This week I'm reviewing Katy Perry's latest album, One of the Boys. This CD has actually brought a lot of controversy on the table. Her two songs, "Ur So Gay" and "I Kissed a Girl", have been cited as being homophobic as well as misanderic by columnists, activists, and commentators including Glenn Sacks.
MSNBC contributor Tony Sclafani wrote, "The litmus test of hypocrisy here is that if you substituted a different minority in Perry's tunes, they'd never get airplay. 'I Kissed a Black Guy' or 'Ur So Korean' would not be Top 40. For that matter, a song called 'I Kissed a Boy,' sung by a guy, would probably die on the vine."
Others, such as Chicago Sun-Times columnist Dr. Laura Berman, find the lyrics positive, arguing that "the fact that this song (I Kissed A Girl) is sparking so much interest suggest that our society is beginning to accept that there isn't always one box (gay or straight) for people to check."
Just some breif background, Katy Perry was actually born as Katheryn Hudson. She has risen to prominence with her single, "I Kissed A Girl" which has become a worldwide hit topping the charts in mroe than 20 countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland and the United World Chart. In the US, the song is also noted for being the 1000th chart-topper of the Rock Era.
This full length album was released in the US on June 17, 2008. Katy was an act in the 2008 Vans Warped Tour to promote the album. This is Perry's first album under her current name, she has a self titled album called Katy Hudson which released back in 2001. On April 29, her first official single from One of the Boys debuted on the iTunes Store. The song debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #76, climbing to #1 as of June 25. It has peaked on iTunes Top 100 at #1. The music video for "I Kissed a Girl" was released on May 21 on MySpace. The song has generated controvery due to its popularity with children, but it like "Ur So Gay", is allegedly anti-homosexual. In contrast, an essay in Slant Magazine argues that the song "isn't problematic because it promotes homosexuality, but because its appropriation of the gay identity exists for the sole purpose of garnering attention--both from Perry's boyfriend and her audience.
In addition, she has had songs from the album featured on the MTV Series, The Hills. Singles released from the album were "Ur So Gay" which didnt even make it to any chart; "I Kissed a Girl" which hit number one on 15+ charts; and "Hot n Cold" which is currently crashing through multiple charts. It is in 20th place in the US at the moment.The album has sold 400,000+ copies to date.
Here are the track lists...
Track listing
1. "One of the Boys" (Katy Perry) - 4:07
2. "I Kissed a Girl" (Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Cathy Dennis, Katy Perry) - 2:59
3. "Waking Up in Vegas" (Desmond Child, Andreas Carlsson, Katy Perry) - 3:19
4. "Thinking of you" (Katy Perry) - 4:06
5. "Mannequin" (Katy Perry) - 3:17
6. "Ur So Gay" (Greg Wells, Katy Perry) - 3:37
7. "Hot N Cold" (Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Katy Perry) - 3:40
8. "If You Can Afford Me" (Dave Katz, Sam Hollander, Katy Perry) - 3:18
9. "Lost" (Ted Bruner, Katy Perry) - 4:15
10. "Self Inflicted" (Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Katy Perry) - 3:25
11. "I'm Still Breathing" (Dave Stewart, Katy Perry) - 3:48
12. "Fingerprints" (Greg Wells, Katy Perry) - 3:44
Bonus tracks
iTunes Edition
13. "I Think I'm Ready" (Ted Bruner, Katy Perry) - 2:35
Wal-Mart Digital Edition
14. "A Cup of Coffee" (Katy Perry) - 4:12
Australian Edition
15. "I Kissed A Girl (Rock Version)" (Ted Bruner, Katy Perry) - 3:00
I Kissed A Girl
Hot n Cold
I liked most of the album, some parts were songs that didn't sound like they fit. My favorite songs were probably One of the Boys, I Kissed A Girl, Hot N Cold, and Self Inflicted.
I'm going to rate this album a
This album has a lot of great hits on it, here's the rating 
:
out of 5 stars.
If you would like to buy the album, here are Amazon and iTunes links!
