ROBYN || Body Talk Pt. 2

Robyn
Body Talk Pt. 2 
Label: Cherrytree / Interscope
Grade: 4.5 meatballs
Released on: September 6, 2010
Reviewed By: Neil Miller, Jr.

Releasing three mini-albums in one year is a bold move by any definition.  Not too many people can pull that off, but Robyn has never been one to do things by the book.  It pretty much goes without saying as well that her fans are drooling at the thought of having at least 24 new tracks from the Pop siren in one year’s time.  With the release of Body Talk Pt. 2 nearing, the hype is building to a fever pitch – her All Hearts tour with Kelis has been a smash across the US (except for in Chicago, where there was no tour date, sadly) and with every live video that surfaces, it becomes clearer and clearer that Robyn is hardly your run of the mill Pop star.  Sure, she embraces Electro just as much as anyone else, but she did it before it was “cool” and the structure of her songs totally spit in the face of conventional Pop idioms.  Besides, Robyn can actually sing – and she’s a smash onstage too. 

But I digress, Body Talk Pt. 2 is the dancefloor ready counterpart to the first release in the series.  If Body Talk Pt. 1 was Robyn being experimental, this release finds her embracing her roots in straight ahead Pop/Dance music.  "In My Eyes" opens the collection with a call-to-arms, or rather a call-to-the-floor – it’s urgent and the magic is all in Robyn’s delivery.  The production is naturally top notch, but the focus is all on her vocal treatment here.  First single "Hang With Me" takes a turn for the better from its acoustic counterpart on Body Talk Pt. 1 with arpeggiating synths straight out of The Knife’s handbook (actually, this sounds like it could’ve been an outtake from “Deep Cuts” – think of a more lighthearted version of ‘Heartbeats’).

The mini-album reaches its peak on "Love Kills," the lyrics find Robyn playing a heartbroken pessimist, asserting that “If you’re looking for love, get a heart made of steel ‘cuz you know that love kills".  The track is four-to-the-floor and features some Acid-y electronics throughout – it’s a step in the right direction for Robyn, taking the pain of some of her biggest hits ("With Every Heartbeat" and "Dancing On My Own," namely) and translating that into an indie club-hit.  One hardly expected appearance on a Robyn track is that of Snoop Dogg.  You might recall an appearance Robyn made on a remix of Snoop’s “Sexual Eruption” – apparently Snoop became a fan and years later, we find ourselves treated to a verse and then some on ‘U Should Know Better’.

In what appears to be true “Body Talk” fashion, Robyn rounds out the record with an acoustic version of what will likely be a drastically different song on Body Talk Pt. 3, ‘Indestructible’.  It’s more orchestral than acoustic and it’s proof positive that Robyn can literally sing on anything and totally kill it.  She’s a