One of the Boys – Katy Perry

One of the Boys – Katy Perry. Label: Capitol Music Group. Released June 17, 2008.

Summary and Critical Evaluation

One of the Boys is Katy Perry’s debut album as she broke away from Christian gospel rock.  It contains three Billboard Hot 100 hits and Perry won two Grammy Award nominations in 2009 and 2010.  I Kissed a Girl was the first single off the CD and has become a worldwide hit.

The full list of songs include: 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 and Fingerprints.

Katy’s flamboyant style and controversial topics of some of her songs such as I Kissed a Girl and constantly has her in the limelight.  The album has taken some criticism from the LGBT community over the belief that Katy is using the homosexual themes to make money.  Still the album debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200.

Genre

Pop Music

About the artist

Katy Perry was born Katheryn Hudson but used the stage name Katy Perry when she broke away from gospel music.  She has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards and has been a guest judge on the UK version of The X Factor and American Idol.

Why did I included this album

Katy Perry has been popular with the teens since she debuted and she was nominated in the Choice Single by a Female Artist during the 2012 Teen Choice Awards.

Up All Night – One Direction

Up All Night – One Direction, Label: Columbia Records, Released (in US): March 13, 2012

Summary and Critical Evaluation

Up All Night is One Direction’s debut album that was first released in Ireland at the end of 2011 and then in North America in early 2012.  It features collaborations with Savan Kotecha, Rami Yacoub, RedOne, Jamie Scott, Ed Sheeran, Steve Mac, Toby Gad and Carl Falk.  The album went straight to number one on the Billboard 200.

The full list of songs contained on the CD are: What Makes You Beautiful, Gotta Be You, One Thing, More Than This, Up All Night, I Wish, Tell Me a Lie, Taken, I Want, Everything About You, Same Mistakes, Save You Tonight and Stole My Heart.

The songs are a mix of dance-pop music, songs about heartbreak and other relationship issues.  One Direction also is described as a “boy band” that makes them especially popular with teenage girls.

Genre

Pop Music

About the artist

One Direction is a boy band comprised of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson.  They signed with Simon Cowell’s record label Syco Records after coming in third on the British tv show, The X Factor.  They later signed on with Columbia Records.

Why did I included this album

While watching the Teen Choice Awards last month One Direction was the winner of three Choice awards and when I asked for popular singers on Twitter their name was mentioned again.

Speak Now – Taylor Swift

Speak Now-Taylor Swift, Label: Big Machine, Released October 25, 2010

Summary

Speak Now is Swift’s third album and was written entirely by Swift.  Singles from this album: Mean debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, Back to December debuted at number 6 and Mine entered at number 3.

Full listing of songs contained on the CD: Mine, Sparks Fly, Back to December, Speak Now, Dear John, Mean, The Story of Us, Never Grow Up, Enchanted, Better Than Revenge, Innocent, Haunted, Last Kiss and Long Live.

Critical Evaluation

This album and it’s singles won multiple awards and generally each of the singles did well up on release.  The topics of the songs are all topics teens can relate to and ranged from apologizing (some speculate it was apologizing to Taylor Lautner, her ex-boyfriend), falling for someone you shouldn’t and other problems with love.  Swift has a talent for mixing a blend of country and pop that makes her music appeal to those outside of the country music genre.

Genre

Country/Pop

About the artist:

Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter who signed with Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house.  Her first album, Eponymous debuted in 2006 and made her name in the country music world.  It wasn’t until her second album’s release in 2008, Fearless, that she successfully crossover and attracted listeners outside the country world.

She’s won numerous Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, CMA awards and more.

Why did I included this album

I have to be honest and admit this is an area I have little experience in not having teens of my own and not listening to a lot of music myself.  I had to ask other teens what music they enjoyed and I was fortunate that the Teen Choice Awards recently took place and I watched that for hints of where to look.  Taylor Swift took home 5 awards and was obviously popular with the teens. After during further research I found this was not the first time.  She has won numerous Teen Choice Awards in 2011, 2010 and 2009.