Kiss - Carly Rae Jepsen
User Score
5.9 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 104 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 104
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 104
  3. Negative: 35 out of 104

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  1. monster-pow
    Oct 10, 2012
    9
    Kiss is a very sweet pop album. Almost too sweet to handle. And that's perfect. Kiss contains catchy hooks and pretty, sugar-coated beats. No fillers here. It's all pure, fun pop. Jepsen's lyrics are very clever and surprisingly interesting, but her best attribute: her voice. Carly's best and most memorable vocal moment is 'Tonight I'm Getting Over You', where Carly shows some intense vulnerability. 'More Than A Memory' is also a great vocal highlight with less vulnerability than 'Tonight I'm Getting Over You', but with some very girly and hard power. Production-wise, it's very good. Disney-fied, it may be, but who cares? It's pretty pop from a rising star trying to attract younger listeners, because, after all, the young audience are the ones listening to the radio and buying records. The beats are all very cute and well..sweet as hell. There are no bad songs here, unless you really just don't like 'Good Time' and 'Turn Me Up' could be considered a bit dumb. Carly Rae is a 26-year old woman and the fact that she made such a bubblegum teen pop album is a bit weird. But, Carly can just pull the teen look very, very well. It almost feels like this is what Carly was meant to do: make music for teens. Kiss will not disappoint , unless of course, you are a grouch who won't smile at a rainbow or even a puppy then Kiss is NOT the album for you. HIGHLIGHTS: More Than A Memory, This Kiss, Tonight I'm Getting Over You, Guitar String/Wedding Ring, Your Heart Is A Muscle SONGS THAT ARE MEANT TO BE SKIPPED: Turn Me Up, Good Time (only if you absolutely hate it)… Expand
  2. Kamil24
    Sep 18, 2012
    10
    Best pop album of 2012 easily, and personally my favourite album ever. Money is well spent buying it! :) Tonight I'm Getting Over You is a future #1 hit. And basically all the songs are single material, no filler at all.
  3. paradoxally
    Sep 19, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers. Kiss represents the true worldwide debut of Carly Rae Jepsen.

    The album features a consistent and predominant 80s style pop, which is a throwback to the times and influences of Cyndi Lauper, Kylie Minogue and Madonna. But Kiss doesn't feel old and dated - it was reenginereed and adapted to the modern day and age, with tracks like Call Me Maybe, Tonight I'm Getting Over You and Good Time.

    Some downsides are present, however. At times, Carly's delivery feels tired and unoriginal. This is notorious in Beautiful, which despite being a cute ballad, is not enough to keep up with the high standards of the rest of the album. The overuse of background elements in some songs are also detrimental to her vocals.

    With the knack to grow on you rapidly, many will end up being her fans after a couple of playthroughs. Call Me Maybe alone is not enough to condense this album into a single song, and she must be given a chance to impress. There are about 7 huge, catchy and potential singles that could net Carly a huge amount of sales and recognition.

    Make no doubt about it, Carly is here to stay.    … Collapse
  4. ThatGinger
    Sep 20, 2012
    10
    This album is very good. With beats and dance breaks that take one back to the 80s. Carly Rae is taking pop to a new level, with this, the best debut album of 2012. After her triumphant first single, Call Me Maybe, her new album carries over similar themes of innocent pop music just to dance to. While most of the album is sugary pop, there are a few tracks that are heartfelt and true. On such tracks as Your Heart is a Muscle the piano and her voice resonate to your own heart. On Tonight I'm Getting Over You she portrays a certain vulnerability. This is easily one of the best debut albums of the 2010's.… Expand
  5. herothing11
    Sep 22, 2012
    9
    A lot of artists nowadays release an album comprising of 2-3 singles and the rest being just boring, bland album tracks.
    This album, however, is different in the fact that each song has received equal commitment in the making which is what makes this album so great.
  6. raphy23
    Sep 19, 2012
    10
    This album honestly surprised me. I wasn't sure if I was going to get it. But WOW! Best pop album of the past decade! This is a MUST buy! Call Me Maybe and Good Time are one of my least favourite from the album. That's how amazing "Kiss" IS
  7. TheJadedGamer
    Sep 21, 2012
    10
    Here's the deal: This album is FANTASTIC.

    I'm a 27yo dude, and when I first heard "Call Me Maybe" I thought, oh it's catchy and not bad but just another bubblegum-pop girl. Decided to go out on a limb and check out this CD, and it's absolutely amazing! "This Kiss" is one of the best pop songs this year - right up there with Call Me Maybe and Gangnam Style. "Turn Me Up" and "Hurt So Good    " are also terrific. Check it out.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
63 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. musicOMH.com
    Dec 3, 2012
    40
    Perhaps the global impact of the massive Call Me Maybe is what makes the album as a whole feel like a damp squib, but with or without US Marine parody videos, the rest of the album fizzles out into synth-pop oblivion.
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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Sep 21, 2012
    67
    On Kiss, her U.S. debut, Jepsen makes a mad dash for good-enoughness.
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  3. The Guardian
    Sep 20, 2012
    40
    On this album, her voice is still her Achilles heel; she's a 26-year-old who sounds 16, and a colourless 16 at that.
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