SONY DADC, Rs 499

There’s energy in Meghan Trainor be it her debut work like All About That Bass or in her new single Me Too, her amazing voice carries the songs wonderfully. Though Me Too created controversy when her label digitally altered her body image, she spoke it aloud and brought justice to what she desired.

The opener Watch Me Do uses a ‘70s funk with excellent drum fills and a strong horn chart. Meghan coos, “I’m the shhhh / be quiet / I’ve been on a / Low-hater diet,” with reference to bluesman James Brown. The 22-year-old singer has it good with the anthemic No, rejecting an unsolicited suitor, the ultimate expression of female decision. The song fits right in with Meghan’s idea of “women making their own choices” point of view. It is a strong response by Meghan who has written this and all the songs on the album.

Better and I Won’t Let You Down are an interesting duo of songs because of their opposing lyrical points of view. Kindly Calm Me Down strips away the pop beats, allowing Meghan to show her vocal range all the way. Woman Up, is a strip out from a 2014 song by former Pussycat Doll Ashley Roberts, on which Meghan talks about a powerful woman as a “survivor”, a “fighter” who lives by her own rules, and swaps it for one who merely “don’t need a man.” Plain dance songs that have plenty of fun in them would be Dance Like Yo Daddy and the title track Thank You (featuring a bit of rap by R City), and the soft jam of Champagne Problems. Meghan did something unique on the album by bringing in her mother Kelli Trainor on the song Mom, where you get to hear her expressing her love for her mom. You could dedicate the mid-tempo piece to your own mom. The words are simply touching. In Bob Marley’s style of No Woman, No Cry reggae pitch, Meghan takes on Friends.

If you need to pin on some real mushy songs and see the softer side of Meghan, try Hopeless Romantic featuring a simple guitar accompaniment and layered harmony vocals. Those vocals once again are reminiscent of the ‘90s, and the ukulele-driven strumming of Just A Friend To You.

Thank You is an interesting album in that it shows musical growth for Meghan Trainor while simultaneously moving her closer to mainstream pop. It’s not really great, but for a singer of Meghan’s calibre who is still making a mark in the industry it’s worth an audition.

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UNIVERSAL MUSIC, Rs 395

This is the 22nd installment of the best-selling series of Grammy nominees. This set features 21 hits from Grammy-nominated superstars and the hottest emerging talent. The line-up might include a few toppers which you might chill out with to a few not-so-happening tracks by new artists, but it’s worth listening to all for who knows where these same artists would be in a few years’ time. By now you already know who won, but let’s rundown the ones who matter.

Uptown Funk, Blank Space, Thinking Out Loud and Lips Are Moving represent the best in pop music from artists like Mark Ronson, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Meghan Trainor who all won in their respective categories.

Wiz Khalifa rap on See You Again is impressive on this beautiful tribute to the late Paul Walker. Can’t Feel My Face is the best dance song of the year and The Weeknd certainly deserves a pat on the back for bringing such a heavy groove to it. With his soft vocals, James Bay had stiff competition from his peers in Best New Artist, but sadly lost out even though his song Hold Back The River is the most uplifting song playing on the channels now. His album has good moments that fit well in the sentis category. Girl Crush by Little Big Town is what it says and is a pretty neat piece to rewind to. Newcomer to the industry Sam Hunt’s Take Your Time is a topper and has very infectious lyrics to go with it.

The other artists that make an appearance on this CD include Alabama Shakes, Maroon 5, Florence + The Machine, D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Kendrick Lamar, Chris Stapleton, Tori Kelly, Courtney Barnett, Carrie Underwood, Cam, Lee Ann Womack and Keith Urban.

This compilation brings together the best in the music industry from all music labels, but it would be wise to release this type of a compilation a month before the awards ceremony so that those who want a copy can lay their hands on it before the awards are announced. As for this CD, the release was three days before the 58th Grammy Awards. Production or copyright issues, music lovers should get the release in their hands early, that’s the only way to keep everyone guessing which artist is going to take the Grammy home in each of the main categories.

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SONY MUSIC, Rs 499

Meghan Trainor made it big in 2014 with her body-positive smash hit All About That Bass. While the 21-year-old singer rocks on her debut full-length album, her finger-snapping songs are a super hit with teens.

Meghan has taken in chief collaborator Kevin Kadish to balance a love of old-fashioned girl group pop with old-school hip-hop. The partnership works well with Meghan doing the job of a collaborator in the songwriting department.

After a female choral introduction The Best Part (Interlude), the 15 track album spins on with the most sassy of all songs we’ve heard so far — All About that Bass that speaks of self-empowerment all the way. The song made Meghan the most Googled music artist after Justin Bieber. Moving on, we have the bouncy Dear Future Husband about a list of demands she wants her future husband to adhere to.

The Amy Winehouse inspired Lips Are Movin’ is another big highlight on the album. The song takes a jab at a lover who gives her sweet talk. 3 AM finds Meghan texting an ex-boyfriend in the middle of the night. On the finger-snapping ballad Like I’m Gonna Lose You featuring John Legend, Meghan’s soprano-filled vocals are a perfect match for Legend’s silky voice. You could also take a pick of What If I, a very soft and seductive piece at the first listen and worth a replay. The mushiness can be felt in the song. If only the album had more such moments.

Title is a demand to her boyfriend to put a name on their relationship status before he thinks of only having fun and moving off. Meghan shows her rapping style on Bang Dem Sticks and hits a loud beat on Walkashame incorporating a lot of playful rap segments. Mr Almost also has a bit of rapping by guest artist Shy Carter, but as a track it offers no really big moments.

With a large voice and a witty writing style, Meghan moves from one genre to another over the course of the album, giving you a chance to experience her music more carefully. While this might confuse you a bit, if you stick to just the main blasters here, you can be sure you would love to replay this album any time you feel like it. Includes lyrics.

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