"Dark Horse" - Katy Perry ft. Juicy J

One of my first posts on this website trashed new Katy Perry. One of my next posts trashed old Katy Perry. But the thing is, I don't hate Katy Perry. Those were just bad songs. I don't think she's anything special, but she's certainly not the worst pop artist out there. And when she delivers, she does pretty well. So to try and even the score, let's take a look at Katy Perry's newest hit, "Dark Horse".

I actually like Katy Perry's performance a lot. I think there's a lot of emotion here. It's also pretty sexy-sounding. Can you not say "sex" on the Internet? Or am I thinking of radio?

But it's not perfect, either. Juicy J's rap verse leaves a lot, and I mean a lot to be desired:

Shawty’s heart was on steroids

Cause her love was so strong

Take you a while to come up with that one, J?

I also don't agree with some production elements of the song. The chorus ends each time with a male voice droning "there's no going back", which I think really throws it off. And the chorus at the end builds up to nothing. Maybe a repeat of it would have been nice.

But it really is Katy Perry who shines here, and makes the song worthwhile. I actually think this is her best vocal performance. It's sultry, sexy, yet controlled. Sure is a contrast from the ball of nothingness that was "Roar". Even if I do have problems with the song, it takes risks, and I enjoy risky pop music. That risk factor alone makes it better than "Roar" or even "Unconditionally", a passable song. It might have been worth it for Katy Perry to come back after all.