Witness
by Katy Perry
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Jun 9, 2017
User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3037 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,112 out of 3037
  2. Mixed: 289 out of 3037
  3. Negative: 636 out of 3037
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  1. ScarTissue1990
    Jun 13, 2017
    5
    Though I liked only one of the singles, I went in to listening to this record wanted to love at least some of it. Here, Katy definitely takes a big step outside of her signature "bubblegum pop" style. However, lyrically and sonically I felt it didn't really go anywhere. Perry's vocals in some songs are strong, whilst others sound bleak, as if she's not truly in it.
    Songs I liked:    Though I liked only one of the singles, I went in to listening to this record wanted to love at least some of it. Here, Katy definitely takes a big step outside of her signature "bubblegum pop" style. However, lyrically and sonically I felt it didn't really go anywhere. Perry's vocals in some songs are strong, whilst others sound bleak, as if she's not truly in it.
    Songs I liked: "Pendulum", "Witness", "Chained to the Rhythm", "Power"    … Expand
  2. RK13
    Jun 9, 2017
    5
    Hmmm. This album is lack for better term, interesting. It's not legendary and amazing. However it is not utter trip. Moreover, like every other Katy Perry album the ratio of album fillers to singles is exceeded. Perhaps she should try not to use as much auto-tune.
  3. Tabor
    Jul 2, 2017
    5
    Katy Perry's Newest studio album is a muddle of lost and underdone pop bangers, with some highlights. Perry goes at her art in a rush and gets a result that reflects her hurried approach. In Songs like "Swish Swish", "Chained To The Rhythm", and "Pendulum", Perry shows she can hold a good tune. But In numbers like "Mind Maze", "Power, and "Bon Appetit" she tells us otherwise. The mixedKaty Perry's Newest studio album is a muddle of lost and underdone pop bangers, with some highlights. Perry goes at her art in a rush and gets a result that reflects her hurried approach. In Songs like "Swish Swish", "Chained To The Rhythm", and "Pendulum", Perry shows she can hold a good tune. But In numbers like "Mind Maze", "Power, and "Bon Appetit" she tells us otherwise. The mixed feelings of quality the record gives us make this trip utterly confusing, and underdeveloped. Another issue is that the album omits faux emotions, like on "Miss You More" and "Into Me You See", with fake sentimentality and overemotional poetry. Katy pretty much sums up her album on one of the lead singles, "Deja Vu". She sings in a restrained way, about everything being the same almost ironically, because she too needs to try something new.… Expand
  4. Music_Observer
    Jun 18, 2017
    4
    Stuck in a limbo between attempting to be heartfelt and attempting to be fun, of which it was neither, this annoying work proved to be nothing but a money grab stemming from the monotonous and uninspiring melodies. My Score: 70/180 (Bad) = 3.9/10
  5. marcmyworks
    Jun 21, 2017
    6
    I really wanted to like this album and give it the benefit of the doubt. Witness does start off with a bang, with Katy really bringing a strong new direction to her music; however towards the end of the album the tracks start to fizzle, the lyrics become weak and bland and the production seems muddled. There are some great songs such as "Bon Apetit", "Witness" and "Swish Swish", but aboutI really wanted to like this album and give it the benefit of the doubt. Witness does start off with a bang, with Katy really bringing a strong new direction to her music; however towards the end of the album the tracks start to fizzle, the lyrics become weak and bland and the production seems muddled. There are some great songs such as "Bon Apetit", "Witness" and "Swish Swish", but about 5 or 6 tracks could have been cut to make what remained seem even more incredible.… Expand
  6. mrSilkie
    Jun 23, 2017
    5
    Some of her tracks are really good but the lyrics are doghouse and the production of the music is not hers, that's the record label that manages all that. so looking at just the vocals and the lyrics this albums far from perfect.

    lots of songs are so poppy and disconnected from her, for a girl who is suicidal surely this should be the most, from the heart, compelling music she's ever    Some of her tracks are really good but the lyrics are doghouse and the production of the music is not hers, that's the record label that manages all that. so looking at just the vocals and the lyrics this albums far from perfect.

    lots of songs are so poppy and disconnected from her, for a girl who is suicidal surely this should be the most, from the heart, compelling music she's ever made but it's far from that. For example, what the hell is roulette? What on earth is that song trying to convey? nothing, there's nothing to take away from that apart from the fact that it's generic pop music designed the full out the album, Hey Hey Hey, written by SIX PEOPLE, it took SIX PEOPLE to write that garbage.

