Title

A friend of mine dismissed Meghan Trainor's new album, Title, as generic pop, but there's more than the same old clichés on this pop album. Sure, a few of the tracks blend together in forgettable manner, and “Bang Dem Sticks” is as sexually subtle as MC Hammer's “She's Soft and Wet.” But behind the catchy hooks—a fun, infectious mix of 1950s doo-wop and modern pop/R&B—there are reflections on being a woman in the 21st century. “All About That Bass”—pure bubblegum pop that, like much of Trainor's debut album, demands dancing along—touches on body image, embracing the differences between women of different sizes. This self-empowering tone is also found in “Close Your Eyes” and in the humor of “Walkashame.” The latter dismisses any notion of slut-shaming by insisting, “My Daddy knows I'm a good girl/We all make mistakes in this drunk world.” Trainor moves on to define gender roles in a relationship on her terms. “Dear Future Husband” is a response to male-dominant 1950s love songs. Such a rebuttal wasn't a new concept 60 years ago, let alone today, but the song's modern-woman relationship checklist stands as a snapshot of our world. Title is undeniably pop with all the necessary tropes and some of the clichés, but it's hard to label something as generic when it has something to say.