Hellooo! Back in July, Katy Perry announced that her sixth album would be titled Smile and would be released on the 14th August, which was later changed to the 28th August! Katy released various copies of the album on her online store, including a very pretty Exclusive Picture Disc Vinyl however after much deliberation, I decided to go for a vinyl and CD from HMV! The HMV exclusive vinyl was £27.99 and the deluxe edition of the CD was £12.99. HMV also have free postage on orders over £20 which is a bonus!
My order was delivered on the 28th August and I was very happy to have it arrive on the album release date! The HMV Exclusive vinyl copy of the Smile album is the fourth in HMV’s 1921 Series. This series features exclusive copies of vinyl albums, each with a limited run and a “nipper number”, with some being remasters or new releases, along with some being exclusive colours. The 1921 Series Smile vinyl is labelled #nipper4 as it is the fourth in the 1921 Series and also, it is limited to 1000 copies. The record is a beautiful vivid red colour and features an image of a cream pie in the centre, which matches the image printed on the CD. I always say that I love a limited edition and this one is no different! Mine is number 653 out of 1000 and I love the colour of the vinyl and the image printed on the centre compliments it and the packaging perfectly. I expected the HMV 1921 Series branding to be part of the album cover itself however, it is a cardboard sleeve slipped onto the left hand side. I would have preferred this sleeve to be more attached to the vinyl as with it being completely separate, it is more likely to get lost or damaged however, I still love the vinyl as a whole.
The record is housed in a gatefold sleeve with bold images of Katy printed on the inside. I love how bright and colourful these images are and how the clown theme is continued throughout the branding for the album. The vinyl inner sleeve features an image of Katy Perry on each side, along with the song titles, lyrics and credits for the songs on each side of the record. I like that the lyrics are spread across both sides of the sleeve and are split into sides A and B of the record. The reverse of the sleeve also features Katy’s thank you’s for the album however, I did notice that there are no lyrics for What Makes a Woman. I’m not sure if they couldn’t fit the lyrics on however, I found it strange that they were missing for just the one song!
The deluxe “Fan Edition” CD version of the album features four bonus tracks and is packaged in a cardboard sleeve with a lenticular 3D effect cover. The cover switches between the normal album cover and a version of the album cover with Katy smiling and the background of the bottom half being orange, rather than red on the normal cover.
Smile opens with the first track that was released from this album, Never Really Over! I LOVE this catchy single and it’s a perfect choice to be first on the album! Another single from the album is Daisies, which I absolutely loved when it was first released and still do! Katy Perry gives a passionate performance and I love her vocals and lyrics, which are complemented by the production and instrumental on the track. I also love the instrumental in Cry About It Later, which is one of my favourites from Smile. Not the End of the World is another of my favourites from the album, along with the titular single, Smile! Champagne Problems is another toe-tapper and I love Katy Perry's vocals, particularly in the verses! The catchy and cheeky Tucked sounds like a mix between Katy’s One of the Boys era and the Teenage Dream era and I love it! The final track on the standard version of the album is What Makes A Woman and I love the way the song builds and how it has a bit of a different sound for Katy Perry. The deluxe edition of the CD also includes four extra tracks, consisting of the singles Small Talk and Never Worn White, along with an acoustic version and Oliver Heldens remix of Daisies!
I had a quick Google and the Smile album seems to have earned mixed reviews but personally, I love it! The album as a whole shows a more empowered and positive Katy Perry both in the sound of the album and also in the lyrics and there isn't one song that I'm not a fan of. Smile is a strong album featuring plenty of tracks which would fit in perfectly with her back catalogue on tour, whenever that may be! I also loved the vinyl and CD I bought and I am very happy with my purchases!
Thank you for reading and stay safe!
Sophie