    There are bands out there who make far better music then this, it's not worth anybodies time or attention. 5 stars cause perry has a great voice and the production is pretty darn good (mind you generic at the same time) but as far as music goes this is just trash    … Expand
  7. josecab1998
    Jun 9, 2017
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I really thought that it will be the first complete album that i will love of Katy perry but... toooo much auto-tune in some song, and in other songs the verses are good but suddenly the chorus appears and it sucks... I only like 6 songs... PRISM still the jewel of katy perry...… Expand
  8. iambullot
    Jun 13, 2017
    5
    De alguma forma " Witness " soou como uma parada no meio de uma busca por um novo som, uma tentativa não tão bem sucedida, mas que trás algumas músicas boas. "Pendulum", "Hey Hey Hey" e "Save As Draft" são pontos fortes na tracklist, além dos singles "não tão bem sucedido".
  9. poetsofswift
    Jun 26, 2017
    5
    Meh. it's not best thing I've ever heard but it works on some levels. The production is really good, it's actually the only thing that I like about this album. The lyrics are cringy (especially in Swish Swish and Hey Hey Hey), I hate how she's trying to be "woke" nowadays and her vocal performance on this album is awful.
  10. regisgustavo
    Jun 20, 2017
    4
    Could not understand what she wanted to do with this album. No matter what, it did not work. Let's wait for the next one. PS: Power should be released as a single urgently.
  11. DramaticFighter
    Jun 24, 2017
    6
    In general, the idea is good but during the album, i could see that it was an album full of strange sounds and no catchy songs at all, however I could realize she did try to innovate, it didn't work, maybe the next one.
  12. sherlock765
    Jun 25, 2017
    6
    A lackluster album that seems to have been thoughtlessly thrown together in hopes that anyone buying it wouldn't notice its painfully obvious lack of cohesion. after months of shoving the hype down everyone's throats, this album simply proves it was not worth the wait due to an overwhelming lack of upbeat and in your face anthems that are one of katy's specialities. witness is not all bad.A lackluster album that seems to have been thoughtlessly thrown together in hopes that anyone buying it wouldn't notice its painfully obvious lack of cohesion. after months of shoving the hype down everyone's throats, this album simply proves it was not worth the wait due to an overwhelming lack of upbeat and in your face anthems that are one of katy's specialities. witness is not all bad. it has its moments with the satisfyingly simple witness, the semi edgy swish swish with a fantastic nicki minaj verse. a catchy but sort of hypocritical chained to the rhythm, the cool throwback roulette, and the edm laced deja vu. everything else screams overproduced or filler minus the annoyingly catchy bon apetit that makes you want to cringe while dancing using the controversial and wildly umnecessary rap group migos.. overall katy tells us she wants to be witnessed but doing what? making a better album? i would like that too katy.… Expand
  13. JoanPanola
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    Witness es un viaje a travez de sonidos diferentes que Katy no habia tocado pero, apesar de tener buenas canciones su voz no llega a acoplarse correctamente, y no llega a ser agradable a mi gusto, un disco muy bueno y arriegado, pero ese riesgo no fue del todo bueno.
    Recomendable si les gustan los sonidos diferentes, aun mas que sus 3 singles.
  14. Hiarque
    Jun 10, 2017
    5
    Um álbum bastante esperado, que ao meu ver começou bem e foi dando deslizes no seu decorrer. Katy apresenta uma proposta inicial de empoderamento que é quebrada nas duas próximas músicas lançadas (bon appetit e swith swith) que remetem a sexualização da mulher e afronte entre mulheres, respectivamente.
  15. ahmedimran
    Jun 10, 2017
    4
    This is definitely Katy's Artpop era. Except for Pendulum, Roulette and the Nicki track nothing is very appealing. A downgrade from Prism and not worth a 4 year wait. But the singles will be over played on the radio. The entire album was made for the radio. I think she is using Taylor's name to sell.
  16. SebastianGabbi
    Jun 9, 2017
    5
    This album is basic. I did not find anything special. Probably these good notes of the users here are of Katycats accustomed with the basic one. I found Prism slightly better, but nothing very surprising. What to expect from a basic artist like Katy Perry? In that Era, Katy is lost. Poor girl.
  17. pxdmndh
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    I thought we would see an evolution of what was PRISM, but it looks like she threw everything she learned into the trash, Katy Perry got realy lost in this work, the concept of the album is so confuse, I realy dont enjoy the album, not bad but, not good.
  18. diamandiss
    Jun 12, 2017
    6
    Tem alguns hinos como Roulette, Hey Hey Hey, Miss You More, Pendulum, e algumas bombas como Mind Maze, Bon Appetit, Power, no geral foi um álbum bem mediano. Infelizmente esse não é o melhor trabalho da Katy Perry, Teenage Dream pisa.
  19. Llan
    Jun 15, 2017
    4
    O álbum segue um conceito de "libertação", porém é muito confuso acompanha-lo logo em seu começo. Witness, Swish Swish, CTTR e Pendulum são os grandes destaques do álbum, porém não conseguem se sobressair sobre as músicas medianas/ruins do álbum. Mesmo sendo mais coeso que Prism (sonoramente falando), isso não salva o resto do álbum. As letras e os hooks são esquecíveis comparados a outrosO álbum segue um conceito de "libertação", porém é muito confuso acompanha-lo logo em seu começo. Witness, Swish Swish, CTTR e Pendulum são os grandes destaques do álbum, porém não conseguem se sobressair sobre as músicas medianas/ruins do álbum. Mesmo sendo mais coeso que Prism (sonoramente falando), isso não salva o resto do álbum. As letras e os hooks são esquecíveis comparados a outros lançamentos desse ano.… Expand
  20. OprahPossum
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    The album has a few catchy songs, but sometimes it feels like she's trying to hard to be something different, to do something that nobody has ever done before her. But the album just falls flat. It looks like Katy Perry really is chained to that rhythm. Because, apart from 2 or 3 (really) good ones, the songs feel quite generic and bland.
  21. vinnynguyen
    Jun 17, 2017
    4
    A vast differentiation from Katy's old music. At first listen, it may seem dreary and repetitive, it does take a few listens to warm up, and become accustomed to the different beats and sounds of each song. Half of the album can be added to your playlist for continued listening, with few very leaving an impact.
  22. arthurandrade
    Jun 9, 2017
    5
    There's nothing really innovative about this album, it's just an ok record with many unforgettable songs and a few good ones. Hopefully she will make right decisions about the next singles.
  23. hjuniorrrr
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    ''Power'' and ''Witness'' are the only songs that you can rescue from the album, the rest are very simple. ''Swish Swish'' is also good, but actually everyone likes just for the verse of Nicki Minaj.
  24. segovi20
    Jun 10, 2017
    6
    This is a good album, but not excellent, visually is stunning. Is good that Katy decided make a change in her style of music, wich is sometimes catchy, regrettably its not commercial, this will be a let down for Katy's carrer if we talk about charts. Lyrically its not enough, its half finished, don't show what it was promoting us (social critic about the world), in exception of chained toThis is a good album, but not excellent, visually is stunning. Is good that Katy decided make a change in her style of music, wich is sometimes catchy, regrettably its not commercial, this will be a let down for Katy's carrer if we talk about charts. Lyrically its not enough, its half finished, don't show what it was promoting us (social critic about the world), in exception of chained to the rhythm.
    Besides some songs could sound the same.
    I think its an ambitious album that stay in there only promises.    … Expand
  25. Yanxxx
    Jun 10, 2017
    5
    Katy Perry released a new album promising changes and a more mature sound. Well, that's not what happened. The material, by the way, very expected, did not meet expectations and proved to be another failed attempt by Perry to reach new heights. The title song, "witness," which opens the album, eludes us on a promising journey through Perry's new endeavor. However, soon after we areKaty Perry released a new album promising changes and a more mature sound. Well, that's not what happened. The material, by the way, very expected, did not meet expectations and proved to be another failed attempt by Perry to reach new heights. The title song, "witness," which opens the album, eludes us on a promising journey through Perry's new endeavor. However, soon after we are bombarded with songs totally poor in lyricism and production. "Hey hey hey" is a tragic tune that most resembles something that a new singer would release. "Power" and "mind maze" are possibly the worst songs in Perry's career. The already released "chained to the rhythm", "bon appetit" and "swish swish" stand out among so many messy songs. But ballads like "miss you more" and "save the draft" show a leaner Katy Perry. Already the funeral into me you see can make us more understood than a crowded bus ride. Note that the beautiful "pedulum" is an invitation to a Katy perry who tried to reinvent herself and the dancing "roulette" shows Katy with clear inspirations in the 80's and is very similar to the song "I like it rough", ex Pop singer Lady Gaga. It can be concluded that witness is not an appetizer, nor a main dish, it is a silly record and can not add to the unstable career of Perry. Sorry Katy, but it was not a hit in the basket.… Expand
  26. AnnieBitencourt
    Jun 12, 2017
    6
    Um bom álbum. Pessoalmente achei Pendulum e Roulette as melhores músicas. É praticamente diferente de tudo que ela já fez e isso é muito bom. Vale a pena conferir.
  27. BonnieBerry
    Jun 14, 2017
    4
    Witness, sem dúvidas, é um marco pra carreira da Katy, ele mostra um lado mais maduro da cantora. Porém, o álbum não tem hits aparentes e chega a ser cansativo de ouvir.
  28. rafawasquevite
    Jun 16, 2017
    5
    4 anos depois do auge do seu último álbum, Katy Perry nos entrega o que talvez seja o álbum mais mediano de sua carreira. Com uma sequencia de singles nada favorecida, o álbum parece ser feito em cima da hora. Mas não se engane, o álbum tem sim momentos de ouro: Save As Draft comprova isso.
  29. ManuelContreras
    Apr 7, 2018
    6
    Un album un poco flojo, podria ser el peor de su carrera, aunque no significa que sea malo
  30. u137288reddit
    May 17, 2018
    6
    Witness has a lot of really fun tracks, but also a good amount of filler. Ending and beginning of the album are the best parts.
  31. iamkakaindecent
    May 30, 2018
    4
    This is the worst album of 2017, it's awful, bad, how dare she throw it ???? Still not understanding.
  32. ultimatemusic
    Jun 12, 2017
    6
    Unfortunately, I do have to admit that of all Katy Perry albums, this is definitely the worst. Making experimental albums are always the riskiest and it’s literally make or break, as we all know with the ‘ARTPOP’ era with Lady Gaga but even then, Gaga managed to get a couple of hits off the album and the album itself debuting at #1, and Katy hasn’t really managed to get a mainstream hit.Unfortunately, I do have to admit that of all Katy Perry albums, this is definitely the worst. Making experimental albums are always the riskiest and it’s literally make or break, as we all know with the ‘ARTPOP’ era with Lady Gaga but even then, Gaga managed to get a couple of hits off the album and the album itself debuting at #1, and Katy hasn’t really managed to get a mainstream hit.

