As an album title,
Smile carries an air of determined pleasantry, and
Katy Perry could use her share of good spirits in 2020.
Witness,
Smile's predecessor, found
Perry pushing her artistic limits, an exercise that didn't find an audience, so she's chosen to retreat to safe territory for
Smile. Mostly, this results in
Perry devoting herself to dance-pop that's coolly glassy on the surface and vaguely positive underneath. It's dance music that's not intended for the club; rather, it's a soundtrack for everyday events, from work to exercise to relaxation. It's also music that tacitly acknowledges that
Katy Perry is beginning her slow transition away from pop culture's center stage. She's not ready to yield the spotlight, yet there's a distinct sensation that she's following fashions on
Smile, not setting them. Perhaps it's how the album's overall vibe is sunny and melodic, focused on songs, not beats. It's an aesthetic that's completely in line with
Teenage Dream, an album that celebrated its tenth anniversary the week of
Smile's release, yet everything on this 2020 record is a bit streamlined and mellow; there are no moments of exuberance, no dirty jokes, no hip-hop, no bubblegum, only affirmations, love songs, breezy trifles, and paeans to resilience. Without fleeting moments of bad taste,
Perry does indeed sound mature, but she's also not quite as fun. That's a conscious choice, though.
Smile is intended to evoke memories of her frivolous younger days while pointing toward a sustainable pop future. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine