Trainor’s long-awaited third studio album is finally here, but was it worth the wait?
After suffering several delays and a relative career slump in between the release of her sophomore LP Thank You in 2016 and today, Treat Myself utilizes consistently ambitious production to breathe new life into Meghan’s tried-and-true songwriting style; the album largely comprises self-love anthems with the occasional deep cut, similar in structure to her 2015 debut Title (the doo-wop sound of which was copied for Treat Myself’s lead single “No Excuses” in 2018). Stylistically she feels reinvigorated after such a long break in between records – I just wish that there was more vocal evolution to match this stark change in attitude and artistry.
Many of the best songs on the album are characterised by two factors: unorthodox production (such as in “Funk” and “Lie to Me”) and worthwhile guest appearances (like the Mike Sabath-assisted single “Wave”) – occasionally both come together to create pop-ruled highlights of the tracklist: the record’s second song “Nice to Meet Ya” is a radio-friendly Nicki Minaj collaboration with a typical excellently-written featured verse and an intriguing funk-influenced beat that draws out Trainor’s confident edge to produce an energetic breath of fresh air that also serves as a good strategic move to garner radio play and streams for the record; the AJ Mitchell-featuring “After You” capitalises on the artistic chemistry between the duo to produce an excellent vocal-centric song with a piano-led instrumental that perfectly complements the loving sentiments found in the lyrics; “Genetics” featuring the Pussycat Dolls is a fun R&B-tinged track that is easily danceable, and while it includes in its chorus the clichéd spelling out of the song title, this is overshadowed by its overall catchiness. While the Pussycat Dolls are hardly a necessary addition to the song (Trainor is more than capable of holding her own here) they are a welcome appearance, especially due to their recent resurgence; my final highlight is the relationships-focused “Lie to Me”, which features ambitious and evolving production taking the centre stage and is highly energetic with a strong chorus that still has lyrical substance.
However, it has to be said that the record does contain a certain adolescent quality, with certain swear words being purposefully censored, likely to increase the potential of radio play, but it hinders the sense that Meghan’s artistry has changed over the years, especially considering singles like 2016’s “No” already introduced a darker image. Furthermore, without the varied production work on the LP the skeletons of the tracks are often similar and Trainor, while a very strong lyricist, often discusses the same themes of love and self-worth throughout Treat Myself, leading to several songs blending together in a haze of electropop beats – I also find it ironic that the record’s title track is not even featured on the standard edition.
All in all, Meghan definitely surpassed my expectations with her third major-label body of work, but it is unable to contend with the other major releases of the year so far in terms of versatility and consistency in my eyes. In my opinion stronger than her sophomore album, but Title still reigns supreme as the best of Trainor’s discography.
6/10
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