    It’s such a shame because all of Katy’s albums have been amazing in their own way, especially with them all sounding slightly different from each other but I think this one has been taken too far off the edge. It screams desperate if I’m honest, and the truth is, is that everyone loves Katy just the way she is so I’m not entirely sure why the big change. There’s no real creative process with this album whatsoever. The lyrics are average, the production as a whole seems cheap and rushed, and I can’t see any future releases of this album becoming a hit either.

    I hope that Katy realises by the albums reaction that maybe taking the risk wasn’t such a smart move, even though she had the balls to do so, it didn’t work, and that by the next album she just goes back to being the Katy that we all know and love and releases hit after hit and an album that we can all enjoy together, because this one has fallen relatively flat unfortunately.    … Expand
  33. GFactor
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    Witness - 9,0
    Hey Hey Hey - 8,5
    Roulette - 8,5
    Swish Swish - 4,0
    Déjà Vu - 6,5
    Power - 6,5
    Mind Maze - 5,0
    Miss You More - 8,0
    Chained to the Rhythm - 8,5
    Tsunami - 7,0
    Bon Appétit - 6,0
    Bigger Than Me - 8,0
    Save as Draft - 8,5
    Pendulum - 8,0
    Into Me You See - 6,0

    Honestly, I was expecting more from Katy :/
  34. raafaelmenezes
    Jun 9, 2017
    6
    I miss the katy perry who made good songs. The album has more bad than good songs. I do not really like the voice of Katy, Roulette and Chained to the rhythm are the best songs of the album
  35. JaggedLittlePil
    Jun 9, 2017
    4
    So disappointed. I really liked the first 3 singles, but they with Roulette, Witness and Save As Draft are the only good tracks on this album . I think it is too boring, the tracks sound like they're all the same, it's dull and monotonous, full of filler. I'm sorry Katy, but this is a really bad album.
  36. elijahpandlr
    Jun 9, 2017
    6
    INTRO
    WITNESS 10/10 - Uma das melhores músicas da Katy
    AS MELHORES HEY HEY HEY 8/10 - A música é ótima, tem um pré refrão arrebatador, mas o refrão podia ser melhor. ROULETTE 10/10 - Uma das melhores músicas da Katy Perry, é uma Gaga + Kylie. SWISH SWISH 10/10 - Uma das melhores do ano. AS PIORES DEJAVU 0/10 - A música é extremamente monótoma, não tem ápice e não é cativante. POWER    INTRO
    WITNESS 10/10 - Uma das melhores músicas da Katy
    AS MELHORES
    HEY HEY HEY 8/10 - A música é ótima, tem um pré refrão arrebatador, mas o refrão podia ser melhor.
    ROULETTE 10/10 - Uma das melhores músicas da Katy Perry, é uma Gaga + Kylie.
    SWISH SWISH 10/10 - Uma das melhores do ano.
    AS PIORES
    DEJAVU 0/10 - A música é extremamente monótoma, não tem ápice e não é cativante.
    POWER 0/10 - A música é tão bagunçada que se torna irritante ouvir.
    Mind Maze 5/10 - Nice try…
    Miss You More 6/10 - Não é ruim, mas tá longe de ser boa. Podia ter uma letra melhor.
    PRECISA OUVIR MAIS DE UMA VEZ
    Chained to the Rhythm 10/10 - A príncipio a música soa mediano, mas depois da terceira vez escutando você percebe que tudo casa na música. Inclusive Skip Marley, que carrega a melhor parte da música.
    Tsunami 0/10 - ?
    Bon Appetit 8/10 - Com o clipe melhora.
    Bigger than Me 6/10 - O começo da música parece Bon Appetit. Ouvi três vezes e continua esquecível.
    Save As Draft 6/10 - Preciso ouvir mais vezes, é esquecível.
    ENCERRAMENTO
    Pendulum 3/10 - A música é ruim, não entendi os elogios sobre ela, o que salva é o coro.
    Into Me You See 5/10 - Me lembra vagamente Pearl no refrão, mas é fraca.
    Se o álbum focasse mais nas farofas, teria sido melhor. Sempre achei a Katy boa em baladas (Thinking of You, Pearl, Ghost, Unco, TOTGA… Mas essas estão péssimas)    … Expand
  37. JohnnyMusical
    Jun 9, 2017
    5
    Three singles, swish swish, cttr and BA are three worst songs among all the singles produced by her. Some songs are good, like witness, but other songs are just bad, especially POWER. I have to admit that the instrument work is good. You gotta cost smt when you try to switch the style you get used to, however, it seems like Katy did not do well in this balance as she lost too much goodThree singles, swish swish, cttr and BA are three worst songs among all the singles produced by her. Some songs are good, like witness, but other songs are just bad, especially POWER. I have to admit that the instrument work is good. You gotta cost smt when you try to switch the style you get used to, however, it seems like Katy did not do well in this balance as she lost too much good things she used to have, like her vocal and inspiring emotions.… Expand
  38. carlosmartinez9
    Jul 24, 2017
    6
    This album is meh, not so good but not so bad, it's regular. The first songs are the best the other ones not so much. I think Tsunami, Mind Maze and Power are the worst, the ballads are so simple and boring, and the best ones are Deja vu, Roulette and Bigger than Me
  39. AntonioUchoa
    Jun 9, 2017
    5
    Pelas expectativas que esse álbum trouxe, pelo menos para mim, ficou bem abaixo da espectativa. Katy Perry merece até palmas por essa produção, se considerado o trabalho imposto por ela na gravação e na compsição de algumas músicas, porém é algo que fica muito abaixo (pelo menos para mim), dos demais trabalhos dela. Witness não é bem modelado. Tem pontos altos, como em Swish Swish (falandoPelas expectativas que esse álbum trouxe, pelo menos para mim, ficou bem abaixo da espectativa. Katy Perry merece até palmas por essa produção, se considerado o trabalho imposto por ela na gravação e na compsição de algumas músicas, porém é algo que fica muito abaixo (pelo menos para mim), dos demais trabalhos dela. Witness não é bem modelado. Tem pontos altos, como em Swish Swish (falando sobre um sel-empowerment anti-hater sou fodona, bucetuda e me veja rasgar meu cu na sua cara de tanto dançar), também em Miss You More (música típica para adolecentes que sofrem por causa de relacionamentos que nem ao menos existem), em Chained to The Rhythm (single-chefe do álbum, deduzo eu, sobre um posicionamento político de Katy à respeito das eleições americanas, Donald Trump, manipulação, e essas coisas que vemos na televisão). Por fim em Bigger Than Me (chega a ser um faixa muito "whatever", logo tem um ritmo bem agradavel, falando sobre quebra de taboos [paradigmas], como queiram chamar, e há boatos que esteja relacionada com a perda de Hillary Clinton nas eleições em 2016). Sem falar nas muitas faixas desse álbum, super descartaveis e desnecessarias, por exemplo Bon Àppetit, que talvez seja a coisa mais sem nexo e ilógica nesse album como num todo, mesmo tendo uma batida minimalista tosquissima, com vocais podres, contudo QUE GRUDA NA MENTE, infelizmente. Fora as demias faixas, Tsunami; Roulette; Déjà Vu, tudo com quase as mesmas caracteristicas se falar em vocal e estilo. Portanto, não é um album péssimo e lixoso, uma bosta, não! Vale a pena ouvir para pelo menos ter uma base sobre a evolução da Katy Perry enquanto mulher, artista. MAS dizer que esse álbum é o melhor de 2017, fica pra quem é fã fanático/louco quiçá surdo. Quem sabe na próxima Katy.… Expand
  40. bodakyellow
    Apr 29, 2018
    5
    Despite some marvelous efforts along the way, Witness as an overall album is quite forgettable, because of the many opportunities to become timeless that it doesn't take. Favourite tracks: Witness, Swish Swish, Bon Appetit, Save As Draft
  41. Coolguymike
    Aug 29, 2020
    4
    Katy loses her identity with this album with a huge step down from Prism. While this album does have some good singles, Chained to the Rhythm and Swish Swish, it deviates from the bubbly pop Katy Perry is known for.
  42. RTAir
    May 3, 2020
    6
    It's a solid pop album with a surprisingly cohesive sound, and while the songwriting leaves a lot to be desired, the melodies and hooks more than make up for it. It feels like it might have had a concept (the ever cited purposeful pop) that somehow got lost in the making, saving up room for harmless streaming-friendly tunes for Teen Party playlists. However, the album definitely showsIt's a solid pop album with a surprisingly cohesive sound, and while the songwriting leaves a lot to be desired, the melodies and hooks more than make up for it. It feels like it might have had a concept (the ever cited purposeful pop) that somehow got lost in the making, saving up room for harmless streaming-friendly tunes for Teen Party playlists. However, the album definitely shows glimpses of greatness here and there, and when it's good, it's really good.… Expand
  43. bennlittlebenn
    Jul 25, 2017
    6
    So, Witness is a good pop album, but it has a lot of flaws. The singles shouldn't be there, some songs are clearly fillers, and I think it's too long. But it's the more mature Katy Perry's album so far.
  44. pkuc01
    Aug 12, 2017
    5
    Hmm... The sounds and music on this album are very interesting and well made but the thing is that most of the songs (upbeat ones) are too much generic and forgettable to be something you can put your ears on... Her vocals are hidden a little bit. I appreciate that she put a fresh sounds to this album what makes it a good thing all around the bad.

