Title: Meghan Trainor
SONY MUSIC, Rs 499
Meghan Trainor made it big in 2014 with her body-positive smash hit All About That Bass. While the 21-year-old singer rocks on her debut full-length album, her finger-snapping songs are a super hit with teens.
Meghan has taken in chief collaborator Kevin Kadish to balance a love of old-fashioned girl group pop with old-school hip-hop. The partnership works well with Meghan doing the job of a collaborator in the songwriting department.
After a female choral introduction The Best Part (Interlude), the 15 track album spins on with the most sassy of all songs we’ve heard so far — All About that Bass that speaks of self-empowerment all the way. The song made Meghan the most Googled music artist after Justin Bieber. Moving on, we have the bouncy Dear Future Husband about a list of demands she wants her future husband to adhere to.
The Amy Winehouse inspired Lips Are Movin’ is another big highlight on the album. The song takes a jab at a lover who gives her sweet talk. 3 AM finds Meghan texting an ex-boyfriend in the middle of the night. On the finger-snapping ballad Like I’m Gonna Lose You featuring John Legend, Meghan’s soprano-filled vocals are a perfect match for Legend’s silky voice. You could also take a pick of What If I, a very soft and seductive piece at the first listen and worth a replay. The mushiness can be felt in the song. If only the album had more such moments.
Title is a demand to her boyfriend to put a name on their relationship status before he thinks of only having fun and moving off. Meghan shows her rapping style on Bang Dem Sticks and hits a loud beat on Walkashame incorporating a lot of playful rap segments. Mr Almost also has a bit of rapping by guest artist Shy Carter, but as a track it offers no really big moments.
With a large voice and a witty writing style, Meghan moves from one genre to another over the course of the album, giving you a chance to experience her music more carefully. While this might confuse you a bit, if you stick to just the main blasters here, you can be sure you would love to replay this album any time you feel like it. Includes lyrics.
Verus Ferreira is a music journalist for over three decades. He is the author of The Great Music Quiz Book and The Great Rock Music Quiz Book and the founder of Musicunplugged.in
