The lyrics: Every time I think about the lyrics to this song I’m reminded of this Kevin Bridges routine: On a last note here, as it turns out, the bass work is actually pretty good. I remember the chorus and I kinda remember the bridge, but after listening to this three times I still struggle to remember how the verses went – and that, to me, is not a good sign. The problem here, though, is that Trainor’s personality is so forceful and ebullient that the music tends to becomes background noise and isn’t particularly memorable a a result. She has the same retro-soul thing going for her that Ariana Grande’s been milking for a while now but where Grande’s voice is too cutesy and breathy for my tastes, Trainor’s voice is much smoother and stronger. It’s not quite singing, it’s not quite rap… what exactly is it? Is it something new? Is Trainor changing the way we all think about singing in pop music? Are we standing on the edge of a revolution? Nickelback were right all along! The chorus melody is fairly catchy, though that might be down to simple repetition (she’s quite persistent about her preference for bass), but there are parts where the monotone of her delivery clashes with the music and the dissonance is, let’s say, disconcerting.Įventually, though, she does start singing proper and, you know what, she’s got a pretty terrific voice. I can’t say I’m keen on Trainor’s speak-sing style of vocals here. The production is too polished to fully pull off that retro feel, but it comes close. Wikipedia actually puts the song in the “doo-wop” and “blue-eyed soul” genres, which I personally think might be pushing it a bit but I can certainly hear their influence. Like I said before there is a faintly Sixties-ish vibe to this song: the bass, the chord progression, the horns… it all smacks of mid-twentieth century pop music. The music: A slick, bouncy, bubblegum pop song with an interesting mixture of modern and retro elements… not bad. Shame about those weird talk-sing vocals, though. I swear I’m not doing this on purpose.įirst impressions: Okay, this isn’t too bad – it’s got a charming bounce to it, a bit of a strut, with a slight Sixties tinge to it if I’m not mistaken. On the other hand, the pop charts are made up mostly of releases by women these days and I’m just picking on the big-hitters anyway, so if the big-hitters are all women then surely that’s a good thing, right? Enough to outweigh any potential prejudice on my part? Let’s say it is.Īnyway, today I’m reviewing “All About That Bass” by newcomer Meghan Trainor, another woman. I’m fully aware that most of my pop song reviews since I started writing them have covered releases by women, which might give off the impression that I’m being sexist in my approach and my criticisms (which I assure you I’m not).

Meghan trainor song rating