    Best songs: Swish Swish ft. Nicki    Hmm... The sounds and music on this album are very interesting and well made but the thing is that most of the songs (upbeat ones) are too much generic and forgettable to be something you can put your ears on... Her vocals are hidden a little bit. I appreciate that she put a fresh sounds to this album what makes it a good thing all around the bad.

    Best songs: Swish Swish ft. Nicki Minaj, Pendulum, Dance With The Devil (Target Version), Tsunami, Witness

    Worst songs: Bon Appètit ft. Migos, Hey Hey Hey, Déjà Vu

    5/10    … Expand
  45. Julia1d
    Aug 24, 2017
    6
    É um álbum até que bom, mas algumas letras deixam a desejar. Katy perdeu sua raiz dos seus trabalhos anteriores (Prism/2013). Não que esse álbum seja ruim, é apenas mediano para uma hitmaker.
  46. iDimitris
    Nov 17, 2017
    6
    This album is a let down, compared to Perry's previous works, especially her previous album, which was definitely her best work. There are some solid songs, however, like "Power", "Bigger Than Me" and "Roulette".
  47. thienluan
    Oct 9, 2018
    6
    The most mature album by Katy Perry to date as she sings about politics, self-loving and feminism, the subject that most artists don't want to mention in their efforts. However, she's playing the game safe a little bit as she still collaborates with Max Martin, the one that made her debut album. We can also see a few new producers here, but only Jack Garratt really stands out with theThe most mature album by Katy Perry to date as she sings about politics, self-loving and feminism, the subject that most artists don't want to mention in their efforts. However, she's playing the game safe a little bit as she still collaborates with Max Martin, the one that made her debut album. We can also see a few new producers here, but only Jack Garratt really stands out with the track 'Power'. The 'Chained To The Rhythm' collaboration with Skip Marley was a good start for the album, but 'Bon Appetit' featuring Migos and the 'Swish Swish' duet with Nicki Minaj weren't good follow-ups as they talk about more personally themes like sex and vengeance (her long-going feud with Taylor Swift).… Expand
  48. orengue
    Aug 14, 2017
    6
    Even though this album has good songs like Roulette and Chained to the Rhythm. I think she could do better next time. Favorite song: Witness, very awesome and beautiful song
  49. IgorM
    Jun 12, 2017
    5
    Painful to listen. It's completely a messy production with forgettable clinched lyrics and horrible lifeless sound. There are full of fake emotions but no originality or creativeness at all. This is unforgiven considering 4 years of waiting. What a shocking disaster! The biggest disappointment of the year!
  50. dallre
    Jul 18, 2019
    6
    She took a risk, and you can not take it back from her.

    Lyrically it is far from her best work in my opinion. Some metaphore are as if she tried too hard. "Figure out the Rubik's Cube" "You suck my hope up in a vacuum" "You're 'bout as cute as An old coupon expired" for exemple. The production of the songs, taken individually, are excuisite. I'd give 10/10 for the album if it was    She took a risk, and you can not take it back from her.

    Lyrically it is far from her best work in my opinion. Some metaphore are as if she tried too hard.
    "Figure out the Rubik's Cube"
    "You suck my hope up in a vacuum"
    "You're 'bout as cute as An old coupon expired" for exemple.

    The production of the songs, taken individually, are excuisite. I'd give 10/10 for the album if it was all about the productions. Swish Swish has one of the best production i've ever heard. She set a mood and a tone, wich fit perfectly with her visual. Good job for that.

    Finally an other negative point, was the album's songs order. It didn't made it for me. It's very good from the beggining to the mid adlbum. After miss you more, its too much ups and down in an uncontroled way. CTTR (up), Tsunami (down), Bon Appetit (up), Bigger Than me, Save As Draft (down), Pendulum (up), Into me you see (down).
    I love the idea of a slow and calm song at the end of an album, it's a technique that always worked (its very much effective in Taylor Swift's Reputation), but when it follows that kind of emotional roller coaster, I think it's pretty uneffective.

