So far the album has slightly underwhelmed me. I enjoy the direction she is going in, but I feel like some of the album tracks lack in emotion. All of the singles from this era have had an emphasis in emotional release, so the album's nature came as a shock to me.
Many people are saying that Little Red is an extension/growth of On A Mission and I agree with that. I think it's interesting that the first 3 tracks are based around the club, like OAM, but then the album subtly moves to Katy's thoughts whilst keeping the same sonic landscape. Crying For No Reason is a definite highlight and still my favourite.
I particularly like Tumbling Down for it's production- the mid tempo gives Katy space and shows her talent as a performer. Whilst she is still maturing it thrills me to say that she is moving in an excellent direction:
There is a particular musical style that works outside of genre which I believe takes quite a lot of skill. This style occurs when someone is able to sing songs that live and breathe from line to line- they have very little structure, are prone to changes in emotion and require great gravitas as a performer. It's a style I noticed Beyonce began to adapt in her new album, and it's a direction that Katy may choose to go down eventually.
It's hard to say if she will develop like that or not- I think she has the talent and ability for it, but her reliance on pop choruses feels like a fairly conscious choice. There's also the fact that Little Red is borderline-radio friendly.
Blue Eyes has me dancing around my room
