Katy Perry’s album, Prism, is set for
worldwide release on October 22. I could sum up the entire album
review with one sentence: "Prism is one of those few albums
that every track is worth listening to."
Its not very often I will go and buy an
entire album when its released, but Katy Perry’s new release is one
of them. There will be no picking and choosing certain songs to
download, because each track on the disc is great. Katy Perry put
together an amazing song list, and her fans are going to be very
impressed. It will be no surprise when the album hits number one.
A prism, by definition, separates white
light into a spectrum of colors. The aptly titled album Prism
separates Katy Perry's different feelings and emotions. The
majority of this album shares with us some very personal and very
real emotions and feelings. On a whole, Prism is probably
Katy’s most personal album to date and acts almost as a diary she
is allowing the world a peek into.
Artists will often take events from their
lives and incorporate them into their works. Relationships,
decisions, regrets, or achievements are just a few of the many things
artists will use. When it comes to musical artists, it doesn’t
matter if they write the song or just find a song they connect with
deeply, they draw from their personal lives to add emotion and
personality to the song. This is what makes an amazing singer and what creates a
hit song. What bothers me, however, is the amount of people who try
to figure out (or speculate publicly about) who or what the song is
about. It doesn’t matter, and it really is none of our business.
The song is their public expression they have chosen to share... the
reasons are theirs to hold privately.
Katy Perry infuses many different
personal elements into Prism, and
the lead-off single “Roar” pretty much sets us up for what the mood and
theme of the complete album is. While I wouldn’t call it an ‘anthem’
like many people have, the song definitely sends a message that regardless
of what is happening in your life, you are still in control... you make the
decisions... you are powerful. When Katy sings that she “went from zero to my
own hero,” she shows that you are always “the champion" of yourself.
While many of the songs deal with love
and relationships, the messages can be applied to almost any aspect
of one’s personal life. It’s mostly about taking time for and
loving yourself. It shows that, in life, there is no room or purpose
to dwell on mistakes. Learn from them and allow yourself to grow
stronger from them. Life is short, so don't live in yesterday or worry about tomorrow... Live in today.
The
most powerful, and in my opinion best, song on the album comes in the latter half of the
track list. “Love Me” is a ballad that includes a great message, but also
shows the amazing and powerful vocals Katy Perry has. The song itself
talks about losing your insecurities and just being who you are with
no shame. Don’t question yourself, and don’t second guess yourself
is what Katy is trying to convey as she softly and powerfully sings,
“No more standing in my own way ... I’ll be the
one defining who I want to be.”
While
the theme is instilled into many of the tracks on the album, Katy
Perry does mix in some traditional Katy, some new Katy, and some fun Katy. “Legendary Lovers” is
very different and infuses a sense of Dubai mixed in with a unique blend
of a slow pop beat and fast lyrics. Though it doesn’t have much of
a hook, it has a very infectious beat. “Legendary Lovers” may not
be a song you'll hear on the radio or in clubs, but it is a
song worth having on your playlist.
“Birthday”
brings some of the traditional and fun Katy to the disc. A simple
song with a fun beat... though you may have to come up with a
creative way to explain “So let me get you in your birthday suit.
It's time to bring out the big balloons” to a younger fan... still cute and playful.
“Walking
on Air,” the fourth track on the album, gives a small break to the
overall theme. This is absolutely made for the clubs and has an
electrifying dance beat. It’s fast tempo and catchy chorus will
pump the dance floor. The techno-like bridge builds you up before
coming down at just the right moment before pushing it full out
again. One of the best dance tracks I’ve heard in a while.
Another
worthty mention is the final track on the basic version (there are
three additional bonus tracks on the deluxe version). “By the Grace
of God” is highly spiritual and takes us deep into Katy’s
personal dealings with events in her life. The song plays as multiple
diary entries comprising each verse. Katy exposes the struggle and
pain experienced during a period in her life and paints a very vivid
picture of feeling lost and hopeless, but by “The Grace of God”
and the love of friends and family, the courage needed to win the
fight and find meaning is achieved... the final chapter in the diary
of Katy Perry: Strength, Power, Respect, and Love for oneself.
I
could go through each track, but what I’d have to say would pretty
much be the same thing with different words. Really, every song is
amazing and worth having. What impressed me the most, however, is how pure and raw
Katy is throughout this album. There was very little, if any,
‘auto-tune’ or any type of digital enhancing. Prism
is pure Katy Perry. I wish more artists were like her. She is a
very talented vocalist and doesn’t need to rely on ‘technology’ to
produce a number one album. She relies only on herself and what she
can do. Fans see this and respect her even more for it.
So I’ve
only one thing left to say—Buy Prism!
… The entire album. I’d go with the Deluxe version as the bonus
tracks are too good to pass up and worth the extra few dollars. This is one album that you can just
press play and walk away... the ‘skip’ button will not be needed.
Hear Katy’s story...
Be a
winner!
Show
your strength!
and
“Roar!”
