Meghan Trainor “Title” Album Review

Prime Cuts:  Title, Lips are Moving, Dear Future Husband       

Reading like the pages lifted from a teenage girl's diary, "Title" is going to be strike a chord with most teenage girls.  Fans of Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry are definitely clamoring for its release.  Nevertheless, the discerning parents need not be stricken with fear.  Though Trainor explores issues pertain to most (teenage) girls, such as boys, self-image, premarital sex, and what to look out for in a potential husband, she does not opine niggling and fatuous jabs.  Rather, with a wisdom that belies her 21 years of living, "Title" is rifled with advice that can be affirming, liberating, useful, and even counter-cultural. 

But the major draw of this new record is not just in its accessibility and its relevancy, it's the melodies.  Remember the time when music is popular because they have such indelible melodic structures that they are almost universally known?  Evergreen gems such as Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love" or Whitney Houston's "Greatest Love of All" have such distinctive tunes that most people on the street can hum to them as soon as the song's titular is mentioned.  Trainor tries, on this album, to bring melody back to songs.  And in this regard, she has excelled.

One of the song that has already been a summer jam last year is "All About that Bass."  Lyrically in the ballpark of Colbie Caillat's "Try," "All About the Bass" gives the thumbs up to heavier set women in what is a female empowerment song.  Yet, what has propelled this song into a multi-platinum status is the song's ingenuous sound.  Utilizing a reggae-samba based over its shimmering melody, "All About the Bass" is in a class of its own.  If you think "Bass" is infectious, take a listen to the title cut "Title."  Offering sisterly advice of not settling for a man who refuses to commit in marriage, "Title" is lyrically a props up in a milieu of sleazy sex-crazed songs.  "Dear Future Husband" equally finds Trainor refusing to lower her criterion as far as her future mate is found.  "Husband" has an echo-y vinyl-scratching intro that has throwbacks to the gorgeous sounds of the 50s that certainly add to the charm.

From its retro reverbs, the hand claps, and the insanely catchy melody, "Lips are Moving," Trainor's sophomore single solidifies the fact that Trainor is no one hit wonder.  And she does get away from the sugary bubble-gum pop with her duet with John Legend.  "Not Like I'm Gonna Lose You" has a 90s Babyface-quiet storm R&B balladry feel quipped with a slurred rock beat.  Again it's the melody here that wins the day.  While the sparse "Close Your Eyes" finds a breathy Trainor on a more relaxed almost rootsy Americana terrain showing her versatility to cross-pollinate genres.  "Walkashame" is a blatant put down of the frivolity of casual sexual relationships, albeit done in a big-band jazzy style awash with lots of brassy horns and piquant observations.

Given the fact that most pop records are skimpy when it comes to melodic structures, "Title" is a breath of fresh air.  This debut record reminds us of the albums made in music's golden eras of the past where melodies rule.  And add to the fact that Trainor has a winsome way of speaking to the hearts of her younger demographic; this is a win-win album regardless of how you see it. 

 

 

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