Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

"Oh, my gosh, Jennifer! You remember that night in Cancun, when we got wasted on cerveza, and those two guys dared us to kiss? And you know remember how we wished there was a song to describe that moment perfectly? Well, now there is!" "Oh, my gosh, Jessica! That's awesome, let's get wasted and make out to it right now." Sorostitutes and girl-on-girl lovers rejoice, an anthem to describe those nights of kissing your best girl friend before being dragged to be bed by your boyfriend is now here. I Kissed A Girl has been on the radio for months, giving just a glimpse to the life of it's singer, Katy Perry and now we get to hear the entire tale of the 23-year-old California girl on her debut album One of The Boys.  

When I first heard I Kissed a Girl, I had to do a double take. "Did she just say she kissed a girl? and did she say she liked it?" Oh, no she didn't, but yes, Katy did. Daring to go to a place that most women don't want to admit to going, Katy Perry lays it all out, admitting to her drunken mistake of kissing a stranger, a strange female at that, as if she's casually rapping her grocery list to a beat. In my opinion, there's nothing special musically, about this song, the beat is Abercrombie & Fitch approved, and only serves the purpose of getting stuck in your head. But, what saves this song from being like recent hits is Perry's voice and quick lyrics, she possess a talent that many of her fellow singers, Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson for example, are still looking for but haven't quite gotten near yet.  

Title track, One of The Boys, is, honestly, the only complaint I have with this album. Personally, I would've chosen this as my first single rather than I Kissed A Girl, it's phenomenal. The honesty heard on this song is something that's uncommon in music right now, just the way she half-whispers with shame that she's begun shaving her legs is classic, and sounds nothing like the strong willed bi-curious make-out queen that we have all gotten to know from the radio. Same as before, musically this song is just following the same catchy formula, at one point I begun to sing the chorus to Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" over Perry's chorus, and my guess was correct they are incredibly similar. Where Lavigne sounds like a gerbil on crack, Perry is a mellow toker, which, definitely, makes her more likable, however, aside from her lyrics, completely unoriginal.  

Critic's and fans have been praising the title track of her first EP Ur So Gay, Blender called “wickedly funny” and Billboard called “zeitgeist-capturing,”  and I suppose I should follow in suit; but I won't. Don't get me wrong, the lyrics on this song are humorous in the best possible ways, "If you're sad, you should get a happy meal," and this is probably one of the only songs that I enjoy the accompanying music as well, but it's not the best this album has to offer.  My personal favorites are Waking Up In Vegas and Thinking Of You. I felt a fly on the wall during a next day confessional between my best friend and I after listening to these two. These songs are vulnerable and raw, not in the in your face way, but the soft feminine way. I was reminded of past songwriters like Carole King and Aretha Franklin, they managed to get into their listeners faces, convey their points, and still maintain their femininity, Perry, possesses these qualities and doesn't exploit them.  

I tried, really, REALLY, hard to dislike Perry. She's MTV approved and her opening single is  trashy club rock that's only meant for girls to scream along too drunkenly as they cast their shoes, and discretion, aside en route to a dance floor. But, sadly I couldn't. She is talented and just so damn likable, it hurts. In a press release, Perry said “I think people can appreciate a songwriter who shows different sides. The whole angst thing is cool, but if that’s all you’ve got, it's just boring.  Everything I write, whether it’s happy or sad, has a sense of humor to it."  She's a chameleon, this one. Just when you think you've got her musically figured out, she surprises you. By the end of this CD, I wanted to buy her a beer and go get into some of the trouble she was telling me so much about. I hope her career progresses and I look forward to what else she has in store, maybe a declaration about her first threesome? An Anal anthem? Ok, I'm done.