''Dedicated Side B'' is the fifth
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by Canadian singer
Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
. It serves as a companion piece to ''
Dedicated'' (2019), her fourth studio album. It was released on May 21, 2020, by
604 Records
604 Records (stylized as VIOIV Records) is a music production company. It is named after area code 604 of the Lower Mainland, where the company's offices are located.
History
The company was co-founded by Nickelback lead singer Chad Kroeger and ...
in Canada, and
Schoolboy and
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...
in the United States. The album features 14 outtakes from the original album. The album was preceded by the release of the single "
Let's Be Friends
''Let's Be Friends'' is a compilation album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records CAS 2408, in April 1970. It is the second Presley budget album to appear on the low-priced RCA Camden label. It peaked at number 10 ...
", which was ultimately included only in its Japanese edition. Musically, the album is primarily a
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
record with
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
influences.
The album received generally positive reviews. It peaked at number 58 in Jepsen's home country on the
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...
. In the United States, it peaked at number 22 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Top Album Sales
Top Album Sales is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine starting in December 2014. It is a weekly chart documenting the best-selling albums on a weekly basis in the United States. Up until December 2014, this had been documented by th ...
chart. The album's highest peak position was number eight on the
Scottish Albums Chart
The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
. It also peaked at number 42 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
respectively.
Background
While recording ''Dedicated'', Jepsen confirmed that she had written "nearly 200 songs" for the album. Over the year following the release of ''Dedicated'', speculation grew as to whether Jepsen would release a companion piece to ''Dedicated'' as she had done for her
previous album with ''
Emotion: Side B''. Though ''Dedicated Side B'' was subsequently released with no prior announcement on May 21, 2020, Jepsen teased the album while speaking to Mike Wass from ''
Idolator
An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry.
Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books
*''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music
* Idolator (website), an American music blog
* ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...
'', stating:
"I feel like I should stop pretending. I have every intention of doing that and releasing a part two, I think that's the fun with having this much time to record an album. It gives you a little bit of perspective on what should come first and what should come second. It was easier to narrow down the first part because I knew was going to get to share a lot more songs".
While discussing the influences for the tracks in an interview with
''Paper'''s Brendan Wetmore, Jepsen stated that she "wanted the beach-y vibe of
Beach Boys
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...
, the
stoner sort of — where you're following a guy around at the beach and like making love and doing all the things that are very holiday-ish. More allowing ourselves to get as weird as we wanted that day". In a separate question about the retro synths being used heavily in some of Jepsen's projects, she answered:
"Originally with 'Dedicated'' I was looking to go into '70s
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
, and I think we thought that was "Julien
Julien may refer to:
People
* Julien (given name)
* Julien (surname)
Music
* Julien (opera), ''Julien'' (opera), a 1913 poème lyrique by Gustave Charpentier
* Julien (album), ''Julien'' (album), by Dalida, 1973
* Julien (song), "Julien" (so ...
", but the rest of it kind of just led me right back to what I think is my idea of one of the greatest eras of pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
, which is the '80s. It's very heart-on-your-sleeve, and it's very to-the-point and not afraid to really be vulnerable and say the things that you really mean. I'm kind of drawn back to that place and I think the synth sound is still so very '80s, and it allows me to be like, 'I'm going to tell you the deep secrets of my heart, let's go!'".
Critical reception
At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 79 out of 100 based on seven reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Ali Shutler from ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' described the album as "easily one of the best pop records of the year so far", and goes on to praise specific qualities of the album: "''Dedicated Side B'' provides a joyous burst of
escapism
Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or genera ...
from the miserable everyday, the
lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
ying to the yang of
Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...
's ''
How I'm Feeling Now''. Consistently brilliant, ''Side B'' might be a collection of offcuts but this is the sort of record that most acts could only dream of making".
Natalia Barr of ''
Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' praised "how focused Jepsen's writing process has been on every emotion and experience love brings", while noting that "Songs like the '80s
bass-heavy,
ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
-inspired 'Summer Love' and soft ballad 'Heartbeat' could have been beneficial additions to ''Dedicated''". ''
Stereogum
''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine.
''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...