    I give it a 6/10    … Expand
  51. Georcino
    Jun 13, 2017
    5
    This is awfull : how Katy has been missing everything from the beggining, when she release "Chained to the Rhythm". Lead-single lifted my expectations up to the skies, but after she has droped "Bon appetit" and "Swish swish", I understood that album would be not so good. Now we can hear Katy's same-old lyrics, but with some changes in the arangments, whitch is not good in the most of theThis is awfull : how Katy has been missing everything from the beggining, when she release "Chained to the Rhythm". Lead-single lifted my expectations up to the skies, but after she has droped "Bon appetit" and "Swish swish", I understood that album would be not so good. Now we can hear Katy's same-old lyrics, but with some changes in the arangments, whitch is not good in the most of the songs... "Chained to the Rhythm" is a brilliant of the album, also "Power", "Hey, Hey, Hey", "Roullete" and "Whitness" (with an AMAZING chorus) are good. So, I've got mixed emotions after this record, but the fact that Katy doesn't fear of changes, makes me not so disapointed as I was after release of "Bon appetit"... I guess, 5/10 - is a perfect score to discribe my thoughts.… Expand
  52. Legaspi
    Jan 19, 2019
    6
    You have to listen Witness twice if you want to really appreciate some songs. Despite being a experimental production-songwriting mess, the record ends up bringing to us a few decent songs, that (obviously) you can't dance to but they still are enjoyable.

    Highlights: Chained to the Rhythm; Miss You More; Power; Swish Swish; Witness
  53. FruitJuice
    Jul 18, 2017
    4
    it was okay........................................................................................................................................................................
  54. etbwicca
    Jul 25, 2017
    6
    It was OK album. 6/10
    Highlights: Witness, Tsunami, Power, Hey Hey Hey, Dejavu and Chained to The Ryhthm. Lyrics and vocals are good but it could be better.
  55. stringellig
    Aug 11, 2017
    6
    Katy Perry aparentemente está se perdendo a cada disco que passa. Sem conseguir refazer os feitos de ''Teenage Dream'' e até mesmo o mais morno de ''Prism'', o álbum ''Witness'', com sua fraqueza de singles, começa bem com ''Witness'' e ''Hey Hey'', mas o álbum não apresenta nada além de um POP genérico, com melodias repetitivas e letras um pouco mais críticas, mas que acabam não seKaty Perry aparentemente está se perdendo a cada disco que passa. Sem conseguir refazer os feitos de ''Teenage Dream'' e até mesmo o mais morno de ''Prism'', o álbum ''Witness'', com sua fraqueza de singles, começa bem com ''Witness'' e ''Hey Hey'', mas o álbum não apresenta nada além de um POP genérico, com melodias repetitivas e letras um pouco mais críticas, mas que acabam não se encaixando. ''Roulette'' é a melhor faixa do álbum, seguida de ''Pendulum'', mas ainda não chegam nem perto das faixas de ''One Of The Boys'' e ''Teenage Dream''.… Expand
  56. workesha
    Oct 15, 2017
    6
    Gosto bastante da katy, e como um todo gostei do witness tambem. Um álbum coeso porém com músicas um tanto quanto esqueçíveis com exceção dos singles e de Roulette.
  57. gomespedro
    Dec 17, 2017
    4
    Toda vez que Katy Perry anuncia um novo álbum, eu fico em ânsia. 'O que ela aprontará dessa vez?', me pergunto; afinal, Katy Perry foi responsável por me introduzir ao pop contemporâneo com o excelente 'Teenage Dream', um álbum pop incrível e condizente com a artista revelada pelo também bom 'One Of The Boys'. 'Witness' foi decepcionante; não existe nenhuma linearidade no disco - pareceToda vez que Katy Perry anuncia um novo álbum, eu fico em ânsia. 'O que ela aprontará dessa vez?', me pergunto; afinal, Katy Perry foi responsável por me introduzir ao pop contemporâneo com o excelente 'Teenage Dream', um álbum pop incrível e condizente com a artista revelada pelo também bom 'One Of The Boys'. 'Witness' foi decepcionante; não existe nenhuma linearidade no disco - parece que Katy Perry, um pouco cansada, pegou várias músicas de diferentes teores e adicionou a um disco, criando um compilado, não um LP. O álbum é pobre em composição, em melodia, e falhou miseravelmente na missão de 'pop-activism' proposta pela cantora, que só transparece pelo debut single 'Chained To The Rythim' (que é a única música realmente boa do CD). A cada álbum que Katy Perry se propõe a lançar, mais eu sinto falta da Katy Perry de 2012, com composições pop genuínas e, embora desprezadas pela crítica tradicional, eram identificáveis, dançantes e boas de se ouvir. Tenho a impressão que Katy Perry está cada vez mais perdida em suas tentativas e não sei se sua intenção é recuperar a artista que foi há cinco anos. Não a julgo por tentar ser diferente daquilo que já foi um dia (Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, todas se propuseram da mesma forma); eu só espero que, nessas investidas em encontrar a Katy Perry que tanto procura, Kate Hudson se encontre definitivamente.… Expand
  58. Josewandersonts
    Aug 23, 2019
    4
    O álbum consegue sobressair com algumas músicas, mas soa tão forçado em alguns quesitos.
  59. TheOnlyLuis
    Dec 4, 2017
    6
    Katy Perry, reina de las canciones sin sentido, y con poca capacidad para profundizar, éste álbum tiene la pinta de estar buscando dentro de ella misma al verdadero talento el cual nunca ha demostrado por si sola, siento decir que en busca de esa formula, recibió el fracaso con los brazos abiertos, el cual considero que es bueno, esto quizá ayude a formar verdaderas buenas canciones, enKaty Perry, reina de las canciones sin sentido, y con poca capacidad para profundizar, éste álbum tiene la pinta de estar buscando dentro de ella misma al verdadero talento el cual nunca ha demostrado por si sola, siento decir que en busca de esa formula, recibió el fracaso con los brazos abiertos, el cual considero que es bueno, esto quizá ayude a formar verdaderas buenas canciones, en este disco no hay consistencia, y difícilmente puedo decir que es coherente, más sin embargo la artista trata de dar desesperadamente un mensaje fuerte, que no llega a concebirse por los sonidos desarrollados en el álbum, veo progreso, pero poca capacidad, nada innovador.… Expand
  60. Retle65
    Feb 18, 2018
    5
    Song by Song Review

