With her third major-label album, 2020's
Treat Myself,
Meghan Trainor continues to evolve her sound, moving beyond the retro aesthetic of 2014's Title and further embracing a mix of club-ready dance rhythms and contemporary R&B hooks. It's a sound she first showcased on 2016's Thank You, and one that replaces the woody piano and sax grooves of her debut with screwdriver bass lines, shimmery synths, and bright vocal overdubs. It's also a move that shifts her sound away from the glee-club bop of "All About That Bass" and closer to the slick, hip-hop-infused funk of
Bruno Mars. Here, she fully engages that sound working in collaboration with a handful of producer/songwriters, including
Mike Sabath, Ojivolta, King Henry, and others. There are plenty of fun moments, including the infectious "Funk," which smartly evokes the '80s throwback vibe of
Mars' "Uptown Funk." Also engaging are the handful of guest tracks, including hip-hop-infused "Nice to Meet Ya" with
Nicki Minaj and the jazzy "Genetics" with
the Pussycat Dolls. Elsewhere,
Trainor contrasts these hard grooves with more lyrical moments like the shimmering, slow-burn ballads "Babygirl" and "Workin' On It" featuring
Lennon Stella and
Sasha Sloan. Cuts like the buoyant "Lie to Me" and house music-infused "Evil Twin" also work to nicely push
Trainor's sound forward. ~ Matt Collar