Meghan Trainor is an artist I've always had a strong connection with, as I find her extremely relatable, but also incredibly talented. So, when I heard she had released a new album, I hopped on the opportunity to do a deep dive. It's been a while since I've listened to one of her albums in depth, but I'm glad I finally did so. Timeless is such a unique album, with a vintage sound, but still reminiscent of Trainor's past music. She also had a couple of guest features on some songs with artists I hadn't heard of before. But now, after this listen-through, I'm quickly becoming a new fan.
tracklist
To The Moon
Been Like This
Crowded Room
Whoops
Crushin' (feat. Lawrence)
I Wanna Thank Me (feat. Niecy Nash)
Love On Hold (feat. T-Pain)
Forget How To Love
Rollin'
I Don't Do Maybe
I Get It
Sleepin' On Me
Hate It Here
Bestie
Doin' It All For You
Timeless
You may recognize Meghan Trainor from some of her most popular hits, "Lips Are Movin" and "All About That Base". She has been releasing music since 2014. And in 2015, she released her debut album, `. Since then, she has gone on to reach an impressive 27 million monthly streams on Spotify. With the release of Timeless, Trainor also announced her upcoming tour, which is set to begin in September. I loved everything about this album, and I can think of nothing else I want to do then start going over each incredible song, so let's get into it!
To The Moon
I think as the opener to this album, "To The Moon" is incredible. The song is about Trainor's love being so strong, that her partner will have the ride of his life on an incredible journey as they fall deeper and deeper in love. There's a lot of symbolism with space in this song, and not even just in the title. Trainor mentions taking her lover into a "spaceship", where her love will take them "to the moon". I imagine she is referring to the magnitude of her love, and how it's floating through orbit as they approach lengths akin to the moon. Incredible opener, it's been a while since I've vibed with a song like this from Trainor. But this is only the start!
Been Like This
"Been Like This" is the next song on this album, and it's SO FUN! It's another song featuring T-Pain, and it's probably my favorite of the two they share on this album. The song is about self-confidence and empowerment, and loving yourself and the person you've grown to become. Throughout the lyrics, Trainor is praising someone for being "cute, classy, thick, bold, and sassy". She also mentions her booty, which I think is a staple in a Meghan Trainor song. She is the queen of empowerment and loving your body despite societal norms. So, it was nice to hear a song like this again, especially as a bigger woman, myself.
Crowded Room
I feel like this next song has a similar sound to much of Trainor's past music, and I love it. "Crowded Room" is a song about being hopelessly in love, and not sparing any mind to those around you, as if you were essentially in a crowded room. Soulmates aren't easy to find, but when you do meet yours, it can feel like no one else exists in the world. That's the feeling I got from this song, and It's. a feeling I can only one day hope to experience. It's nice listening to Trainer singing about being so in love, especially after some of her debut songs. This song was short, but sweet, and I loved every word.
Whoops
As if I'm contradicting my own word, this next song centers around the end of a failed relationship! "Whoops" is a pretty upbeat song considering its meaning, but I think it works extremely well. I felt many emotions listening to this song, like disappointment, but also empowerment. I think one thing I loved about this song in particular was how Trainor acknowledged that the other person was the one at fault. I never got the vibe that Trainer viewed herself as the reason behind her partner cheating. I also like how the song emanates a vibe that Trainor won't just sit by and accept the fact that her partner is a cheater. She called them out, and told him to pack up their things and go. Needless to say, I LOVED "Whoops".
Crushin' (feat. Lawrence)
This is another incredible, empowering, and fun song about loving yourself and everything that's unique and special about you. "Crushin'" is also the first official featured track on this album, and I don't know how I had never listened to any of Lawrence's music before, but she's incredible! I think her voice blended extremely well with Trainor's. It made for an iconic piece that had me loving myself more and more by the end of it. This song was definitely one of my favorites on the album, that's without. a doubt.
I Wanna Thank Me (feat. Niecy Nash)
It shouldn't be shocking that this next song is another one about self-empowerment, it seems to be her brand. However, I love how each song has something so distinctly different from one another. In this case, Trainor is singing about being the main reason she's come so far, and how she didn't need validation from anyone to get to this point. I will say, this is supposed to be a featured song with actress, Niecy Nash. I really only hear her at the beginning and end. Personally, I wish she would have been in the song more than she was, but that's really my only critique. Overall, I generally liked this song!
Love On Hold (feat. T-Pain)
This has got to be one of the best songs on this album, in my opinion. I was surprised to see that T-Pain was featured not once, but TWICE on the album, as I feel his style of music differs much from Trainor's. However, I think they made an incredible song that stood out amongst the others on the album. "Love On Hold" is about craving emotional intimacy, and recognizing that you deserve more than the bare minimum in relationships. I loved everything about this song, especially when we got to hear T-Pain's voice, which surprisingly blends extremely well with Trainor's! I think this song was a lot of fun.
