Meghan Trainor, The Love Train (EP) | Album Review

After delaying the release of her third studio album, Meghan Trainor returns with a love-centric, six-song EP, ‘The Love Train.’

Grammy-award winning pop artist Meghan Trainor is happy – that’s incredibly important.  She should be happy – she married her hubby, Daryl Sabara in 2018.  Marriage is definitely something to have you grinning from ear to ear.  That said, Trainor’s recording career wasn’t quite as happy in 2018.  After releasing five singles (“No Excuses”, “Let You Be Right”, “Can’t Dance”, “All The Ways”, and “Treat Myself”), none of them quite caught on.  Her third studio album, Treat Myself, was announced for a 2018 release date, then delayed until January 2019.  Then, January 2019 came around and Treat Myself went unreleased once more.  Yikes! Despite a botched album promo campaign and etc., Trainor drops a 19-minute, six-song EP, The Love Train.

“All the Ways” 

If you wondered why ✓ “All The Ways” was the only aforementioned single in boldface print, it’s because it was the only single to appear on The Love Train EP. “All the Ways” is a pleasant opener, featuring an optimistic, if somewhat subdued 80s-infused sound, that gives off good vibes.  Trainor focuses on love, and being the confident woman that she is, she has some requirements for her man: “If you love me, love me, love me like you say / Darling, tell me all the ways, tell me all the ways.” Trainor delivers warm, respectable vocals throughout, but there is a lack of frills you might say – it’s a bit ‘safe.

Beyond “All the Ways,” Meghan Trainor moves into new territory musically. The ukulele, tropically-infused “Marry Me” is no surprise, given her recent marriage.  Also, not surprising is the dash of a retro-pop sound, something Trainor has embraced two full-length albums in.  There’s nothing ‘brand-new’ or particularly innovative, but Trainor’s dedication and throwback to the simpler, purer aspects of life – love – is loud and clear.  She sings the record well.

“I’m Down”

“If you’re up for it, I’m all yours now / If you’re up for it, I’m down.” ✓ “I’m Down” benefits from its big, anthemic sound, most notably on the aforementioned chorus. The entirety of the production is ear-catching without being ground breaking, while Trainor continues to sing respectably.  Trainor’s performance isn’t ‘the second coming’ as once again, she’s not particularly flashy or the most rousing artistic presence, but there’s more than enough to earn “I’m Down” replay value.

“After You” continues the dedicated, matrimony-centric vibes of The Love Train successfully.  Once more, Trainor’s bread is buttered on the chorus, which summarizes her feelings. It’s pretty direct and straightforward, like much of The Love Train, leaving little – well, nothing – to decode or try to interpret.  Maybe the biggest rub is that even though it’s decent, it feels a bit too ‘vanilla,’ never reaching that next gear or next level.

“Foolish” 

Meghan Trainor wisely embraces being tongue-in-cheek on “Foolish” giving The Love Train a bit more of the ‘fun factor.’  The record remains idiomatic of marriage and true love, but she lets loose a wee bit more. If nothing else, the vocal harmonies are a selling point, while Trainor also shows a bit more oomph, taking a few more risks with some runs.  ✓  “Good Mornin’” closes out The Love Train in groovy, soulful fashion featuring her dad, Gary Trainor (piano).  The light, gospel sensibility with backing vocals and more overt lead vocals by Meghan are a selling point.  Again, guess where Trainor’s ‘bread is buttered?’ Ding*Ding*Ding* – the chorus (and post-chorus)!

“Good mornin’, good mornin’
Oh, I need some of your sweet loving
Good mornin’, good mornin’
Oh, I need some of your sweet loving
To come wake me up
I’ve been dreaming of you
To come wake me up
Say you want me, too.”

Final Thoughts 

So, how does the new Meghan Trainor EP, The Love Train stack up? All in all, it’s a respectable effort from the Grammy-winning pop artist.  It’s not the most enthralling pop music ever made – it’s safe and again, a bit ‘vanilla’ – but there’s enough here to remind us of what Trainor brings to the table. Hopefully, when she does release her third studio album, she comes back with a vengeance.

✓ Gems: “All the Ways,” “I’m Down” & “Good Mornin’”  

Meghan Trainor • The Love Train (EP) • Epic • Release: 2.8.19

Photo Credit: Epic