Dated girl-power anthems and by-the-numbers dance-pop lack the frivolity that once made the singer so entertaining

Even Perry’s few truly creative quips inspire little more than confusion. “Say the right thing, maybe you can be / Crawling on me like a centipede,” she sings on “GIMME GIMME”—a great line if you’re trying to charm Tim Burton,

Following a breathless medley of hits at the MTV Video Music Awards last week, Katy Perry clutched her gold-plated Moon Person to accept the Video Vanguard trophy. “There are so many things that have to align to have a long and successful career as an artist.

The singer tries to revive her imperial era — but her perfunctory pop music feels trapped in a bygone time.

Rather than doubling down on an already bad idea, Perry should have rested on her laurels and quietly faded into pop nostalgia.