Review: Robyn's "Body Talk Part 2"

Today Robyn's new album, "Body Talk Part 2" is released in the U.S. This is the follow-up to her "Body Talk Part 1" album that was released in June (Body Talk Part 3 will also be out before the end of the year). Robyn sought out to make three 8-song albums in one year, and the second of the bunch takes fewer risks than the first but also finds Robyn returning to some of the sounds she perfected on her uber successful self-titled album originally released in 2005 (read more after the jump).



Since Robyn created her own independent label, Konichiwa Records, she transformed herself into an entirely different artist than she was in the 90s and early 2000s. Most in the U.S. remember her for her bubble gum teeny-bopper pop hits like "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)." Since her reinvention, however, she has become a spunky and cutting edge electro-pop artist making songs with both musical complexity and lyrical depth. Her self-titled album combined electronica, rap, R&B and new age influences together in a unique sound that made the disc memorable from the first to the last track.

After years of delayed releases around the world, as well as constant touring, Robyn finally released her follow up in June of this year, "Body Talk Part 1," the first disc of the trilogy. The 8-song album went one step further than "Robyn," taking risks that many lesser artists could probably not pull off. Sure, the lyrical depth was still there (the first single from the album, "Dancing On My Own" still breaks my heart every time I listen to it), the spunk was spunkier than ever (Robyn complains like all the rest of us that everything is killing her on "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do"), and the infusion of musical styles still ran rampant ("Fembot" combines pop delight and Robyn's own unique rapping style).

However, the album also featured sounds not heard on "Robyn" at all. "Dancehall Queen" found Robyn experimenting with a dancehall/raggae sound, while "Jag vet en dejlig Rosa" was a lullaby-sounding song in her native Swedish language. Even "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do" was a departure from anything on the "Robyn" album: a spoken word song without any traditional chorus or verses set to the sound of a thumping and infectious beat.

"Body Talk Part 2" fails to expand on the musical experimentation Robyn attempted in "Part 1" or take any new musical risks, but it still manages to stay true to the unique sound Robyn created for herself since her self-titled CD. The disc begins with "In My Eyes," a happy celebration that perfectly sets the mood for the CD. Following right in its footsteps is the disc's first (and only) single, "Hang With Me," first heard by fans in its acoustic form on "Body Talk Part 1." While the song was a melancholy, haunting ballad on that disc, "Part 2" brilliantly transforms it into a joyful dance track with a sweet-sounding, popping beat. Robyn's ability to record two versions of the same song that sound and feel so different further demonstrates her sophistication as an artist.

"U Should Know Better," a duet with Snoop Dogg, shows off Robyn's surprising skills at rapping. All her spunk is on display, as she brags about selling records and sings about all the people who know better than to fuck with her. Her attitude and lyrical sense of humor is similar to "Konichiwa Bitches" from her "Robyn" album, which has since become one of her classics. "Love Kills" showcases her electro-pop skills, but even more importantly, her lyrical depth. Anyone who has ever been hurt by love can relate to what she says, when she sings lines like "Protect yourself cuz you'll wrack yourself/In this cold hard world, so check yourself/You can see your dreams and you shield yourself/'Til that one kind soul reveals itself."

"We Dance to the Beat" is not a bad song, but it sounds like a complete reincarnation of "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do" with a slightly less addictive beat and a lot less spunk. If the constant repetition of the words "We Dance to the Beat" doesn't annoy you, the song is pretty fun to listen to. However, it seems to simply imitate what came before it rather than expand on it.

"Include Me Out" and "Criminal Intent" are not bad songs either, but are also not the least bit memorable. Definitely weaker than the majority of songs on "Robyn," these two songs mimic the classic Robyn sounds but in a robotic fashion. The songs almost sound as if they belong to a very talented Robyn sound-a-like, instead of belonging to Robyn herself. The have a strong feeling of imitation rather than Robyn's usual originality.

Perhaps if "Body Talk Part 2" had actually been released first, Robyn would not have been held to such high standards. It offers the same, if not a bit more, of the usual post-Konichiwa Records Robyn sound. But the strides and the experimentation made in Part 1 leave the listener wanting just a tiny bit more from Part 2. The one exception is the final track on the album, "Indestructible." Robyn painfully sings about how she is going to try and love again despite the fact she's been hurt so much over dramatic and beautiful strings that sound like they came out of the 18th century. The listener feels Robyn baring her soul and can relate to her deep fears about love. The song is titled as acoustic on this album, implying a non-acoustic version will be included on Part 3, similar to "Hang With Me" on Part and 2. If this song is any indication of what Robyn will be offering in the final chapter of the "Body Talk" series, her fans truly have something great to look forward to.

Free Bitch Grade: A-