Carly Rae Jepsen’s had a tough time in the spotlight since the release of her breakout 2012 single, Call Me Maybe. Along with all the obligatory “one hit wonder!!!” comments following Call Me Maybe, music critics have done their job in criticizing her debut Kiss, which is likely why she’s striving for critical acclaim on her third album. Oh, and of course, there was that whole pawn shop rumor, too. Although Emotion has a large number of co-writers, similar to Kiss, it doesn’t seem nearly as all manufactured, and has substantial lyrics now, similar to lyrics from her debut, Tug of War, and the original version of Tiny Little Bows or even Curiosity. If that’s what it takes for an album to be considered indie, then okay. But in my opinion, Emotion is a pop album, and a fantastic, substantial varied one at that. This is the kind of music Jepsen seems at home with — and for that matter, a sound that’s a lot more appropriate for her age that only occasionally falters.

It's been five years since Laura Bell Bundy released her last album, and after many delays, the wait is finally over . Another Piece of Me is released on Big Machine Records, the same label group that houses Taylor Swift and Maddie & Tae. Another Piece of Me is well worth the wait (it was second place in the most anticipated summer albums poll on this blog), with excellent tracks written by Laura Bell Bundy herself, as well as almost all the well known country songwriters you can think of. Seriously. Name one, and that person probably worked on her album. 

This post is coming extremely late, because I'll admit, I was not as excited about reviewing this album as I hoped I would be. Kacey Musgraves proved herself as the country artist who is critical of country with her first Grammy-winning album Same Trailer Different Park, but despite the themes of the title track of Pageant Material, her sophomore album sees her reinventing herself as someone who more grudgingly accepts family and small towns as a part of her life than a country rebel, but still holding on to her cynicism. There are some standout tracks, as well as some tracks that are thematically, similar to her old music, but overall the album appears to be a transitional one, and is weighed down with ballads that are nowhere near as emotionally evocative as those on Same Trailer Different Park.