Robyn :: Body Talk, Pt. 2

First of all, let’s clear up some misconceptions. No, I did not HATE the last Robyn album. Upon hearing feedback, I realized that apparently the tone I set with Body Talk, Pt. 1‘s review was that of a negative review. It was definitely not a negative review. Knowing that Robyn set herself up to release three albums in the course of one year, the first album made me think to myself, “Okay, that was a pretty good effort, but let’s see what she can come up with for Pt. 2.” Now that I’ve heard Body Talk, Pt. 2, it’s got me saying, “I can not WAIT for Pt. 3!” And here is why …

Beginning strongly with “In My Eyes,” Robyn takes a lesson from 90’s Madonna. The dancehall queen’s pulsating beats are back with a vengeance as she once again shouts out Konichiwa Records, her self-created record company. Robyn showcases her vocal pipes here along with big, layered dance beats surrounding her. She even gets existential with her lyrics, “We’re all the same/stardust and stuff.” Okay, so it’s not exactly profound, but Robyn definitely has a knack for great songwriting, especially when you consider her stuff is very dance-focused.

The album’s lead single and an updated, dance-y version of one of Pt. 1‘s slower diddies, is “Hang With Me.” I absolutely adore this song and especially the video, which documents Robyn’s non-stop life as a busy musician on the road. It shows the ups as well as the downs … Especially with that roller coaster ride scene. The beat isn’t incredibly overbearing but the short-and-sweet synths pop around everywhere and the simple snare and bass drum still make you want to dance. This is a song made better with big beats because if you remember, the original version was limited to piano and strings and is one of the reasons I wasn’t as big a fan of the first album of the Body Talk series. It was very vocal and showed off her beautiful voice, but it also made her a victim of that whole “getting back to her 90’s pop star roots” issue I had. This spruced up, upbeat version definitely shattered that vision of “Hang With Me.”

“Criminal Intent” and “U Should Know Better” are the album’s epic highlights and pretty much encapsulate Robyn’s attitude toward the music industry and her overall bad-ass-ness.

“Criminal Intent” is a deep-synthed, ass-shaking, police siren-filled documentation of Robyn’s trouble with the law for getting “somewhat x-rated on the [dance] floor” (cuz “a little dirty never hurt anyone”). The song follows her story as she explains herself to the judge and who would throw her in jail for dancing dirty? Especially with an excuse as good as, “I strongly object, your honor/They played my song.”

“” features music industry giant Snoop Dogg of all people, which may seem out of place when you hear of the pairing but it really works out perfectly. Deep synths galore and a fast beat will make you want to dance full speed and never want to slow down. Both of these big personalities sing, “You should know better than to fuck with me/If you knew better you would do better” and Robyn brags about cashing six-figured checks and how the music industry, Russia and even the C.I.A. know better than to fuck with her.

This album further proves that she really did give the music industry the finger with her more obvious boojie-ness, attitude and in-your-face beats. The age-old story of singer signs with record company, record company takes too much control, singer ditches record company, singer starts own record company and thrives is definitely seen in Body Talk, Pt. 2, especially with the newfound internet buzz she acquired for performing one of the most stand-out performance on this year’s MTV VMA’s … All of 20 seconds sent blogs everywhere abuzz! The album yet again finishes with a slower track (“Indestructible“) but the difference here is though there are strings galore, part of this string section serves as a make-shift beat machine. They are more aggressive instead of being “pretty” … Here’s to hoping that an dance version of “Indestructible” will be featured on Pt. 3, serving as a bridge connecting the albums the same way the two versions of “Hang With Me” do.

Buy the album at our record store on Amazon

Body Talk, Pt. 2 is a definite success and is set to propel this music veteran into the spotlight she deserves and that she feels comfortable in.

• VMA Reactions
• Album Review – Body Talk, Pt. 1 by Robyn
• Artist of the Week [Legend Series] – Michael Jackson
• Throwback: Smashed Up Sundays – Get Smashed!
• Songs We Must Have – Jaymay