''’s Chris DeVille wrote that "track for track
he songs areat least as good as the original ''Dedicated'' offerings, if not better" as they "hang together much more naturally". In addition, DeVille complimented the second half of the album, in which "Jepsen plays around with
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
sounds on the bass-
grooving 'Summer Love' and the frantically upbeat 'Let's Sort The Whole Thing Out'", and finished off by inviting "those of us who were losing interest in the Carly Rae Jepsen show to tune back in". In an article for ''
Exclaim
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', Angela Morrison called ''Dedicated Side B'' a "remarkable" album, noting that "Jepsen
asfound a formula that works well for her — sparkling
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
inflected by giddy romantic anticipation". Morrison went into further detail with some of the tracks on the album, noting that "the slinky, sexy 'Fake Mona Lisa' and the
bubbly
"Bubbly" is the debut single of American singer Colbie Caillat from her first album, '' Coco'' (2007). Written by Caillat and Jason Reeves and produced by Mikal Blue, the song was released as the album's lead single on May 15, 2007. "Bubbly" i ...
, shimmering 'Now I Don't Hate California After All' sound like nothing she has ever done before", and that "'Felt This Way' takes a melancholic approach", while its counterpart, "Stay Away", "is more cheeky and upbeat". In addition, Morrison wrote that the album was "brimming with starry-eyed euphoria, glittery synth-pop confections and her characteristically odd lyrical syntax", concluding that "In essence, it has everything that makes Jepsen's music lovable and bewitching".
Writing for ''
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
'', Jon Lewis stated that "the album feels like much more than a compilation of outtakes from her last release", expanding that the project "could have easily functioned as a stand-alone record, with a fresh batch of exuberant, lovestruck choruses to get lodged in your head all summer". Lewis also called the new tracks "both a blessing and a curse", because "On the one hand, it can be frustrating to listen to her always perfect
dance pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
on the eve of a summer likely to be
short on dance parties", but "On the other, no one makes music for dancing like nobody's watching or singing along in the shower like Carly Rae Jepsen". In an article from ''
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...
'', SowingSeason wrote that the "twelve outstanding pop songs with nary a weak link" were "better than the album from which these songs were cast off", and "quite possibly the best Carly Rae Jespen release, period". The writer also described the tracks as "80s-washed,
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
summer pop songs that Jepsen can now craft in her sleep", and called the album "more upbeat, energetic, and memorable than its counterpart, featuring
hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
-laden verses and explosive choruses that only came through intermittently on
'Dedicated''. The writer further stated that the "album is good enough that had Jepsen simply released it with a new title, nobody would have batted an eye – it would have just been assumed that she poured her heart and soul into these tracks and that it is the
spiritual successor
A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue the product lin ...
to ''Emotion''", concluding that as Jepsen "surprise releases her very best album to date – as if they're songs she couldn't care less about – she proves why she's one of the best pop artists in the whole industry".
Callie Ahlgrim from ''
Insider
''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'' described the album as a "cohesive, sun-dappled, exultant artistic vision", as Jepsen "revels in her feel-good pop dominance and '80s-infused
idealism
In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...
". Ahlgrim commented on how Jepsen "rarely deviates from her sparkling, tingly, edge-free formula", writing that she "doesn't need to", as she "simply continues to stack impeccable, immediately likable bops on top of each other, like an everlasting
Jenga
Jenga is a game of physical skill created by British board game designer and author Leslie Scott and marketed by Hasbro. Players take turns removing one block at a time from a tower constructed of 54 blocks. Each block removed is then placed on t ...
tower — no biggie". Writing for ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'', Alexa Camp wrote that while the album is "less musically adventurous than those
n ''Dedicated'', it "
oublesdown on pillow talk, lending the album a uniformity that its predecessor lacked". Camp went into further detail about the opening track, writing that "'This Love Isn't Crazy' is as immediate as anything in Jepsen's catalog and finds producer
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...
at his most unapologetically pop", in addition to describing the album's closing track, "the island-flavored closing track 'Now I Don't Hate California After All'" as a callback to ''Dedicated''
's "Right Words, Wrong Time". Camp concluded that the songs on the album represented the "wealth of treasures she had to choose from,
ndher ability to craft a cohesive narrative", and noted that the lyrics of "the
meditative
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...
'Comeback',
emonstratethe tangled multi-dimensionality of both her psyche and the act of sex itself".
In July 2020, the album was included on ''
American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'' and ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
''s lists of the best albums of 2020 so far.
Commercial performance
''Dedicated Side B'' peaked at number 58 on the
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocea ...
. In the United States, it peaked at number 22 on the
''Billboard'' Top Album Sales chart. The album's highest peak position was number eight on the
Scottish Albums chart. It also peaked at number 42 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
.
