Head or Heart
★★☆☆☆
Artist: Christina Perri
Release Date: Apr. 1, 2014
Genre: Pop
Runtime: 49:52
Highlights: “Be My Forever,” “Lonely Child,” “Sea of Lovers”

Christina Perri first hit charts in 2011 with sweet love songs like “A Thousand Years” and “Arms”. Her first release, Lovestrong, made waves because of her vocal strength as she belted her way to radio play while retaining singer-songwriter status on quiet ballads. She returns with a more powerful tracklist on Head or Heart, a sophomore release that highlights the strengths of her voice and provides hints of the versatile artist she could be if she were to develop her sound further. The album does not have as much of an impact as it could, but is strong in the songs in which Perri strays from her cookie-cutter pop music to explore new sounds.

Head or Heart is powerful at some points. Closer “I Believe”, an ode to optimism and being true to who you are, plays off of the strength of Perri’s voice as she belts out high notes during the chorus, backed by dynamic strings and emotional piano music. “This is not the end of me,” sings Perri, “This is the beginning.” One can only hope that she is right. “I Believe” is a taste of what Perri is capable of and what she could be in the future.

“Lonely Child” is somewhat a standout due to its almost Spanish-sounding rhythm. It is different in a good way — a break from the repetitive pop ballads Perri’s two albums are full of. The track offers a new sound, one that she has not explored yet, and four minutes of the refreshingly jazzy beat and vocals is not enough. Another highlight is “Sea of Lovers”, a dynamic ballad with an indie influence. Perri marries the sounds of artists like airy rock band Coldplay and indie-pop singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson as she sings, “Will you let me follow you/Wherever you go?/Bring me home”.

The best song on the album is, by far, “Be My Forever”, in which Ed Sheeran joins Perri for a sweet love song, with heartwarming lyrics and flawless harmonies. Perri does not try to show off her vocal ability, but the song still brings a smile to the listener’s face. It is the rare happy Christina Perri song — different from what Perri does on the rest of the album — and one can only hope that she records more like it. Perri might be better at happy indie-pop than vocal-heavy ballads, but there is not a chance to find out. The next track and the first single from the album, “Human”, is a slow and soaring anthem about making mistakes. The best part comes near the end, a two-line phrase in which Perri sings quietly to almost silent music, “I can take so much/’Til I’ve had enough”. Her best moments are when she connects with the listener through an emotional lyric or a quiet phrase; however, these moments are few and far between, unbalanced with the strong high notes she often sings.

Perri’s album is a decent shot at a sophomore hit. In some ways, it falls short of the precedent set by her first album, Lovestrong, which is a good thing: Head or Heart is very different from its previously-released counterpart because it does have some variety. Her first release was full of made-for-radio tracks like “Arms” and “Jar of Hearts”. The second album is a somewhat halfway attempt at a new style, with some songs successful and some songs sounding like Lovestrong outtakes. But Head or Heart is still a missed opportunity; it could and should have been full of edgy tracks like “Lonely Child”. Head or Heart is Perri’s first release since 2012, but it was not fully worth the wait.

Christina Perri is a chart-topping artist and her second album still supports that image, with “Human” on nearly every radio station. However, Perri is still an artist to watch, full of unfulfilled potential. One can only hope that she realizes her strengths and that her third album takes inspiration from the playful rhythms of “Lonely Child”, the upbeat harmonies of “Be My Forever”, and the indie sound of “Sea of Lovers”. For now, however, Head or Heart partially satisfies listeners with few highlights.