mp3 download

• One Of The Boys
• I Kissed A Girl
• Waking Up In Vegas
• Thinking Of You
• Mannequin
• Ur So Gay
• Hot N Cold
• If You Can Afford Me
• Lost
• Self Inflicted
• I’m Still Breathing
• Fingerprints

Katy Perry is the late 2000s version of the sassy pop-rocker wielding girl power like an Uzi. Blending elements of Alanis Morrisette, Britney Spears, and Gwen Stefani, Perry’s 2008 debut, ONE OF THE BOYS, bashes metrosexuals (“Ur So Gay”), flaunts lesbian experimentation (“I Kissed a Girl”), and celebrates spontaneous road trips (“Waking Up in Vegas”). Thanks to a cadre of top-shelf producers, including Desmond Child, Dave Stewart, and Glen Ballard (who also produced Morissette), ONE OF THE BOYS glitters like spun cotton candy, but it’s Perry’s bold, topical songs and in-your-face attitude that help the album pack a punch.

Bubblegum hybrid rock
By Mang
It’s no surprise that the ghost of Alannis wanders throughout this album, since Glen Ballard was on production duties. Unfortunately, Perry is no Morrisette. Perry has lots of bark but little bite, and One of the Boys is firmly targeted at the teenage crowd who will probably enjoy it a lot. But for the rest of us, there isn’t much to sink your teeth into.

The beats are catchy, and the choruses will probably stick in your head for a while. But ultimately, it’s the kind of album you may listen to a lot and find stuck in a CD binder years later. You sit there and stare at it for a few moments, wondering if it’s worth another spin. And you usually decide it isn’t.

Personally, I think it’s a little too polished to really rock out, and the lyrics are generally clever posturing instead of having the subversion strongly suggested by getting Madonna’s seal of approval. She has a great, throaty voice that slips easily in and out of falsetto. But the package is over-produced, frankly. This slick, meticulous engineering is constantly at odds with her adventurism, to the point where you wonder how much substance is underneath all the stifling gloss and flourish.

I think she could have a really hot album on her hands — if and when she cuts herself free from the Starmaker Machine. If she stays on this path, she’ll probably make a lot of money from touring and another album or two, and shovel more money into the coffers of people like Ballard. Then her fan base matures and starts listening to other stuff. And unless you’re a Madonna, you’re not going to be able to adapt.

If she could make a real rock album, instead of this bubblegum hybrid, who knows. Sky’s the limit. Joan Jett’s the only one who’s gotten close, and that was a while ago. You don’t have to be another Avril Lavigne. One is more than enough.

Edit: There’s also Sleater-Kinney — I can’t believe I forgot them. Unfortunately, they disbanded a few years ago. But they might actually rock *too* hard for Perry’s liking.