Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 03/29/2012 at 5:28 PM Reviews

The Popdust Files: marilyn monroe, nicki minaj, Roman Reloaded, track-by-track reviews

Track 15: “Marilyn Monroe”

Sounds Like: A relatively non-descript Ryan Tedder-type midtempo pop/rock ballad, where Nicki wonders aloud about the nature of her celebrity and the imperfections of her life, and whether those feelings put her in league with the original pop culture Barbie. With no rap, no funny accents, no parts where she extends a note for three measures for no reason, it’s maybe the most straight-faced pop song that Nicki’s done to date.

Pros: It’s a perfectly respectable ballad, one that would’ve sounded perfectly natural being done by anyone from Beyoncé to Jordin Sparks. (Though if it was the latter, perhaps the comparison would have come off somewhat arrogant.)  It extends Nicki’s range even further than she’s already stretched—now, we finally get a glimpse of Nicki Minaj, the American Idol contestant.

Cons: Of course, just because she can pull off the MOR ballad doesn’t mean it’s the path we’d really like to see her go down. Irritating as they can be when used without discretion, there’s something to be said for all of Nicki’s goofy accents and over-annunciations and such, and we kinda miss that side of her when she plays it straight like this. Not that we wanna deny the serious side of Nicki—she had success being a little more contemplative on Pink Friday tracks like “Moment 4 Life” and “Dear Old Nicki”—but we just don’t want her to get bogged down in it.

Roman Rating: 0/10. Roman has officially sunk back into the Siberian winter on this one.

WTF? Moment: Asking “Is this how Marilyn Monroe felt?” and then immediately answering “Must be how Marilyn Monroe felt” is pretty WTF? to us. It’s like, what are you even asking for, dude?

Previous Reviews: “Roman Holiday,” “Come On A Cone,” “I Am Your Leader,” “Beez in the Trap,” “HOV Lane,” “Roman Reloaded,” “Champion,” “Right By My Side,” “Sex in the Lounge,” “Starships,” “Pound the Alarm,” “Whip It,” “Automatic,” “Beautiful Sinner”

POPDUST SAYS:
[starreview tpl=16]