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May 17, 2019Fortunately, Jepsen is just as committed to her music as she is to the ideal of true love, and the way she's grown without sacrificing her uniqueness makes Dedicated a master class in what a 2010s pop album can be.
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May 17, 2019Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest doubles down on one of her central messages as an artist--that no force is more potent than the emotions we feel. And while her third LP E•MO•TION certainly established this, on Dedicated, Jepsen’s infatuation with the rush of human feeling soars to dizzying new heights.
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Jun 17, 2019There could be an argument that a couple of edits to make the track listing shorter would have resulted in an even more effective album. However, this is easily one of the best pop albums of the year as it is: one that’s unlikely to be bettered unless a certain Ms Swift really pulls it out of the bag.
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May 20, 2019With the release of her fourth full-length album Dedicated, the British Columbia native proves that although her destiny may be devoid of commercial super-stardom, she is a steady and unique songwriting talent, and the fire-hot E•MO•TION, although an exceptional triumph, was no fluke.
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May 17, 2019While it's hard to say whether or not it bests E•MO•TION, Dedicated does something arguably more important: as her first major work since 2015, it confirms both Jepsen's consistency and longevity as a songwriter.
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May 17, 2019She belts less, but leaves a stronger impression: swooning into the gently funky Julien; seductively in control on the looser No Drug Like Me; cheeky as Cyndi Lauper on Want You in My Room.
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May 17, 2019Jepsen’s knack for lyrics that hit on the mostly-fun but often-fraught world of romantic relationships is also still in full effect.
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May 17, 2019Filled with lively, stylised pop tunes, she’s once again proven that she’s not just that girl from ‘Call Me Maybe’.
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May 16, 2019An album of polished pop. Perhaps this will put her at the top where she belongs.
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May 15, 2019Dedicated is a joyride of anthemic melodies and fist-pumping bangers that see Jepsen at the top of her game. Revolving in a shimmering cloud of ‘80s synth, bouncy bass and progressive percussion, she has certified herself as a serious contender in the pop arena.
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May 20, 2019Dedicated could’ve easily been either a woebegone heartbreak record or a carefree, lovestruck free-for-all had it been dreamt up by someone else. Instead, thanks to Ms. Jepsen’s talent for processing feelings, it’s an intersection of those two ends of the pop spectrum and a daring display of chart-topping sounds from across the decades.
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May 17, 2019While Jepsen has once again delivered a stunning hook-filled record that frankly gets catchier every time you hear it, Dedicated may not quite satisfy our lust for connection.
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May 16, 2019Even with the occasional missteps, it’s remarkable how rarely one senses any sort of strain to push songs into radio-baiting templates.
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May 15, 2019Jepsen is best when she’s in celebration mode. ... There are times on Dedicated when overproduction overrides the pure, sincere vocals that made Jepsen’s EMOTION so beloved.
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May 17, 2019She’s doing what she does best, calibrating lovesick or lovelorn synthpop that’s neither too hot nor too cold--and sometimes, regrettably, only lukewarm.
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Jun 4, 2019Dedicated isn’t a perfect album--it’s overlong and occasionally concedes too much to chart tastes to be interesting. But by the time Jepsen takes a bow following bonus track “Party For One,” you’re reminded once again of her generosity, of all the space she’s cleared for strength and weakness, for personal epiphanies and communal release.
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May 17, 2019With all its polish and production, Dedication can sound less like an artistic benchmark and more like throwing gum drops at the ceiling to see which ones stick. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
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May 15, 2019Dedicated, is a carefully calibrated attempt at brand extension, reprising the effervescent pop of her last two albums while at the same time acknowledging that the 33-year-old is now a full-grown woman. For the most part, Jepsen succeeds at threading that needle.
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May 23, 2019Dedicated is good, but it doesn’t whirl with the same destructive force; in that sense, it is Carly Rae’s first genuine failure in a decade.
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May 21, 2019They’re about the feeling--everything tween inside every grown adult, and thus they are still unmistakably Carly even as she tries on new sounds. When Dedication falters it’s in the latter half, where her producers seem to be trying to chase pop, or at least Spotify “airplay,” by making her sound like everyone else.
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May 20, 2019There's a lot to love in Dedicated, but Jepsen tries to cover too ground even if they follow similar song structures, to the point where it may bring some boredom--it's best to stream individual tracks instead of listening to the album's fifty minutes straight through.
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May 17, 2019Occasionally, as in “The Sound,” Jepsen musters enough feeling in her high, slightly raspy voice that you can understand why her fans view her with a kind of protectiveness; only Robyn does crying-in-the-club more vividly. ... But too much of “Dedicated” blurs together in a mix of lovelorn confessions and throwback grooves you’d have to listen to obsessively to differentiate. For some, that’s just the invitation they crave.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 924 out of 1025
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Mixed: 8 out of 1025
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Negative: 93 out of 1025
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May 17, 2019
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May 24, 2019
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May 17, 2019I legit made an account just so I could rate this album with the rating it deserves which is a 10/10. That is all.