“Electra Heart” has officially moved on, and in her place is a much more open, raw true version of Marina Diamandis, otherwise known as Marina and the Diamonds. Her third album in her career, “Froot,” was released on March 13. I had pretty high expectations for this album, mostly because I loved her earlier album, “Electra Heart.” 

I  also watched her answer a Q&A prior to the release of the album, and she seemed very excited and confident, stating that she had “better control” over her sound now that it was the third album. 

The lyrics are the keynote of this album. They were very deep and emotional for the most part, and each song had its own story to tell. Diamandis wrote all 12 tracks by herself, and collaborated with producer David Kosten for their production. Each song revealed the Welsh singer’s true self. 

The opener, “Happy,” has a very inspiring writer’s voice, detailing the singer’s rise from depression into a better state of self. “Weeds” has very heavy-handed lyrics about recurring relationships, and “Immortal” discusses everyone’s secret desire to live forever. The lyrics give Diamandis the image of a very solemn individual. 

My favorite songs in the album were “I’m a Ruin” and “Forget.” “I’m a Ruin” is an apology to the frivolous and shallow attitude that would have been found in a song in her previous album, “Electra Heart.” She admits that she messed up, and acts as a very relatable individual in her openness towards her own faults. The chorus is slightly more fast-paced, adding a bit of variety to the song. 

“Forget” would definitely be a concert favorite, with a very catchy chorus. It has a nice, head-bopping beat, and when the drums and guitars kick in the song really takes off. 

Other than the lyrics, the album was a general disappointment. The songs are not meant to be listened to as a whole, but should be listened to in small groups at different times. 

Making my way through the whole album was very difficult. Almost all of the songs stray into ballad territory, making for a slow listen. Also, Diamandis doesn’t take risks in terms of her voice. Many of her songs contain the same ethereal background vocals that she used in the previous album, and although her voice is very unique and beautiful, it felt as if I were listening to the same song eight or so times on repeat. 

Her title song, “Froot,” stood out the most within the album, but it wasn’t the best song. It had a goofy ’80’s disco feeling that you would either hear in the beginning of a cheap video game or as a parody of a musical number in a romantic comedy make-fun movie. 

Other songs just didn’t sit right with me, such as “Gold,” which had a nautical sound to it, and “Can’t Pin Me Down,” where she spends a large part of the song sounding like she is singing through a megaphone.

Overall, it is a pretty uninspiring album, musically. There are a few good pieces, but as an entity it was a boring listen. 

There aren’t many cheery or upbeat songs, leaving the listener in a somber mood. I suggest giving a watch to Marina’s music videos if you want to get a full understanding of her style for this album. 

Although Marina remains a good singer, she fails to make me love her more as an artist, and if someone were just being introduced to her through this album. 

I doubt they would find her an extremely appealing artist. I would give this album a rating of two out of five stars.