Album Review: Meghan Trainor – Timeless
3 min read
I’m sure all you Megatronz were already well aware, but Meghan Trainor has returned with her sixth album, Timeless – a number which is all the more impressive when you consider that she’s only just turned the big three zero!!! Released through Epic Records (the last in Trainor’s deal), Timeless was to be a doo-wop/bubble-gum pop album to celebrate Trainor’s ten years of releases, dedicated to her fans (the Megatronz) and her family (for those unaware, she’s been married to Spy Kids star Daryl Sabara for almost six years, with whom she has two kids) – and at sixteen tracks, we have quite a lot of tracks to cover… so strap in!!
Kicking off proceedings with the most recent single release, To the Moon is unabashedly Meghan Trainor – the mix of deep bass notes, which wouldn’t seem out of place on a hip hop or club track, with doo-wop and pop layered over the top that brought her to our attention a decade ago, and simple lyrics extoling her relationship, such as “the girl of your dreams, baby that’s me” and “my love’s gonna take you to the moon”. Following the second single release with the first, Been Like This features T-Pain, and once again Trainor sticks to what’s gotten her to where she is – meshing old-school styles of music (this time the Charleston) with hip-pop beats and synths over the top – however, for me, T-Pain definitely makes this track.
Following on, Crowded Room is a short doo-wop track with nice elements where the beat speeds up, Whoops has starts with a touch of the Britney She’s So Lucky about it but picks up tempo and beat later on, while Crushin’ (featuring Lawrence) feels like an updated homage to Natalie Cole’s This Will Be (An Everlasting Love). This collab is followed by two more, with I Wanna Thank Me (featuring Niecy Nash) giving a reggaetone edge to the album, and T-Pain returning for the salsa-lite Love on Hold. The album continues to weave through differing styles, with Forget How to Love and following track Rollin’ going down a more modern RnB vibe, I Don’t Do Maybe giving me the distinct impression of a take on the Paso Doble, and I Get It giving straight up classic pop vibes.
Entering the latter stages of Timeless, we see Trainor return to that doo-wap/hip-pop hybrid style that she has made her own, with Sleepin’ on Me… catchy as hell, with a fantastic quick tempo break halfway through the track. Following is Hate It Here – for me the best on the album. We dip a toe into club land with beats creating the setting, however clever lyrics conjure a scenario of Meghan not enjoying being at a club night. The club pop tracks continue with Bestie, which has a real Kylie vibe to it, whilst we return to pop on penultimate track, Doin’ It All for You. Rounding off the album is title track Timeless – a slow moving, mature song, with a lovely pop drive to it.
Timeless is a fine addition to the Meghan Trainor catalogue. Whilst she does dabble in various genres of music that fit her vocals, the mainstay of the album is that swinging doo-wop/hip-pop hybrid, where she really has created a niche for herself. The tracks themselves are never long ballads, normally around the two to three minute mark, meaning even those who aren’t Megatronz don’t have time to lose interest and skip tracks. With regard to her style, whilst she might not be everyone’s cup of tea, no other artist brands themselves in the same space/sub-genre that she does, and her fun, clean lyrics extoling love and friendship will always result in enough interest in her releases to keep her in the mainstream spotlight whilst she continues to release tracks of the requisite quality… and Timeless certainly has plenty of that.
