With the discharge of Greta Gerwig’s new film “Barbie” comes the star-studded soundtrack “Barbie The Album,” produced by “Uptown Funk” and “Valerie” producer, Mark Ronson.
The album opens with Lizzo’s “Pink”, which (as acknowledged within the tune) stands for fairly, clever, by no means unhappy and funky. Its over-produced pop sound units the stage completely for the remainder of the album. The soundtrack then continues with “Dance The Night time”, a carefree dance tune by Dua Lipa.
Subsequent on the tracklist is “Barbie World”, a collaboration between rappers Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj sampling Aqua’s 1997 hit, “Barbie Lady.” Minaj brings a classy movement to the observe, whereas rookie Ice Spice’s verse appears to collapse on the finish.
Subsequent is a hard-hitting bubblegum bass tune by Charli XCX which name-drops Voltaire and interpolates one other previous pop hit “Mickey” by Toni Basil. Following it is a reggaeton observe from up-and-coming KAROL G, that includes Aldo Ranks.
The album then switches from the female-dominated ensemble with Sam Smith’s “Man I Am.” Beginning the tune with “This one’s for the boys,” this observe is a satirical tackle Ken’s masculinity in Barbie world.
Tame Impala then has a brief interlude together with his minute-and-28-second “Journey To The Actual World” that includes an identical disco sound to his 2020 album “The Sluggish Rush.” Ryan Gosling additionally has his voice heard on piano ballad “I’m Simply Ken”.
HAIM, together with ex-Vampire Weekend member Rostam on manufacturing, brings a extra solemn sound to the album with the tune “Residence,” whereas nonetheless sustaining its pop core. Billie Eilish continues this melancholic pattern with stripped-down, “What Was I Made For?”
The “Barbie” soundtrack is a pure pop portfolio. At 17 songs, the tracklist appears daunting, but its 44-minute runtime makes it an simply digestible album. Close to the top the songs get considerably weaker than the remaining, however the somber songs within the center enable for a break from the intense upbeat dance tracks.
“Barbie The Album” is an effective gauge for the present state of pop music in 2023. It has its share of mainstream artists with prime 40 hits (Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Sam Smith), artists who’ve seen success largely from web buzz (Ice Spice, PinkPanthress, Dominic Fike) together with artists usually labeled “indie” or “various” whereas nonetheless having an especially poppy sound (Haim, Billie Eilish, Tame Impala).
The distinguished tracks from the album are the songs from Charli XCX and KAROL G. Charli’s distinctive, hard-hitting manufacturing and earworm melodies stand proud of the remainder of the tracklist, whereas KAROL G’s trendy reggaeton sound permits for the Latin pop style to be heard in a extra mainstream setting.