Rating: NNNN
The second of three albums Swedish pop star Robyn plans to release this year, Body Talk Pt. 2 is another concise, eight-song collection that clocks more time on the dance floor than its predecessor. On the first three tracks, she tackles enduring pop-music themes like love, loneliness and friendship with the kind of unsentimental yet empathetic songwriting fans of the Pet Shop Boys might admire.
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Midway, her worldly confidence morphs into outright cockiness and the beats grow aggressive. Robyn isn’t afraid to rap, and her swagger is in full effect on the rumbling, Diplo-backed club jam Criminal Intent and U Should Know Better, a frenzied, lyrical tête-à-tête with Snoop Dogg. The orchestral ballad Indestructible rounds out the album. In other hands, the genre variation might sound jarring. Robyn’s sincerity and confidence make it work.
Top track: In My Eyes
Robyn hits Sound Academy November 12.