Working hard is
Katy Perry
's stock in trade: whether she's cavorting in the Californian sun or heaving her curves, she always lets you see her sweat, even when she's presenting herself as a
Teenage Dream
, the ideal she puts forth on her 2010 sophomore set. Perry doesn't have great ambitions in mind: all she wants is the spotlight, and she'll follow the path of others to get there, raising eyebrows a'la
Alanis
, strutting like
Gwen Stefani
and relying on
Britney
's hitmaker
Max Martin
for her hooks. There's no question
Perry
knows every rule in pop and follows them to the letter: she never breaks away from the expected lite club beats that transition from day-to-night without a hitch or the chilly, stainless steel ballads designed to lose none of their luster on repeat plays.
acknowledges some shifting trends -- she salutes Ke$ha on "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," replicates
Ryan Tedder
's glassy robotic alienation on "E.T." but tellingly avoids ripping off
Lady Gaga
-- but these are merely accents to her
One of the Boys
palette.
is at her best when she's delivering sleek singles like
"Teenage Dream"
and
"Hummingbird Heartbeat"
with efficiency. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine