Thank You [Deluxe Edition]

by Meghan Trainor

Overview

Displaying a professional savvy her cheerfully naive persona belies, Meghan Trainor ditches the retro sensibilities that fueled her debut album, Title, on its swiftly released successor, Thank You. By no means has Trainor abandoned her theatricality -- whenever she slides into a purportedly soulful slurred vocal, she lets slip her stagy artifice -- but drama club exuberance is as inherent to Meghan's persona as Katy Perry's cheerleader pinup is to hers. The key to Thank You is that she's swapped out Glee-ful retro pageantry in favor of modern R&B shepherded by executive producer Ricky Reed. Such a shift in sensibility means Thank You feels fresher than Title, and it's more coherent, too: everything stems from a clean, stylish sensibility. Even when she indulges in a throwback, as when the lights lower for the slow dance "Hopeless Romantic," the simple guitar and vocal arrangements function as a sly accent to the bright, bustling surroundings of the rest of Thank You. Trainor similarly rejiggers her lyrical outlook, leaving behind the attention-grabbing jokes and jibes, not to mention the antiquated sentiments of "Dear Future Husband," but the empowerment of "All About That Bass" has calcified into narcissism. Her self-regard abounds. "If I was you, I'd want to be me too," she sings on "Me Too," only to up the ante with "I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast, I love all y'all me the most." Even her mom is better than your mom. True, all these odes to self are designed to boost the self-esteem of her audience, but presented as an album, the positivity turns preening. That's where Trainor's pop instincts come into play. Thank You camouflages all this vanity as shiny, happy pop, equal parts modern R&B and Y2K throwback. Taken on a track by track basis, it can be silly fun -- even such goofball party numbers as "Dance Like Yo Daddy" contain a guileless charm -- but as a collective, Thank You turns into something less than the sum of its parts almost entirely due to the Trainor's tunnel vision. She's smart to keep things light and positive -- it's a deliberately youthful sound in an era that yearns for maturity -- but by working the same territory so carefully, the seams in her construction are difficult to ignore. [A Deluxe Edition added three bonus tracks.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/13/2016
Label:	Epic / Rca
UPC:	0889853119929
Rank:	101798

Tracks

1. Watch Me Do
2. Me Too
3. NO
4. Better
5. Hopeless Romantic
6. I Love Me
7. Kindly Calm Me Down
8. Woman Up
9. Just a Friend to You
10. I Won't Let You Down
11. Dance Like Yo Daddy
12. Champagne Problems
13. Mom
14. Friends
15. Thank You

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Meghan Trainor   Primary Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Rhythm)
LunchMoney Lewis   Primary Artist
Tommy Brown   Guitar,Keyboards
Ricky Reed   Piano,Guitar,Keyboards,Guitar (Bass),Guitar (10 String)
Thomas Troelsen   Bass,Vocals,Clapping,Tambourine
Yo Gotti   Featured Artist
R. City   Featured Artist
Kevin Kadish   Piano,Vocals,Tambourine,Sax (Baritone),Guitar (Electric)
Nelda Washington   Soprano
Chris Gelbuda   Vocals
Mr. Franks   Guitar,Keyboards
Kelli Trainor   Featured Artist
Ann Marie Simpson   Viola,Violin
Jennifer Hartswick   Vocals
Kay Penton   Drums
Tom Peyton   Drums
Johan Carlsson   Guitar,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Meghan Trainor   Executive Producer,Composer,Programming
Khaled Rohaim   Composer
Bekah Connolly   A&R
Christopher Trujillo   Engineer
Lewis Hughes   Composer
Nicholas Audino   Composer
Tommy Brown   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Ricky Reed   Producer,Programming,Drum Programming,Executive Producer,String Arrangements
Serban Ghenea   Mixing
Chris Gehringer   Composer,Mastering
John Hanes   Engineer,Assistant
Ryan Tedder   Composer
Michael Foster   Composer
Thomas Troelsen   Composer,Producer,Programming
David Bianco   Engineer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
Kevin Kadish   Composer,Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming
Ross Golan   Composer
Gamal Lewis   Composer
Chris Gelbuda   Composer,Producer
Taylor Parks   Composer
Julio David Rodriguez   Composer
James G. Morales   Composer
Michael Klein   A&R
Steven Franks   Composer
Matt Morales   Composer,String Arrangements
Mr. Franks   Producer,Programming
Jon Schacter   Assistant
Ethan Shumaker   Engineer
Oliver Peterhof   Composer
Justin Trainor   Composer,Producer
Jordan Federman   Composer
Ines Ramadanovic   A&R
Erika Nuri   Composer
Peter Svensson   Composer
Chris Galland   Assistant
Jacob Kasher   Composer
Tom Coyne   Mastering
Theron Thomas   Composer
Timothy Thomas   Composer
Anita Marisa Boriboon   Creative Director
Travis Sayles   Composer
Sam Holland   Engineer
Sarah Barlow   Booklet
Jason Goldberg   Assistant
Shane Stevens   Composer
Johan Carlsson   Composer,Producer,Programming,Vocal Producer
Jordan Johnson   Composer
Eric Frederic   Composer
Mario Mims   Composer
Jason Desrouleaux   Composer
Bianca Atterberry   Composer
Cory Bice   Engineer
Stefan Johnson   Composer
Tom Schirmacher   Photography
Nash Overstreet   Composer
Marcus Lomax   Composer
Brandon Wood   Vocal Engineer