Music
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best of 2009
Best of 2008
Best of 2007
Best of 2006
Best of 2005
Best of 2004
Best of 2003
Best of 2002
Best of 2001
Best of 2000
Best of the Decade
Upcoming &
Recent Releases
75
Alberta Cross
70
The Album Leaf
69
Alkaline Trio
66
Animal Collective
84
Animal Collective![]()
50
Athlete
82
Beach House![]()
81
The Besnard Lakes![]()
65
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
64
Dan Black
75
Mary J. Blige
75
Blockhead
79
Blood Red Shoes
70
David Bowie
64
The Brian Jonestown Massacre
72
Broken Bells
65
V.V. Brown
72
The Brunettes
71
Basia Bulat
78
Carolina Chocolate Drops
79
Johnny Cash
79
Chew Lips
82
Chicago Underground Duo![]()
79
The Chieftains Featuring Ry Cooder
76
Citay
66
Clem Snide
77
Clipd Beaks
78
Clogs
66
Cold War Kids
75
Easton Corbin
80
Crazy Heart
70
Jamie Cullum
66
Fyfe Dangerfield
72
Delphic
64
Dinowalrus
78
Drive-By Truckers
59
Editors
71
Eels
70
Efterklang
81
Eluvium![]()
82
Erland And The Carnival![]()
57
Everybody Was In The French Resistance...Now
63
Excepter
78
Field Music
76
First Aid Kit
68
Josephine Foster
82
Four Tet![]()
71
Nils Frahm
74
Freeway & Jake One
75
Frightened Rabbit
82
Fucked Up![]()
64
Peter Gabriel
79
Charlotte Gainsbourg
80
Galactic
67
The Gilded Palace Of Sin
73
Ernest Gonzales
59
Good Shoes
79
Gorillaz
70
Adam Green
79
Patty Griffin
76
Groove Armada
67
H.I.M.
43
Hadouken!
73
Harvey Milk
68
Juliana Hatfield
66
Jimi Hendrix
88
High On Fire![]()
80
Hot Chip
66
The Hot Rats
88
Ray Wylie Hubbard![]()
54
Hurricane Chris
76
Jaga Jazzist
76
Jaheim
70
jj
79
Freedy Johnston
54
Nick Jonas And The Administration
57
Ke$ha
66
Alicia Keys
74
The Knife In Collaboration With Mt. Sims And Planningtorock
63
Lady Antebellum
65
Dawn Landes
82
Lawrence Arabia![]()
74
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
82
Liars![]()
72
Lightspeed Champion
37
Lil Wayne
82
Lindstrom & Christabelle![]()
68
Little Boots
75
Local Natives
75
Los Campesinos!
67
Lostprophets
65
Ludacris
73
Magnetic Fields
74
Massive Attack
58
Katherine McPhee
66
Daniel Merriweather
76
Pat Metheny
72
Midlake
64
Holly Miranda
79
Allison Moorer
83
Motion City Soundtrack![]()
53
Mudvayne
65
Mumford & Sons
55
Never Shout Never
85
Joanna Newsom![]()
81
Scout Niblett![]()
74
Nneka
75
Oh No Ono
70
OK Go
71
Omarion
77
Owen Pallett
84
Pantha du Prince![]()
77
Past Lives
84
Pavement![]()
78
Phantogram
65
Pit Er Pat
86
Polar Bear![]()
64
Priestess
67
Quasi
77
Corinne Bailey Rae
71
The Red Krayola With Art & Language
81
Fionn Regan![]()
77
Retribution Gospel Choir
57
Martin Rev
64
Rjd2
65
Rogue Wave
82
Jack Rose![]()
76
The Ruby Suns
78
Sade
77
Gil Scott-Heron
77
Shearwater
69
Blake Shelton
84
Shining![]()
68
Shout Out Louds
80
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band
73
The Soft Pack
80
Spoon
63
Ringo Starr
68
Story Of The Year
71
The Strange Boys
77
Strong Arm Steady
79
Surfer Blood
60
Tape Deck Mountain
82
These New Puritans![]()
71
Robin Thicke
76
Tindersticks
81
Titus Andronicus![]()
72
Toro Y Moi
63
Josh Turner
81
Vampire Weekend![]()
79
Laura Veirs
79
Butch Walker And The Black Widows
63
The Watson Twins
69
We Are Wolves
66
Kanye West
64
Wetdog
51
The Whigs
67
White Hills
79
The White Stripes
72
The Whitefield Brothers
68
Wu-Tang Clan
75
Xiu Xiu
78
Yeasayer
73
You Say Party! We Say Die!
