Tate entices with post-Britney Spears, dirty, breathy pop

“So Close to What” by Tate McRae (RCA Records)

She can sing. She can dance. She’s mastered a sultry gaze. She can write a smutty phrase. Is Tate McRae the new princess of dirty, breathy pop? (Sorry, Britney Spears. A new Gen Z star approaches.)

The “hardest working Canadian recording artist” award must surely go to McRae in 2025, who at age 21 has released her third studio album, “So Close to What,” and is gearing up for a world tour.

A trained dancer, McRae first garnered attention in 2016 when she was one of the finalists on the 13th season of “So You Think You Can Dance.” She’s added songwriting and singing to her resume since then, hoping to become a full-blown pop star. And on “So Close to What,” she makes a convincing effort. She just needs to find the tune that will propel her to higher echelons.

The generous, 15-track album offers an array of serviceably sexy pop songs that harken back to the early 2000s, but mostly skew modern. (Truth be told, the more she looks back, the better the track.) The standouts are the seductive ones that lure the listener in with an earworm chorus, the ones that recognize a good beat and are not afraid to use it: “Sports car,” “Purple lace bra” and the brassy “It’s ok I’m ok” among them.

“Miss possessive,” also the name of her upcoming tour, starts the album in force with a great choppy hook. “Revolving door” and “Means I care” — both energetic pop bops — are enhanced by dancehall production.

A duet with McRae’s boyfriend, The Kid LAROI, “I know love,” is contemporary romance with its trappy hi-hats and nonchalant energy.

The album’s verve starts to wane toward the last tracks like in the soft, casual “Green Light,” or “Nostalgia,” which breaks out the acoustic guitar and lets McRae really showcase her vocals.

Has she taken the crown of pop princess from Spears with this album? Not quite. But she’s close. CRISTINA JALERU, MDT/AP