Carly Rae Jepsen

To claim allegiance to Canadian pop idol Carly Rae Jepsen is to throw yourself into a churning maelstrom of context. Just as pop music’s critical rehabilitation reached a fever pitch in the mid-2010s, the unassuming “Call Me Maybe” star subverted expectations with Emotion, a dazzling record that channeled Jepsen’s raw studio-pop bona fides into chic neo-Madonna abundance. We know the story: A media-savvy army quickly locked arms around Jepsen and unwittingly made her the face of prestige-pop criticism’s New Sincerity. As hipster obsession and disavowal goes, her latest, Dedicated, has received a slightly frostier reception. It’s a shame, as the strongest songs on the record are arguably fiercer and meatier than ever. “Everything He Needs” is a perfect high-wire act between cutting emotional resonance and savvy chipmunk-soul production. As always, there’s a palpable tug-of-war between commercially vital material and leftfield cuts more appropriate for her ravenous cult-online audience. But not every album needs total consistency or a Pitchfork-friendly press narrative to be worth hearing. —David Ford Smith