Meghan Trainor - Title (Epic)
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| Meghan Trainor - Title |
Release Date: 26th January 2015
Holding my hands up here, this
isn't necessarily my normal bag but when a pop single the size of 'All About
That Bass' hits the airwaves and achieves multi-platinum global success then it
might just be worth giving the album a listen. The debut album from America's
latest pop princess, 'Title', is coming out hot on the heels of Trainor
exploding on to the scene and it's not a bad first attempt. Opening with 'The
Best Part (Interlude)' which is just 25 seconds of a calling card that tells
you one important fact - all the songs on this album are Meghan Trainor's
songs. Then comes 'All About That Bass' which if you don't either love or hate
then you've got your own issues - this is Marmite music of the highest order.
But how does the rest of the
album hold up? 'Dear Future Husband' is up first with a weird mix of Christina
Aguilera during her pin-up phase, Nicky Minaj squeaky rapping and the vocal
harmonies of the Drifters. On 'Close Your Eyes' the pop juggernaut drops down a
gear or two for a bit a doo-wop ballad
with cheap organ sound but Trainor's rich, soulful voice could carry a song
played on a shoebox and a tin can. '3am' has a hip-hop pop beat and Trainor
shows of her ability to throw rhyme's together while 'Like I'm Gonna Lose You'
sees our heroine team up with hot property John Legend for a smooth, Radio 2
friendly heart break song that shows a level of maturity beyond her bass
shaking. Having already sucked up to Bass
players, it's time to cosy up to drummers on 'Bang Dem Sticks' as the club banger features the line "I
got a thing for drummers, so baby show of all dem tricks and bang dem
sticks".
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| Meghan Trainor - Having a laugh. |
"Oh my God, I put my pants
on inside out". As opening lines go this will grab attention and as the
fun and sassy 'Walkashame' hits its stride you can't help but be refreshed by
the honesty on the lyrics on this album which will appeal to a huge audience of
girls around the world. In a sense, Trainor has one foot in the Britney and
Christina camp but the other foot is kicking hard alongside Lily Allen and Kate
Nash which makes her an intriguing prospect. The title track of the album
'Title', 'Title', borrows a little from the Olly Murs school of melodies but
has more attitude and style than Murs is likely to muster during his whole
'career'. There is a real, timeless, sultry feel to 'What If I' which should
possibly be sung on the porch of a large house in the deep south of America as
a girl pines for her man and a piano plays in the distance - even in this heat.
The follow up single to the
mega-debut is 'Lips Are Movin'' which takes things up to a more in-your-
face
level through some furious rapping and the chorus line of "I know you're lying
cos your lips are moving". The acoustic driven 'No Good For You' is the
first of the tracks on the deluxe edition and you can see why it didn't make
the main cut as it passes by without incident while 'Mr. Almost' has some
incessant finger clicking but lacks that big pop chorus that we need. The
shoo-wops are back on 'My Selfish Heart' as Trainor does what she is best at in
fusing old Motown melodies, a gorgeous voice and a sense of fun to create a
catchy little pop number.
The album closes with 'Credit'
which channels the Andrews Sisters and Cee-Lo Green in equal measure but with
utterly contemporary lyrics that will be being learned by teenage girls the
world over before the end of the month. I have to hand it to the girl from Nantucket,
as debut albums go this is pretty impressive. What's even more impressive for a
pop album is that Trainor wrote every one of these songs and only the likes of
Beyonce and Adele turning down that big ol' single meant she ended up singing
it herself. Sure, Trainor will attract plenty of haters but if you want big,
sassy, fun pop tunes with actual melodies then you could do a lot worse than
this album. I'd put money on her second album being more accomplished though as
it won't be rushed out in the wake of a global supersmash.
More information: https://www.facebook.com/meghantrainorsongs?fref=ts
Live Dates:
11th February - Vogue Theatre, Vancouver
13th February - Wonder Ballroom, Portland
14th February - Neptune Theatre, Seattle
16th February - The Fillmore, San Francisco
18th February - House of Blues, San Diego
21st February - El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
22nd February - El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
25th February - House of Blues, Houston
27th February - Granada Theatre, Dallas
1st March - Mercury Ballroom, Louisville
2nd March - Saint Andrews Hall, Detroit
4th March - House of Blues, Chicago
6th March - The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto
8th March - The Fillmore Silver Spring, Silver Spring
11th March - Theatre of Living Arts, Philadelphia
13th March - Irving Plaza, New York
15th March - Irving Plaza, New York
17th March - Paradise Rock Club, Boston
20th March - The Cannery Ballroom, Nashville