To be fair, we started to see the change in Ms. Kills around the closeout of Perfectionist. The track "Kill My Boyfriend", a mix of jazzy piano and electric guitars would actually have felt much more at home on this album instead of the electropop theme of the tracklist it was placed in. Although some of the tracks do feel like classic Natalia (we'll get to that, I promise), most of them show a distinct change in both genre and writing. This time she's getting personal.
I had been hearing her say for ages now that her next album would be like pages from a diary. I've heard this before, so I was expecting some relatable tracks, but for everything to still be a bit generic to cover her bases. Nope. These tracks get personal. Take "Saturday Night" for instance. This single is what really drew me in due to it's raw approach of her life. Sure she was wealthy, but all it did was cause the destruction of her family. All of these occurrences that may seem strange to others were "just another Saturday night" for her. The theme shows up again in "Television", where she goes into more detail (where as "Saturday Night" used a video as a medium to tell) about her mother's abuse and her fathers bouts with alcohol.
Another recurring theme is her collection of boys over the years. She seemed to have a bit of a streak as a mean girl. One track that stands out from the rest called "Boys Don't Cry" -- one of the best on the album -- is all about using a boy up, saying goodbye, and watching him crumble as he fell for the wrong kind of girl. She even dedicated the album in part to all the boys who "tried to save [her]".
One of the great things about this album is that it covers quite a few genres. The main genre is obviously a darker pop sound, similar but different enough from her first album's vibe ("Controversy", "Problem", "Rabbit Hole"), while other tracks visit more of an old time rock sound ("Daddy's Girl"), ballads ("Marlboro Lights"), and radio-ready rock-pop ("Trouble"). They all still feel like Natalia songs, but they also give the album a good spin. The only real problem with doing this is having people dislike a genre that is tested out, resulting in a skipped song almost every time. But what's one song on an piece that has thirteen great tracks already.
SPOILER WARNING: "Rabbit Hole" is the best song on the album. Period. I fell in love with this song just from previewing the minute bit iTunes offered before it dropped. It has a real marching-band-Gwen-Stefani-HollaBackGirl vibe to it. It's just so addicting, and I can't even fully explain why. It has a catchy bridge where she announces they're going to *moan* like rabbits, and she also lets you know she and her friends are the kids your momma warned you about. It's girl power plain and simple, and it's hot!
Other strong tracks include "Daddy's Girl", which really surprised me due to it's rather off-putting intro. "Controversy" was a top pick of mine from the beginning, and thankfully the voicemail recording wasn't just a perk for the video, because that girl's annoying message pushed it over the top (well that and it's Jonestown reference). "Television", the introduction to the album, would have been my top pick for this work, but unfortunately it has a minute and a half intro that is attached to it as opposed to being a separate track, which is a bit of a pain to work through.
On the down side we have some of the ones that aren't exactly bad songs, but don't stand up to the best of what she's got to offer. While I like the slow down of "Marlboro Lights", I feel like it may have been placed too far along on the album, and I can honestly say I don't think slow songs are Kills' strong point. "Trouble" was another track that disappointed me. When an track shares the name of the album, it needs to be the strongest of the group, but it falls somewhere in the middle. It's definitely not the worst song I've heard from her, but it didn't deserve to be the name of the album. Let's rename this album "Controversy". Or "Rabbit Hole". Yes?
I am very pleased with this album. Natalia is rarely one to disappoint, so I had good faith that this album would be perfect. Trouble is definitely a separation from what she's done in the past. Others were quick to jump on "Problem" and say that she's finally distanced herself from the Lady Gaga Clone status, but I wanted to wait until this album was fully released to make my decision.
Now I can honestly say that Natalia has finally evolved into her own. Never again will she be called out for copying Gaga. Natalia Kills will forever be simply Natalia Kills.
Trouble is up for sale on iTunes. Oddly enough, instead of being $9.99 like most albums, this gem is only $6.99. I'm not going to question it. Just enjoy quality music for a great price, OK?
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