    Witness: This is probably the most confusing song on this album. 4/10 Hey Hey Hey: Generic Female Empowerment Anthem 6/10 Roulette: Electric Fuel That Fuels My Anger Of This Album 8/10 Swish Swish: I hate taylor, but this is horrible 3/10 Deja Vu: Meh 6/10 Power: Slightly better than chained to the rhythm SIGHTLY 5/10 Mind Maze: Noise 6/10 Miss You    Song by Song Review

    Witness: This is probably the most confusing song on this album.
    4/10
    Hey Hey Hey: Generic Female Empowerment Anthem
    6/10
    Roulette: Electric Fuel That Fuels My Anger Of This Album
    8/10
    Swish Swish: I hate taylor, but this is horrible
    3/10
    Deja Vu: Meh
    6/10
    Power: Slightly better than chained to the rhythm SIGHTLY
    5/10
    Mind Maze: Noise
    6/10
    Miss You More: I miss the prism days
    3/10
    Chained To The Rhythm: -
    1/10
    Tsunami: This Song Has A Good Rhythm, but **** lyrics
    7/10
    Bon Appetit: Katy, no. Migos, rap proprely
    4/10
    Bigger Than Me: Decent Job
    5/10
    Save As Draft: Okay, good
    8/10
    Pendulum: I can't wait for this album to end
    3/10
    Into Me You See: Into Me You See that katy is running out of song lyrics
    4/10
    Act My Age: Why did I bought the deluxe version
    5/10
    Dance With The Devil: Kill me.
    3/10

    Not that bad, not good at all

    FINAL RATING: 5/10

    Worse Than Prism.    … Expand
  61. prestonhung
    Apr 1, 2019
    6
    'Witness' is a fun collection of pop music but is somewhat flawed due to a lack of quality songwriting and production in some tracks.
    Strongest Tracks: "Witness", "Roulette", "Swish Swish", "Deja Vu", "Power", "Miss You More", "Tsunami"
    Weakest Tracks: "Hey Hey Hey", "Save As Draft"
  62. leostarboy
    Sep 9, 2020
    5
    Perry takes a step back, she seems to be experimenting but something definitely went wrong. Perhaps the cliché and hideous production of the middle of the album or perhaps the unnecessary childish essence that is characteristic of her. On the other hand, songs like "Chained to the Rhythm" make us forget those bad (quite a few) moments on the album.
  63. MilesW1998
    Feb 26, 2018
    4
    Witness is a down-trodden, weak pop record that stands as a major blemish in Katy's discography. It tries to be empowering and woke, but ends up failing for Katy, as she sacrifices personalty with generic lyrics and production.