Track listing
Notes:
*
signifies a vocal producer.
Personnel
Adapted from the album liner notes.
Performance
*
Jack Antonoff
Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...
– keys (tracks 1, 10), programming (tracks 1, 10), percussion (track 1), drums (tracks 1, 10), background vocals, (track 10)
*Christopher J Baran – programming (tracks 13, 14), drums (tracks 13, 14)
*Patrik Berger – drums (track 7), all instruments (track 9, 12), programming (tracks 9, 12), engineering (track 12)
*
Bleachers
Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...
– feature vocals (track 10)
*Tyler Andrew Duncan – keys (track 2), synths (track 2), whistling (track 2), programming (track 2), sound design (track 2)
*
Warren "Oak" Felder – instrumentation (track 5), programming (track 5)
*James Flannigan – programming (track 11), background vocals (track 11)
*John Hill – guitar (track 3), programming (track 3), keys (tracks 3, 7), drums (track 7)
*Hightower – keyboards (track 8), drums (track 8), programming (track 8), instrumentation (track 8)
*
Jack & Coke – keyboards (track 4), drums (track 4), percussion (track 4), guitars (track 4), bass (track 4), programming (track 4), instrumentation (track 4)
*
Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...
– lead vocals (all tracks), background vocals (track 11)
*Julia Karlsson – background vocals (track 8)
*Theo Katzman – background vocals (track 2), drums (track 2), guitars (track 2), electric bass (track 2), percussion (track 2)
*Marcus Krunegård – all instruments (track 9), programming (track 9)
*Dave Palmer – keys (track 7)
*Jordan Palmer – keys (track 3), programming (track 3)
*
Ariel Rechtshaid
Ariel Rechtshaid ( ;) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production.
Rechtshaid was the lead singer and guitarist of the ska ...
– drums (track 6), programming (track 6), keys (track 6)
*Ben Romans – guitars (track 13), keys (tracks 13, 14)
*
Buddy Ross
Buddy Ross (born Josiah Sherman; March 4, 1983) is an American record producer, musical artist, keyboard player, songwriter, engineer and mixer. He is best known for his work with Frank Ocean, having worked across Ocean's critically acclaimed albu ...
– keys (track 6)
*Joey Whitley – guitar (track 6), bass (track 6)
*
Pontus Winnberg
Bloodshy & Avant are a Swedish songwriting and production duo consisting of Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winnberg. They have worked with many prominent artists, including Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Ms. Dynamite, Madonna, ...
– all instruments (track 9), programming (track 9)
Technical
*Jack Antonoff – production (tracks 1, 10), recording (tracks 1, 10)
*Christopher J Baran – production (tracks 13, 14), engineering (tracks 13, 14)
*Patrik Berger – production (tracks 7, 9, 12)
*Jake Birch – mixing (track 2)
*Rob Cohen – vocal production (tracks 3, 7), engineering (tracks 3, 7)
*Brian Cruz – assistant engineering (track 10)
*Tyler Andrew Duncan – production (track 2)
*Greg Eliason – assistant engineering (track 10)
*James Flannigan – production (track 11), programming (track 11), engineering (track 11)
*Gene Grimaldi – mastering (all tracks)
*John Hill – production (tracks 3, 7)
*Hightower – production (track 8)
*Jack & Coke – production (track 4)
*Chris Kasych – mixing (track 1)
*Theo Katzman - production (track 2)
*Mitch McCarthy – mixing (tracks 3-14)
*
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
– production (track 5)
*The Orphanage – production (track 5)
*Jordan Palmer – production (track 3)
*Ariel Rechtshaid – production (track 6), engineering (track 6)
*Ben Romans – production (tracks 13, 14), engineering (tracks 13, 14)
*Buddy Ross – production (track 6)
*Laura Sisk – recording (tracks 1, 10)
*John Rooney – assistant engineering (tracks 1, 10)
*Jon Sher – assistant engineering (tracks 1, 10)
*Pontus Winnberg – production (tracks 9, 12)
Other personnel
*Hayley Atkin – styling
*Tavish Crowe – musical director
*Amy Davis – creative director
*Angela Groundwater – illustration
*Dina Hovsepian – art direction, design
*Natalie O'Moore – album cover photography
Charts
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2020 albums
604 Records albums
Albums produced by Jack Antonoff
Carly Rae Jepsen albums
Interscope Records albums
Schoolboy Records albums
Dance-pop albums
Albums produced by Oak Felder
Sequel albums