Stripped from the new wave-ish dance arrangements of One of the Boys, Katy Perry comes across as a charismatic performer with sturdy songs on MTV Unplugged -- and a singer with taste, too, picking Fountains of Wayne's "Hackensack" to cover. She works hard to win over her audience, sometimes leaning a little bit heavily on vocal affectations, but Perry winds up seeming more likeable here than she did on her debut: she's committed to entertaining her audience, and it's nice to see somebody working so hard in an age of slackers. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