    Best: Witness, Hey Hey Hey, Pendulum, Swish Swish, Roulette

    Worst: Bon Appetit, Chained To The Rhythm, Mind Maze, Into Me You See, Save As Draft
  64. notAvillan
    Jul 14, 2018
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's mediocre. Chained To The Rhythm, Power, and Witness are all high points of this record with how bold, catchy, and personal songs all these three songs are. Swish Swish was alright (I do like the groove and the Nicki feature), Bon Appetite is rather a guilty pleasure, and Tsunami was pretty neat, but then the album takes a nose dive. Hey Hey Hey has cringy lyrics and tries so hard to have an alt pop and dream pop kind of sound but fails. Mind Maze while being unique and different, the autotune is a major turnoff. The rest of the album is forgettable, yes even the ballads, and tries way to hard to be woke.… Expand
  65. deanjacobson_
    Sep 28, 2018
    5
    An average album; that's all to be said. There was nothing ultimately special about this album. Personally, I felt as if it was an experiment with a new style of vocals that completely failed. Compared to the success of her previous albums, it was a massive letdown. Some good songs were found including strong single Chained to the Rhythm, Hey Hey Hey and Witness. However, all great artistsAn average album; that's all to be said. There was nothing ultimately special about this album. Personally, I felt as if it was an experiment with a new style of vocals that completely failed. Compared to the success of her previous albums, it was a massive letdown. Some good songs were found including strong single Chained to the Rhythm, Hey Hey Hey and Witness. However, all great artists make mistakes and now that Perry has adventured with this failure, she has the potential to reclaim her position of one of the best pop artists.… Expand
  66. StavoSwift13
    Oct 18, 2018
    4
    En esencia su peor trabajo. Sí bien los anteriores pueden llenarse la boca con ser "exitosos" con ritmos sumamente pegadizos, buena producción y medianamente buenos liricamente, este solo quiso jugársela a lo "oscuro y maduro". El problema con Katy era que cuando gustaba en sus anteriores trabajos era fuerte, luchadora de una causa, con voz adulta y segura, pero en otras infantil, boba,En esencia su peor trabajo. Sí bien los anteriores pueden llenarse la boca con ser "exitosos" con ritmos sumamente pegadizos, buena producción y medianamente buenos liricamente, este solo quiso jugársela a lo "oscuro y maduro". El problema con Katy era que cuando gustaba en sus anteriores trabajos era fuerte, luchadora de una causa, con voz adulta y segura, pero en otras infantil, boba, inmadura y con mensajes sexuales tontos y comerciales. Con Witness paso todo eso pero en 1 sólo disco. Quiso ser madura, dar voz al movimiento feminista, hablar sobre su dolor y más, pero involucró ritmos tontos, que buscaban ser infantiles pero a la vez no lo querían y una producción confusa y sin rumbo, aunado a la sensación que en un afán de querer hacer algo diferente quiso hacer en parte lo mismo y termino no haciendo nada arruinando todo. Sin contar el tema de política y de contradecirse en que ella no busca pelearse o dar importancia a comentarios sobre ella. E inevitablemente el peor error del disco: Migos y Swish Swish, que es hasta cansado y repetitivo hablar sobre estos dos desaciertos. Solo 2 baladas de este álbum se salvan y después de tanto escucharlas se vuelven aburridas, cutres y planas. Una era que sí bien marco un cambio en ella no fue cómo se esperaba quedado un 30% bueno y 70% malo. 4.5 para Katy Perry… Expand
  67. MarceloPaz
    Aug 28, 2020
    6
    some of her songs are great to hear, but every album released until that parace is the same, I exalt the musical construction, I'm ashamed of the lyrics.
  68. Dsros96
    Aug 3, 2019
    5
    This album has terrible songs (Power), bad songs (Swish Swish) and good songs (Roulette). Only 5 songs can be called good. The bad-terrible songs are way overproduced.
  69. Psicobruh
    Mar 28, 2020
    6
    There are good songs like "Chained to The Rhythm", "Swish Swish" and "Roulette", but some of them are good after seen them on Witness: The Tour - Tsunami, Hey Hey Hey, etc. I'm sad because a great song like Roulette could be the perfect single to win an Grammy but is not released. The same thing happened with "Legendary Lovers" from PRISM. Sorry, Katy, I'm a katycat but this wasn't a great album.
  70. daebu_char
    Sep 30, 2020
    6
    This is, hands down, the worst album Katy Perry has put out so far (which, however, doesn't mean it's trash because Katy Perry at her worst is still better than some of her peers at their best). I could go into a lot of things and write a 10-page long essay on why the entire era surrounding the album was a failure, but frankly--I don't have the time, nor do I have the audience. This reviewThis is, hands down, the worst album Katy Perry has put out so far (which, however, doesn't mean it's trash because Katy Perry at her worst is still better than some of her peers at their best). I could go into a lot of things and write a 10-page long essay on why the entire era surrounding the album was a failure, but frankly--I don't have the time, nor do I have the audience. This review will most likely get lost in the sea of other reviews so I'll keep it short and to the point.

    The music is overproduced and generic. Lyrically, Katy is repeating herself A LOT on the 15 songs that comprise this record, and vocally, she's had far more impressive moments (e.g. Firework, Roar). Thematically, there's everything you'd expect from a modern Pop album: empowering anthems, slutty songs, melodramatic songs, a song on which Katy drags her archenemy. There's one exception to the standard Pop fare, *one* politically charged song most likely ghostwritten by Hilary Clinton about how we're all zombies chained to the rhythm. Yes, Katy Perry, a super privileged pop star & multimillionaire suddenly had a political awakening, as well as a feminist one which she had expressed by getting a short pixie cut hence the album cover. The eyeball in her mouth is another story though *wink, wink.*

    I should also mention that there's this trend now where many people call this album "underrated" and think the public was "not ready" for Katy trying something "new" and "provocative." That's not the case, because this album was anything BUT new and provocative at the time of its release--it actually was just extremely generic and calculated. Katy basically went from singing catchy songs about love that had her signature zany songwriting style to singing music any other industry puppet could've released. All you need to do is to check the liner notes to see what went wrong. Every song on this album has at least five hit songwriters with as many as four people (or more) handling the production. It's as if Katy contacted every single "it" girl and "it" boy in the industry to create a foolproof collection of guaranteed number #1 hit records. Well the result was the exact opposite. The only songs that I thought showed potential and sounded unique were Roulette, Power, and Tsunami but even these three tracks pale in comparison to the highs of Katy's previous material.

    To end the review on a more positive note, I'd say "Witness" is probably the most cohesive album in Katy Perry's discography in the sense that there are no clearly defined highs and lows like on her past releases. Rather, the same underwhelming mediocre sound is maintained throughout the entire record which might have actually ended up working in its favor. My overall rating is a solid 6/10.    … Expand
  71. Brzuchaczyk
    Sep 1, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For me it is a album for 14 years old girl, not for a 30 years ol woman. Swish Swish and Bon Appetit are at least catchy, Changed to the Rhythm is apparently meaningful - not for me. The rest of the songs are just fillers for me - every of her album is full of fillers, but Witness doesn't have any major bop song. Album's best ones are jsut today's average.… Expand
  72. reviewer2410
    Aug 31, 2020
    5
    The production and themes throughout the album for cohesive which is very good but then the vocals are just so lazy and unconvincing and the lyrics are plain cringe-worthy especially on the “bangers”. Not her worst album, but far from her best.

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed Album of 2017
4
#4 Most Shared Album of 2017

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Aug 13, 2020
    75
    While it's certainly missing any form of coherency, Witness does feel like you're growing with Perry - going on this journey that's helped her find new ground and a reinvigorated appreciation for all walks of the pop music spectrum.
    Read full review
  2. Prefix Magazine
    Jul 6, 2017
    70
    While she may have slipped down the pecking order, Witness proves she’s still a more interesting pop star than she’s often given credit for.
    Read full review
  3. Drowned In Sound
    Jun 28, 2017
    50
    It’s a real shame Witness has come out as a bit of a disjointed mess, as there’s a decent record somewhere in there, but it gets lost in the fog of endless guest productions and co-writes that miss the point entirely.
    Read full review
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