great song and is one of the best songs on the record. It should have been an album cut instead of a bonus track. This Emeli Sandé co-written track is about how after a breakup both parties are to blame, but Perry will only take the blame for so much. The last bonus track is "Choose Your Battles." This song is also not memorable.
Despite the good songs on this record, I'd pick her other albums over this any day. Perry has done better and here's to hoping she does so again.

Demi Lovato Pleases On New Album

Demi Lovato's sound has changed quite a bit since her debut album 2008's Don't Forget and her follow-up 2009's Here We Go Again. These two album's had a pop-rock sound and really showcased Lovato's emotionally charged lyrics and vocals. Then in 2011 she released Unbroken which all but ditched the rocker in her and replaced it with a dance diva. The album was a R&B/dance/pop record and while it had great songs, it wasn't as good as her sophomore record.
In February Lovato released the first single "Heart Attack." The song was catchy and fun and got people excited for the new album. Then this month Demi finally dropped. While there are mostly good songs, it isn't her best record. The album has great moments like the "Neon Lights" a house number that will keep dance floors full and "Two Pieces" which recalls fun. However for every great song like "Nightingale," a gorgeous ballad, there are a few mistakes. "In Case" and "Shouldn't Come Back" aren't bad, they just lack the same passion as Lovato's other ballads.
The two best songs on the album are the more rock influenced tracks. On the Cher Lloyd assisted "Really Don't Care" which features guitars and sassy lyrics is a pop-rock breakup anthem. "Now if we meet out in the street I won't be running scared/ I'll walk right up to you and put one finger in the air," Lovato sings during the second verse. Another song that recalls Lovato's pop-rock roots is "Something That We're Not." The song is about a clingy hookup that seems to be confused about what the relationship actually is. These songs really recall Lovato's first two records and the spark she had.
"Fire Starter" has a sassy Lovato using a curse word in her song for the first time. The song is a female empowerment anthem that is sure to have girls pumping their fists along. "Made in the USA" is a fun song that has cheesy lyrics and recalls Victoria Justice's "Make it in America." While the song very cheesy, it is enjoyable. "Never Been Hurt" is a great song. It's a great song because it is basically the same song as the title track off her last album. "Unbroken" was a great electropop song that was about letting go of past heartbreaks and loving somebody with all you've got. The song recalled "Indestructible" by Robyn. "Never Been Hurt" has the same main idea and musical style as "Unbroken" only not as good.
This album is sure to appeal to fans of Lovato and gain her new fans and more hits. However, as a woman whose 20, she needs to leave the teeny bopper stuff behind her.

Fall Out Boy Back With A Vengence

Fall Out Boy came back from their hiatus with their fifth album Save Rock and Roll. The album followed their 2008 opus Folie à Deux. The album featured guest appearances by Blondie singer Debbie Harry, William Beckett and Lil' Wayne and went between genres. Then in 2009 the band went on hiatus.
This album may not be perfect, but it shows that Fall Out Boy need to be here. Fall Out Boy just can't say away from making music and this record is a testament of that. From the introductory track "The Phoenix" to the album closer and title track which features Elton John, the album has no bad songs. While some songs like "Alone Together" and "The Mighty Fall" which features rapper Big Sean may be a little boring, songs like "Where Did The Party Go" more than make up for them.
The album's highlights would have to be "Just One Yesterday" which features singer Foxes, "Rat a Tat" which features Courtney Love and the Robynesque "Miss Missing You." These songs all show what the band do best, make good music.
The lyrics are another thing that make the album so great. "I'm gonna change you/ Like a remix/ The I'll raise you/ Like a phoenix," front man Patrick Stump sings during the chorus of "The Phoenix." While most of the songs are about breakups and aging, they never get overdone.
This album is a great return for Fall Out Boy, here's hoping that they don't do any silly things like going on hiatus ever again.

Colette Carr releases third stellar EP

Collette Carr shot to fame when she released her mixtape Sex Sells Stay Tooned in 2010 and began to release singles like 2011's Keane sampling "(We Do It) Primo" and "Sex" which features shitty rap group New Boyz.
Then in 2012 Carr announced she'd release her debut album Skitszo in 4 song EP increments, much like Robyn did with her classic Body Talk. The first was a classic and featured great tracks like "Killswitch" and the single "F16." The second was less thrilling but was still great.
This week Carr released part 3 of the Skitszo album. The EP starts off with a bang on "Can't Touch This" which features E-40. The song is Carr's classic white girl rap. While Carr isn't really a good rapper, she is fun to listen to and each song entertains. The song is a great way to start off this release and with the next song Carr delivers what is sure to be one of Skitszo's best songs "Never Gonna Happen." The song is a sad pop/rap song with a pinch of rock elements thrown in. "You hang up/I call back/ I think that/ it's never gonna happen," Carr sings in the chorus. The song, like "F16" shows a more emotional side of Carr. As emotional as a white female rapper can get. The next song is a funky and weird one. "One By One" has a funky guitar filled beat. "Don't stop till we take 'em out/do it one by one," Carr sings. The EP ends on a silly note with "The Finest Things." The song is a hip hop ode to the finer things in life and living the good life. Carr says that she has no time for people who don't enjoy the finest things.
Collette Carr is showing that she is more than just a silly white girl trying to be Ke$ha. With one more EP coming out in May before Skitszo gets it's full release in July with four new songs as well as all the songs from parts one to four, Carr is sure to deliver more fun songs. Especially with the rumored Porcelain Black collaboration due on Skitszo, the party is just beginning.