Album Review: Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated
In the wake of E•MO•TION, Carly Rae Jepsen's underselling 2015 album that nevertheless earned her both immense critical appreciation and a devoted cult fanbase, the question of where she would take her art next loomed pointedly. That record was clearly destined to be her magnum opus: an embrace of pop's most central tenets that stripped away everything but the most essential elements, deeply indebted to the genre's past and yet sounding unlike any of its predecessors. In short, it wasn't the kind of album easily followed; the inevitable attempt to do so has nevertheless finally arrived after a lengthy four years of waiting, during which Carly's repute has only grown more mythical. What makes Dedicated work so well, however, is that it refuses to lean on the success of her previous effort, and dances boldly to its own beat, Carly's blatant talent and sincere admiration for her contemporaries carrying her far past where anyone else would stumble and fall.
Where E•MO•TION was perhaps the most illustrious ode to the glory days of synthpop ever penned, Dedicated takes additional cues from electropop, synth funk, and similar subgenres of the '80s and '90s pop world, creating an atmosphere that is subtler with its grooves and less uproarious with its highs. Indeed, some of the album's most hypnotic cuts eschew traditional structures and somehow feel no less catchy for it, such as The Sound and its delicate, tender pleas for a reaffirmation of love ("Love is more than telling me you want it/I don't need the words/I want the sound"). Not that Now That I Found You or Automatically In Love aren't meant to be exuberant dance bangers, but their infectious hooks are only the beginning of their charm, supplemented by Carly's stirring vocal performances and unparalleled ear for irresistible production.
In lieu of the tastefully retro aesthetic dominating, Carly's legion of collaborators do their best to make the sea of clean, electronic pop instrumentals sound distinct and varied, largely succeeding with flying colours. As disjointed as Jack Antonoff's production can occasionally be, his single contribution to the record in Want You In My Room is stunning, its tight percussion and ascending piano line an effective backdrop for Carly's profuse, whimsical desire for love, granted a poetic grandeur by the echoing vocals. The sole guest singer of the record, Asa Taccone of Electric Guest, contributes admirably on the chorus of the funk-influenced Feels Right, yet it is Carly who ultimately steals the show, her emotional and strained crooning a feat to behold. Just as laudable is the musical theater-influenced Everything He Needs, flirting with a more mature edge in Carly's words ("Like pressure points, my love can ease him with my hand") that creates a delightful contrast against animated piano chords and the quirky pitched vocals on the refrain.
Delightful and accessible as it is, the record's most impressive improvement is in Carly's songwriting abilities. Some may disagree with this assessment, but part of the appeal of E•MO•TION was its clear infatuation with pop's most essential principles, including broad, nonspecific lyricism that often engages with romance and relationships only superficially. The four years in between that album and Dedicated seems to have given Carly quite a bit to write about, and the experiences that feed into the heartrending Julien or the troubled Too Much give these cuts (and many more) a lyrical depth not present in her past work. The latter is particularly compelling, her lyrics about being ignored in a relationship ("And it feels like you never say what you want/And it feels like I can't get through babe") feeding into the tragedy of her compulsive infatuation: "So be careful if you're wanting this touch/'Cause if I love you, then I love you too much".
The audacity of songs like Real Love to turn pop's formula on its head, however, shows just how ingenious Carly's approach to writing is, and how her talents have carried her far beyond the majority of her peers. The gripping weariness of her vocals as she utters "The world is going crazy/And it feels like I just don't know who to trust sometimes" is painfully discernible, the synth-heavy production all the while continuing to build and create tension in preparation for the chorus. Instead of an avalanche of synth noise, though, Carly then chooses to pull everything back, leaving a spotlight on her voice as she poignantly confesses "But I don't know a thing about it/All I want is real, real love". Similarly unorthodox is I'll Be Your Girl, which opens on slick bass guitar and tight percussion in a decidedly atypical time signature, a surprisingly adept nod to genres like indie pop and ska that fits well with her overt admissions of jealousy: "Living for you/Oh, but you're living for her".
Perhaps a more underappreciated aspect of this album, especially compared to its predecessor, is its startling consistency; from front to back, there are no cuts that feel out of place or unnecessary. While Happy Not Knowing might not be the most instrumentally unique song she has ever penned, Carly's lyrics about not being ready to jump into a new relationship despite her feelings ("I turn your love away 'cause I want to sleep at night/It's just like my broken heart is my alibi") are refreshing, and the song's brevity lets it encourage such novelty without becoming stale. Even the two bonus tracks, the bubbly ballad For Sure and the self-assured single Party For One, never come off as inferior or unoriginal, to the point where their greatest crime is not appearing on all versions of the album.
As much as E•MO•TION came out of left field to generate critical praise and an ardent fanbase for the most unlikely of artists, the newfound appreciation of Carly Rae Jepsen's talent did leave room for doubt as to whether the lightning-in-a-bottle reputation of that album could be replicated. Dedicated is decidedly not an attempt to reproduce that record's magic; it feels more than comfortable existing on its own merits, a glorious homage to the best parts of synthpop's history that nevertheless pushes the genre (and Carly's songwriting abilities) forward. Immediately enjoyable and yet endlessly immersive, Dedicated is just as excellent as the magnum opus Carly owes her fame to, and may prove to be even more timeless.
9/10
Favourite Tracks: No Drug Like Me, Want You In My Room, The Sound, Real Love
https://open.spotify.com/album/25it7uSpNFuRoD6uNc0Tfu