“She name-checks Gwen Stefani in her press materials, and the title track here covers similar thematic territory as No Doubt’s “Just a Girl.” But Katy Perry’s true foremother is Alanis Morissette. Not since “Jagged Little Pill” has a debut album been so packed with potential hits. The 23-year-old singer/ songwriter updates Morissette’s grunge era angst with an energetic, more timeless teen-poppiness, still leveraging it with lines like, “You PMS like a bitch/I would know.” The 12 tracks are split between smart chick radio pop (”Hot N’ Cold”), sassy novelty tracks for that “She said what?” effect (”I Kissed a Girl,” “UR So Gay”) and big, swaying ballads that show Perry’s exciting mastery of melody (”Thinking of You,” “Lost”). Engineered for short attention spans at just 44 minutes, “One of the Boys” is still more than enough to make this one long, hot summer for Perry. —Kerri Mason”
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