Witness [2 LP]

Rating

Album: Witness [2 LP]
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Witness	More Info...	0:04
2)	Hey Hey Hey	More Info...	0:03
3)	Roulette	More Info...	0:03
4)	Swish Swish (Feat. Nicki Minaj)	More Info...	0:04
5)	Déjà Vu	More Info...	0:03
6)	Power	More Info...	0:03
7)	Mind Maze	More Info...	0:04
8)	Miss You More	More Info...	0:04
9)	Chained to the Rhythm (Feat. Skip Marley)	More Info...	0:04
10)	Tsunami	More Info...	0:03
11)	Bon Appétit (Feat. Migos)	More Info...	0:03
12)	Bigger Than Me	More Info...	0:04
13)	Save As Draft	More Info...	0:03
14)	Pendulum	More Info...	0:04
15)	Into Me You See	More Info...	0:04

Album: Witness [2 LP]
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Witness	More Info...	0:04
2)	Hey Hey Hey	More Info...	0:03
3)	Roulette	More Info...	0:03
4)	Swish Swish (Feat. Nicki Minaj)	More Info...	0:04
5)	Déjà Vu	More Info...	0:03
6)	Power	More Info...	0:03
7)	Mind Maze	More Info...	0:04
8)	Miss You More	More Info...	0:04
9)	Chained to the Rhythm (Feat. Skip Marley)	More Info...	0:04
10)	Tsunami	More Info...	0:03
11)	Bon Appétit (Feat. Migos)	More Info...	0:03
12)	Bigger Than Me	More Info...	0:04
13)	Save As Draft	More Info...	0:03
14)	Pendulum	More Info...	0:04
15)	Into Me You See	More Info...	0:04

Performer Notes

Katy Perry achieved maturation with Prism, the 2013 album anchored on the self-empowerment anthem "Roar" and the club smash "Dark Horse." Considering how "Roar" scored the closing stages of Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, it would've seemed like a logical move for Perry to build upon its adult alternative affirmation but she's instead chosen to use "Dark Horse" as a blueprint for Witness, the long-awaited 2017 successor to Prism. Perhaps Perry shifted her approach after "Rise," the "Roar"-alike written for the 2016 Olympics that she also performed at that year's Democratic National Convention, failed to crack the Top Ten, perhaps she always planned to construct this album with electronic beats and synths, but Witness is so slick with synths it seems slippery. Arriving on the heels of Prism, a record littered with AAA crossover ballads, the dance-heavy Witness feels like a bit of a shock. The album is filled with songs where Perry attempts to address big cultural issues while walking a musical cutting edge. These conflicting desires surface on a tune as effervescent as "Chained to the Rhythm" -- the only track here that could be called that, although "Pendulum" comes close -- and a song as somnolent as "Bigger Than Me," the second of two ballads on the record and the one that addresses the fallout of the 2016 presidential election. Despite some sociological broad strokes, Perry generally keeps her focus personal -- and usually romantic, although "Swish Swish" plays like a swipe at another superstar -- a decision that, when married to aggressive EDM-pop, makes Witness feel very different than Prism. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[With] the gospel-choir-assisted 'Pendulum,' which brings a vintage Perry vocal performance to some late-Eighties filigrees by Kanye producer Jeff Bhasker."

Spin - "'Mind Maze,' one of the Purity Ring songs, features some cool vocal manipulation that adds a new texture to Perry's discography."

Entertainment Weekly - "[I]t's refreshing to hear Perry distance herself further from the PG-rated fun of TEENAGE DREAM....Still, this is a Katy Perry record, so she wisely serves up a few sugar rushes." -- Grade: B

NME (Magazine) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The compelling `Hey Hey Hey' sees Katy dressing up Lorde's languid, spacious sound, adding some serious girl power..."