On her sixth studio album, 2024's
Timeless
, singer
Meghan Trainor
takes a little of everything she's done previously -- from R&B-infused dance-pop to the swinging, doo wop-inspired sound of her breakthrough, "All About That Bass" -- and concocts a frothy, confident, mixtape of an album. Helping her achieve this sugary, feel-good vibe are a cadre of production collaborators, including
Federico Vindver
,
Gian Stone
Grant Boutin
Jason Evigan
, and her brother
Justin Trainor
. Together, they craft an album that hits many of the stylistic beats
Trainor
is known for, including minor-key '60s-style torch songs ("To the Moon"), horn- driven Latin groovers ("I Don't Do Maybe"), and, as always, her contemporary, hip-hop-inspired update of '50s vocal doo wop ("Whoops"). Is much of this pastel-colored, tongue-in-cheek genre pastiche? Of course, but it's also smartly written and full of melodic hooks that underscore
's skill as both a pop craftsman and vocalist. There's an empowered pop swagger to her work, one she deftly encapsulates in meme-sized slogans, as on "Been Like This" with
T-Pain
, singing "But I been like this, I been like this/Run your mouth, but I'm on your lips/Ain't nothin' new, still that b*tch." That the lyric is perhaps a sly reference to a
Meghan Thee Stallion
anthem speaks to the canny cross-genre influences at play in
's work. It's a vibe she conjures throughout the album, especially on the other guest tracks like "Crushin'" with the New York soul-pop outfit
Lawrence
and the girl group-esque "I Wanna Thank Me" with actress
Niecy Nash
. With
might still be that doo wop-centric, all-about-that-bass girl, but she knows how to work it. ~ Matt Collar