Women, alcohol and sex – three words that sum up Jason Derulo’s new album, “Talk Dirty.”
“Talk Dirty” is anything but creative. It is unoriginal, uninteresting and does little but sexualize women, despite having a few decent songs.
The first song on the album and top-10 hit single “Talk Dirty” sets the tone for the rest of the album – Derulo really does “talk dirty” throughout the album’s entirety. However, the three other previously released songs included in the album are inconsistent with the newer additions. “Vertigo,” “Marry Me” and “The Other Side” are all slower, sweeter and less sexual than the rest of the album. Although the variety is welcome, the faster songs take away from the few decent ones.
In “Wiggle,” featuring Snoop Dogg, both Derulo and Snoop Dogg rap through almost the whole song as if in a conversation about a woman at a club. The chorus is repetitive, with little other music besides whistling, and Derulo never takes the song to the next level.
“If I take pictures while you do your dance/ I can make you famous on Instagram,” Derulo sings.
Bubble-like sounds begin the track “Bubblegum,” featuring rapper Tyga. The bubble-popping beat only manages to annoy with its repetitiveness. The chorus lacks creativity, as Derulo raunchily sings of a woman’s body, with nothing beyond that.
“She got that trunk but she don’t look back/ She put it in reverse and I can’t be mad/ I can’t be mad at that baby fat,” Derulo sings.
“Vertigo,” featuring Jordin Sparks, marks the halfway point of the album and is one of its best tracks. Derulo and Sparks sing a duet accompanied by a slow piano. Sparks steals the show, creating a romantic vibe that could not have come sooner.
Similar to “Don’t Wanna Go Home” from Derulo’s 2011 album “Future History,” “Kama Sutra” has the same electric beat with more rapping than singing. Derulo sings of his attraction to a woman and willingness to be “tied” to her.
“You trying tie me up/ … Come out of those jeans and make me a believer/ Put it on me,” Derulo sings.
“Zipper” is perhaps the most disappointing track on the album. Although Derulo does showcase more of his singing talent than his rapping ability, he walks a thin line switching between the two. The beat alternates between bass and a high-pitched, obnoxious electronic scale.
“I’mma mark my territory/ Shawty I’m an animal, slowly digging indios/ Prey you like a bad story,” Derulo sings.
“The Other Side” also does not blend into the album, rather creating a change of pace for a few songs toward its end. It is less about sex and more about intimacy. Derulo continues this trend in the slower ballad “Marry Me” and “Tattoo,” but misses the mark on both. Still, unlike most of the other songs on the album, Derulo sings rather than raps, which has a positive effect on this album.
Overall, Derulo’s “Talk Dirty” is a letdown. The singles were promising, but the newly added songs do not live up to expectations. They are boring, repetitive and the themes of sex and the objectification of women get old very quickly. Derulo should stick to singing about love and romance rather than continue developing the new sexualized rapper image he is trying to create.
– Alicia Sontag