Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream': Review of Reviews

Depending on which critic you ask, Perry's sophomore album is either fabulous, formulaic, or the kind of thing you should forbid your kid to hear

Katy Perry recently released her second mainstream full-length album, Teenage Dream.
(Image credit: YouTube)

Pop star Katy Perry's second mainstream album, Teenage Dream, hit shelves this week. The record's already ubiquitous single, "California Gurls," which debuted in May, sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for six weeks — inevitably prompting the question: Is the rest of the album as irresistible? Reviewers weigh in:

The album recalls Gwen Stefani in her SoCal prime: Teenage Dream proves Katy Perry is "a true California gurl," says Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone. "Miles ahead" of her breakout record, it's "the kind of pool-party-pop gem that Gwen Stefani used to crank out... full of SoCal ambiance and disco beats." Thanks to Perry's "clever songwriting," top-dollar production and a saturation of "eighties beats" and a "Daft Punk filter-disco house sound," I can easily call this one a winner.

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