thu 05/12/2024

Album: Meghan Trainor - Treat Myself | reviews, news & interviews

Album: Meghan Trainor - Treat Myself

Album: Meghan Trainor - Treat Myself

The "All About that Bass" star mixes in some treble

Trainor: ditching the candy cute schtick

Here it is, at last: Meghan Trainor's long-anticipated third album, scheduled for last summer, but mysteriously delayed because Trainor wanted to "add more songs". Not everyone was convinced by that story – there were rumours she was really planning to quietly scrap the whole thing because of a disappointing response to the early singles. But she didn't give up, and the final product weighs in at a hefty 15 tracks.

About half of them share the same R'n'B-lite flavour of the recent single, "Blink". And yet, you can't help thinking it was really the first offering, "No Excuses", that she should have been trying to follow. It was cheery and light, and a whole lot more fun. 

And so it is with the whole album – the songs that stay with you the longest are the sassiest or most heartfelt. "Funk" has an old-school George Clinton feel, and "Nice to Meet You" (featuring Nicki Minaj) carries off some outrageous hip-hop beats through its sheer chutzpah. A few of the ballads aren't half bad either. "Wave", a love letter to husband Daryl Sabara, is suitably lush. "Working" is slower and huskier and digs deeper into Trainor's psyche. "Never liked compliments", she sings, "because it's always been so hard believin' them".

The singer's other reflections on relationships and self-worth don't all work so well. "Baby Girl (love yourself)" is a dreary electro-pop/ R'n'B monstrosity, and "Here to Stay" is just lacklustre and forgettable. The most frustrating track is "Another Opinion" which is basically a lovely, sunny tune spoilt by its unnecessary electro-pop overtones.

Trainor has been experimenting with such styles ever since her second album when she ditched her retro candy-cute schtick in order to sound more contemporary. Since then she's also tried out other personas like the romantic balladeer on "The Love Train" EP and, of course, her sideline as a judge on The Voice. But throughout, she's been at her finest when she's kept some of her cheeky, girl-next-door charm. For all its inconsistencies, the best of Treat Myself does exactly that. 

@russcoffey

 

Overleaf: Meghan Trainor's video for "Wave"

Here it is, at last: Meghan Trainor's long-anticipated third album, scheduled for last summer, but mysteriously delayed because Trainor wanted to "add more songs". Not everyone was convinced by that story – there were rumours she was really planning to quietly scrap the whole thing because of a disappointing response to the early singles. But she didn't give up, and the final product weighs in at a hefty 15 tracks.

About half of them share the same R'n'B-lite flavour of the recent single, "Blink". And yet, you can't help thinking it was really the first offering, "No Excuses", that she should have been trying to follow. It was cheery and light, and a whole lot more fun. 

And so it is with the whole album – the songs that stay with you the longest are the sassiest or most heartfelt. "Funk" has an old-school George Clinton feel, and "Nice to Meet You" (featuring Nicki Minaj) carries off some outrageous hip-hop beats through its sheer chutzpah. A few of the ballads aren't half bad either. "Wave", a love letter to husband Daryl Sabara, is suitably lush. "Working" is slower and huskier and digs deeper into Trainor's psyche. "Never liked compliments", she sings, "because it's always been so hard believin' them".

The singer's other reflections on relationships and self-worth don't all work so well. "Baby Girl (love yourself)" is a dreary electro-pop/ R'n'B monstrosity, and "Here to Stay" is just lacklustre and forgettable. The most frustrating track is "Another Opinion" which is basically a lovely, sunny tune spoilt by its unnecessary electro-pop overtones.

Trainor has been experimenting with such styles ever since her second album when she ditched her retro candy-cute schtick in order to sound more contemporary. Since then she's also tried out other personas like the romantic balladeer on "The Love Train" EP and, of course, her sideline as a judge on The Voice. But throughout, she's been at her finest when she's kept some of her cheeky, girl-next-door charm. For all its inconsistencies, the best of Treat Myself does exactly that. 

@russcoffey

 

Overleaf: Meghan Trainor's video for "Wave"

The songs that stay with you the longest are the sassiest or most heartfelt

rating

Editor Rating: 
3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

Explore topics

Share this article

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters