Dedicated highlights all that makes Carly Rae Jepsen great

Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest doubles down on one of her central messages as an artist – that no force is more potent than the emotions we feel. And while her third LP E•MO•TION certainly established this, on Dedicated, Jepsen’s infatuation with the rush of human feeling soars to dizzying new heights.

“He needs me. You know, not just physically. Emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, sexually…all the ways,” she whispers on “Everything He Needs”, a track about an all-encompassing love that further highlights the thrills she seeks. Suppressed thoughts and denied feelings don’t deserve a place in Jepsen’s world, instead she encourages us all to be rocked by both the highs and lows, in whatever form they may take. The most intense shades of content, lust, sorrow, and more aren’t just confined to Jepsen’s head but consume her entirely – and they pull and push her from one direction to the next, an exhausting but glorious ride through life.

At times, her songs themselves seem unable to contain the sheer volume of all that Jepsen wants to express. The choruses of “Real Love” and “For Sure” pound with the pressure of a heart ready to burst, and “No Drug Like Me” aches with desire and hope; experiences that are equal parts overwhelming and undeniable. Through envy, happiness, uncertainty, and self-assuredness, Dedicated tells us that every emotion we feel is another important step in our own personal saga. It’s part of how Jepsen has come to mean so much to so many - by reminding us that there’s always something to look forward to.