Forget How To Love
I think this next song is one that does. agreat job of showing off Trainor's voice without using a bunch of backing harmonies. "Forget How To Love" is a song about recognizing your self-worth, and encouraging others to prioritize themselves at the end of a relationship. I think Trainor's voice is stunning, yet often overshadowed by the harmonies she includes. So, I appreciated getting to hear more of her natural voice, which I feel has a sort of vintage sound to it. I think while Trainor is an incredible musician now, she would have especially thrived as a 50s/60s singer on the radio. Also, I think I heard a choir singing along with her in this song, which was INCREDIBLE. This song was definitely in the top three for me.
Rollin'
If you need a song to add to your female empowerment playlist, this should be right at the top. "Rollin'" is an incredible song about not backing down when you're surrounded by people who mansplain or try to underestimate you just because you're a woman. In society, women too often have to deal with men trying to belittle us, and downplay our achievements. When in reality, women are in many ways better than men (not entirely biased). Sometimes if I'm having an especially bad day, I feel like a song like this would easily lift my spirits.
I Don't Do Maybe
"I Don't Do Maybe" is another stellar song that centers around boosting self-worth and empowerment. Trainor sings about not wanting to be just a side thought in a relationship. No one wants to be led on, and I think this song perfectly demonstrated that feeling that, unfortunately, many of us know all too well. I think this song was great, and I especially loved the deep, bass "uh-huh's" that we hear as Trainor sings each verse. It made for a unique sound that I honestly was obsessed with.
I Get It
The feeling one gets when they finally fall in love with the person they were meant to be with is so special. And "I Get It" is one of the best examples of this feeling. The song is about love and understanding between two people who have both dealt with a lot in previous relationships. This idea is only confirmed by Trainor's repeated lyric, "I get it", showing how Trainor understands all that her partner dealt with, and can relate in a way that no one else could. It was nice to hear a song that wasn't completely about empowerment, so I particularly enjoyed this song.
Sleepin' On Me
If you have ever felt like an underdog, this song is about to become your new anthem. "Sleepin' On Me" is a song about celebrating your success, even when others told you that you'd never make it far. It's empowering and filled me with a sense of perseverance. If there was any sign that I should work hard to follow my dreams despite what others try to tell me, this song threw several at me. I especially connected with this one, as I just started my first post-college job, and in a male-dominated industry. I worked hard to get to where I am, and even if someone tries to underestimate my hard work, I know it was all worth it. That is precisely the message I took from this song.
Hate It Here
This song, I feel, has a deeper meaning than some of the others. "Hate It Here" is an incredible song about feeling trapped in an uncomfortable and unfortunate situation, like a bad relationship. I could sense a feeling of want for comfort and safety in Trainor's words, which I think were a stark - yet powerful - contrast to the backing track. This song had a very energetic beat, and the production reminded me of the type of music I would hear at a rave. I think in comparison to the others on the album, this was a good way to start to bring Timeless to a close.
Bestie
Have you ever felt like you were your own best friend? Then this song is for you. "Bestie" is an empowering ballad of being able to love yourself, and find joy in your own presence. Personally, it took me a long time to get to the point that Trainor is currently at. I struggled for years (even still sometimes today) to learn to love myself. And now, i love myself with my whole heart, and can definitely say I identify as one of my own besties. I want to point out one of the lyrics that I especially connected with. "I am the only one who's been there since day one." I'm not sure I can find another lyric that I've resonated with so much.
Doin' It All For You
The second-to-last song on this album is "Doin' It All For You", a song about doing anything to make your partner happy, and going to different lengths to do so. Trainor can imagine a future with her partner, and solidifies that feeling as she sings lyrics like "Forever ain't enough" and repeats "I do" multiple times throughout the song. If there's one thing someone should be in a relationship, it's devoted, focusing all of your love on your relationship and making your partner happy. So, I think this song portrayed that feeling extremely well.
Timeless
Finally, we have come to the titular track... and the final one on the album. "Timeless" represents the story of a love that's everlasting. I think compared to the first song on this album, this was the perfect way to round off this incredible story that Trainor has created. I especially love how Trainor emphasizes that life doesn't go on forever, but that the time that she does spend, she wants to spend it with her lover, even after they are both dead. I think Trainor's voice is stunning, I could really feel every ounce of emotion she poured into these lyrics.
Overall, I think Trainor hit the nail on the head with her concept for this album. She hasn't released an album since 2022, so I think this was the perfect album to kick off this next leg of her career. I think she has an incredibly unique voice, and I love how she harmonizes with herself in her music. It creates an added depth, and made me fall in love with this album even more. Everyone needs to go and stream the full Timeless album now, I promise you too will become obsessed.
Written By Isabel Mays
*copyright not intended. Fair use act, section 107.
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