With
E-MO-TION [Side B],
Carly Rae Jepsen established a tradition of sharing some of the songs that didn't make it onto an album as a release of their own. She returns to that tradition with
Dedicated Side B, this time gathering an album's worth of the many songs she wrote while making her 2019 tour de force. As it branches off from the different sides of
Dedicated,
Side B feels like a cohesive set of songs in its own right. This might be an even happier-sounding album than the one that spawned it: Early on
Dedicated Side B,
Jepsen leans into the feel-good side of her music, and the sunny opener "This Love Isn't Crazy" proves once again that she's the rare pop star who can sing about no-drama happiness without sounding boring or cloying. Later, she gives fans a fun peek into her creative process with the one-two punch of "Felt This Way" and "Stay Away," a pair of songs that interpret a rippling hook of "away, away, away" and an irresistible connection in respectively breezy and exuberant ways. As on
Dedicated,
Jepsen doesn't shy away from love's complexities. The
Bleachers collaboration "Comeback" and "Heartbeat," which was tailor-made for slow dances and movie love scenes, are two of
Dedicated Side B's most vulnerable highlights. She also expands on
Dedicated's adventurous sounds with songs that range from "Summer Love"'s swooning synth-strings and hypnotic percussion to the beachy pop of "Now I Don't Hate California After All," which floats on bubbly synths and slack-key guitars that sound like the moon on the water that she sings about. With its cowbell and warm keyboards, "Window" taps into the '70s vibes that were
Jepsen's original inspiration for
Dedicated, but other songs reflect how much wider its scope became. "This Is What They Say" finds her adding some
Pointer Sisters-style R&B to her mastery of '80s sounds, while "Let's Sort the Whole Thing Out" uses a chugging indie rock rhythm section to provide the pulse for its sparkly, flirty pop perfection. That songs this appealing were left off of
Dedicated reaffirms the creative streak
Jepsen was on when she made the album, and
Dedicated Side B is just as heartwarming, fun, and catchy -- in other words, more of what
Carly Rae Jepsen fans have come to know and love. ~ Heather Phares