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Oct 27, 2010 Web Exclusive By Kenny S. McGuane

Swedish-born singer Robin Miriam Carisson, better known as Robyn, has a proven track record of making effortless, forward-thinking, and sophisticated pop music. She’s never made a bad album and since her 1995 debut Robyn has consistently kept critics and listeners on the edge of their seats always wanting more. Ten years into her recording career she released the self-titled Robyn, which was—by all accounts—as flawless a pop record as has ever been recorded. Body Talk Pt. 2 is the second volume in the Body Talk series of mini-albums, Pt. 1 of which was released earlier this year.

Par for the course with Robyn albums, Body Talk Pt. 2 is a step-ahead the dance and pop status quo. Ten seconds into album opener “In My Eyes” listeners are sucked into 32 minutes of synth-driven, self-assured, club-ready mini-masterpieces. “Include Me Out” commences with Robyn actually vocalizing the blueprint for her dance-inducing formula: “It’s really very simple, just a single pulse repeated at a regular interval.” The first single “Hang With Me” is one of the sturdier radio-friendly pop songs of the last 10 years and as one of the mellower tracks it serves as a momentary rest stop before the pace picks up again. Album highlight “We Dance to the Beat” is a techno magnum opus with its steady pulses, robot vocals, and cultural critiques. While Body Talk Pt. 2 doesn’t suffer any real low points, Snoop Dogg’s appearance on the snotty “U Should Know Better” doesn’t feel fully realized; the song’s too fast-paced for Snoop’s signature swagger.

But slight missteps are so much more tolerable on 32-minute, 8-track albums, of which the artist plans to release three in total this year—a smart strategic move. What Robyn has proved over the years is that you don’t have to sound mainstream to appeal to the mainstream. (www.robyn.com)

Author rating: 8/10