63
Young Money
61
Rob Zombie
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
One Of The Boys

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 57 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Capitol
Release Date: 17 June 2008
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Pop
Summary
Once upon a time a Christian rock singer, the now-pop singer releases her second album, produced by the likes of Butch Walker, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Dave Stewart, and Greg Wells.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Blender
Perry’s creative-writing-class punch lines don’t always justify her self-congratulatory drag-queen tone. But she hiccups quirkily enough, and myriad big-name producers (from Dr. Luke to Glen Ballard) keep the new-wave synth hooks hopping
Read Full Review >Billboard
Engineered for short attention spans at just 44 minutes, One of the Boys is still more than enough to make this one long, hot summer for Perry.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe
Careering from tart-tongued vixen to rough-and-tumble tomboy to woeful lonelyheart may reflect her real life, but it makes for a thematically bumpy ride.
Read Full Review >Observer Music Monthly
Ultimately, its a fun teen party album. Just don't call it girl power.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Gwen Stefani should be nervous. [Oct 2008, p.105]
musicOMH.com
Where it hits the mark, One Of The Boys is sparky and accomplished--though entirely disposable--pop.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
This is a catchy, cocky, Avril Lavigne-y debut, its surface gloss making up for an ultimate lack of depth. [Nov 2008, p.118]
Hot Press
Katy Perry's second album offers minimal creativity or originality, but there are several likeable tracks--despite their turgid, juvenile and bordering-on-offensive lyrical content.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
Ms. Perry is curiously blank on her major-label debut album (in 2001 she released a moody, eclectic collection of Christian contemporary music).
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Her producers furnish the punchy soft-rock that has become the default signifier of pop "attitude" and Perry obliges with self-congratulatory sass that never rings true.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
The problem is not with Katy's gender-bending, it's that her heart isn't in it; she's just using it to get her places, so she sinks to crass, craven depths that turn One of the Boys into a grotesque emblem of all the wretched excesses of this decade.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
Yes, Perry has a heart, but it sounds like her bustier's too tight for her to use it.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
'Mannequin' features some cleverly written lyrics, but Perry doesn't possess the grit or vocal prowess to follow through, and the title track is like No Doubt's 'Just a Girl' sans personality and conviction.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Perry is most enjoyable when her songs are simple and senseless. Profundity is just way too problematic.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
The bulk of Boys is sufficiently well put together; the generally witty pop walks that tricky line between edginess and accessibility.
Read Full Review >Spin
The rest of the album plods with formulaic, hormone-heavy Kelly Clarkson outtakes, or perhaps Liz Phair during her bleak, sparkly descent.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express (NME)
Madonna and Perez Hilton may be fans, then, but if you’ve got even a passing interest in actually enjoying a record, don’t buy this one.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
While undeniably catchy, the hyper-produced songs have a familiar radio-ready quality that becomes infuriatingly mind-numbing over time, and Perry's vocals sound like a less-soulful Kelly Clarkson at best, a drunken, spurned sorority girl at worst.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 6.3 (out of 10) based on 57 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Joshua M. gave it an8:
It's a good album with some good singles on it. Come one. All you guys can't say that "Hot N Cold" went through your heads at least once! My favorite song is "Fingerprints".
Ricardo C gave it a2:
Everything is wrong here. The concept, the music. Catchy enough to listen to it once or twice. And yes, she's got some style, but ultimately, she's an empty marketing product.
Chue W gave it a10:
I thought it was great, even though I'm not really into this kinda music. I think some songs aren't that good but its a good album.
James H. gave it a2:
The primary problem with Katy Perry is that her voice is very thin and lacks anything vaguely called "range". Beyond that, the songs are calculated pop-trash pieces that come off as derivative and boring, leading to a truly awful experience from the first song onwards.
Marie O gave it a10:
My favorite album of 2008 and still waiting for another one that will match the quality and number of great songs that are on "One of the boys". I can't understand the hate against Katy Perry who is a deserving artist... from a christian family, to church singer, waitress in LA, almost broke, to finally making it to the top because of her great music and songs. She's my hero! Her story is very touching.
Stephane C gave it a10:
Excellent album... from a talented young lady. The first time I buy something for ages. It goes from rock to pop to ballads with her raw and strong voice, which is full of energy. Don't miss this fun and entertaining album and artist.
Emma O gave it a10:
the reason people hate katy perry is because she has controversial lyrics, but actually she is very talented and a good singer/songwriter. anyways this album is great and not one song is a throwaway.
