Much as I had expected with the release of Robyn’s
Body Talk Pt.1, the series is on an upward slope.
Body Talk Pt.2 continues the intention of a large album broken into three pieces. As the Swedish songstress has mentioned several times, the Body Talk series is not a concept album. So there is no real unifying theme across the songs or even the parts of the series so far, except one.
Body Talk Pt.1 offered exactly one track labeled as acoustic, and that track would become the single from
Body Talk Pt.2 – "Hang With Me." The beauty of the acoustic version changed and warped into an electro pop track worthy of Robyn’s vast collection of tracks and became – if at all possible – even more entertaining than before. "Hang With Me" is a excellent lead into
Body Talk Pt.2, an album far more charged and relentless than Pt.1 could ever dream of being.
Robyn sticks to her typical styles on Pt. 2, so nothing here is really a huge surprise. But she does her brand of pop with so much conviction that you are dragged along for the ride whether you want to be or not. Consider "Criminal Intent," a darker version of her previous rap songs focusing on the story of Robyn being arrested and tried in court based on her intentions of making a club go wild. The track is visceral and gets stuck in your head easily. "Criminal Intent" acts as the "Fembot" of Pt.2 with a more serious and less melodic side to it.
Robyn Rocking the DanceMusic.About.Com Button
Photo Credit: DJ Ron SlomowiczTo shake things up a bit, Robyn collaborates again with Snoop Dogg on the track “U Should Know Better.” Snoop is getting a lot of pop attention these days... Some may recall that Robyn appeared on the Fyre Department Remix of Snoop’s “Sensual Seduction.” The rapper and the songstress vibe off of each other incredibly well, considering the musical landscapes Robyn creates. There is a lighter side to Pt.2, including the bright and anthemic album opener “In My Eyes” and “Include Me Out.” The frustrating thing about the Body Talk arrangement is that only one single is being released per album. There is so much more than just the one single on either album so far. “Dancing On My Own” was definitely a winner of a track but many would argue that “Fembots” is the standout of Pt.1. I will say that “Include Me Out” is the strongest song from Body Talk Pt.2. The lyrics of “Include Me Out” remind me of Robyn’s collaboration with Christian Falk, “Dream On.” In the latter, the focus of the track was on the dejected, the criminal, and the down and out. Robyn’s intended audience for “Include Me Out” is much simpler - absolutely everybody. “And if your world should fall apart; I still got room inside my heart; Just don’t include me out.” An edgier pop production gives the track the higher ground on Pt.2, being melodic and hard-hitting all at the same time.
Robyn manages to throw a couple of interesting oddballs into the mix this time as well. Nothing as "out of left field" as "Jag vet en dejlig Rosa," the traditional Swedish folk tune. "Love Kills" immediately differentiates itself as more of a club record than previous Robyn tracks. Never has four-to-the-floor been so prevalent in her unmixed work. "Love Kills" pulses through and begs for club mixing. And with the "Don’t F***ing Tell Me What To Do" of Pt.2, Robyn unveils a truly offbeat and stunning "We Dance To The Beat." The cut is hypnotic with spoken lines including, "We dance to the beat of continents shifting under our feet," "of radioactivity blocking the exits," and "distorted knowledge being passed on." While the production style is typical Robyn, the lyrics remind me of Bjork in the best possible way.
Pulling up the rear is "Indestructible," the acoustic song that blows "Hang With Me" out of the water. "Indestructible" is sweeping and symphonic and has so much vulnerability and strength in it that you believe she really will love as if she is indestructible. And unless Robyn is just messing with us (considering the last acoustic song became the next single) we may be hearing a more electronic version of "Indestructible" in the near future. And that would be amazing.
Summary
Body Talk Pt.2 is a far more cohesive and entertaining
listen than its predecessor. The tracks on the album never let you
down and consistently deliver. The question is whether Pt.2 has
better songs than the best of Pt.1. Personally, I think "Fembots" is
the best track from the series so far, but “Include Me Out” is on its
heels. "Criminal Intent" is another track to watch for and helps
speak for the overall quality of the release. If "Indestructible"
gets translated for Pt.3, then I am eagerly anticipating the end of
this series of albums, it could be the best yet.
