Album review: Melanie Martinez - K-12
This is my first album review in a while but hopefully I can get back into doing one a week, for now I am doing a review of The second album by Melanie Martinez called K-12. This is album follows four years after Melanie's incredible debut album Cry Baby and continues the story of the fictional character of Cry Baby. K-12 peaked at number 8 in this country, giving Melanie her first top 10 album and second top 40 as Cry Baby peaked at number 32, the album peaked at number 3 in the US making a second top 10 after Cry Baby peaked at 6 and a second top 40 in Australia peaking at 6 while Cry Baby peaked at 27, both albums also went top 40 in Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada and New Zealand. I absolutely love Melanie Martinez, she has such a unique voice and style, I've never really heard anyone like her which makes it so enjoyable to listen to her because she is so different.
As I said above Melanie's debut album Cry Baby is incredible and although K-12 doesn't quite match it's predecessor it is still a brilliant album. I really enjoyed the concept of the character Cry Baby and her story so when I discovered K-12 was following Cry Baby in high school, therefore continuing her story, I was very excited and I was not disappointed. What I particularly find great about this is that there are some very normal issues, e.g. bullying, teenage relationships (of varying degrees), friendships, detention, etc, brought up throughout the songs without always being specific. This adds a relatable aspect to the songs as we all went to school and experienced some of the things that Cry Baby does.
My favourite song on the album is Strawberry Shortcake, partly because it has a fun tune and really gets stuck in your head but also it has a strong message. The song is about body image and how girls in particular feel pressured to look a certain way, with most boys only being interested in one thing. It's the clever way that Melanie spins it which makes it particularly stand out, she spends most of the song focusing on it supposedly being the girls fault for showing too much skin or padding her bra, but finishes by saying that boys essentially need to have respect for girls.The upbeat cheerful sound of the song is obviously opposite to the serious subject matter but that does not detract from the seriousness of the song. Melanie did a similar thing with Mrs Potato Head being about plastic surgery on Cry Baby.
Honorable mentions then go to The Principal and Wheels On The Bus. Firstly The Principal, this is about the principal of the school running it more like a business trying to get results and not caring about the welfare of the students, it is also referring to anyone in power who abuses it. This song has a more serious tone and sounds a bit more like a rant at those it's about, but not in an annoying way, more a confrontational way and makes you think a little about what happens in the world. Next Wheels On The Bus, this is simply about what happens on the school bus. This is a fun song that is set to the tune of the nursery rhyme giving it a nostalgic feeling with Melanie singing in a higher more jovial way making it just fun to listen to.
Here are my ratings for each song on the album;
1. Wheels On The Bus - 8.5/10
2. Class Fight - 7.5/10
3. The Principal - 8.5/10
4. Show & Tell - 7/10
5. Nurse's Office - 7.5
6. Drama Club - 8/10
7. Strawberry Shortcake - 9/10
8. Lunchbox Friends - 7.5/10
9. Orange Juice - 7.5/10
10. Detention - 8/10
11. Teacher's Pet - 8/10
12. High School Sweethearts - 8/10
13. Recess - 8.5/10
It would be interesting to know what you think of K-12.
My favourite song on the album is Strawberry Shortcake, partly because it has a fun tune and really gets stuck in your head but also it has a strong message. The song is about body image and how girls in particular feel pressured to look a certain way, with most boys only being interested in one thing. It's the clever way that Melanie spins it which makes it particularly stand out, she spends most of the song focusing on it supposedly being the girls fault for showing too much skin or padding her bra, but finishes by saying that boys essentially need to have respect for girls.The upbeat cheerful sound of the song is obviously opposite to the serious subject matter but that does not detract from the seriousness of the song. Melanie did a similar thing with Mrs Potato Head being about plastic surgery on Cry Baby.
Honorable mentions then go to The Principal and Wheels On The Bus. Firstly The Principal, this is about the principal of the school running it more like a business trying to get results and not caring about the welfare of the students, it is also referring to anyone in power who abuses it. This song has a more serious tone and sounds a bit more like a rant at those it's about, but not in an annoying way, more a confrontational way and makes you think a little about what happens in the world. Next Wheels On The Bus, this is simply about what happens on the school bus. This is a fun song that is set to the tune of the nursery rhyme giving it a nostalgic feeling with Melanie singing in a higher more jovial way making it just fun to listen to.
Here are my ratings for each song on the album;
1. Wheels On The Bus - 8.5/10
2. Class Fight - 7.5/10
3. The Principal - 8.5/10
4. Show & Tell - 7/10
5. Nurse's Office - 7.5
6. Drama Club - 8/10
7. Strawberry Shortcake - 9/10
8. Lunchbox Friends - 7.5/10
9. Orange Juice - 7.5/10
10. Detention - 8/10
11. Teacher's Pet - 8/10
12. High School Sweethearts - 8/10
13. Recess - 8.5/10
It would be interesting to know what you think of K-12.
😊👍
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