For fans of: Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding, Katy Perry
Singles to download: “Run Away With Me,” “Boy Problems,” “LA Hallucinations”

If there’s anything remarkable about Carly Rae Jepsen as a public figure, it’s how profoundly unremarkable she is. In a pop landscape that favors the bold personalities and relentless self-branding of Drake, Beyonce and Taylor Swift, Jepsen takes the opposite tack, a minnow in a sea of sharks.

This is not surprising given the origin of her career. Her first recording contract resulted from a third-place finish on the fifth season of “Canadian Idol,” leading to a debut album, “Tug of War,” that sold as well as records from singing competition runners-up tend to, moving a mere 10,000 copies in her home country. Like many a musical reality show contestant before her, Jepsen failed to distinguish herself from the anonymously pretty voices fighting for the attention of soccer moms.

While hinting at Jepsen’s ease with sticky melodies, “Tug of War” plays like a sunset run through an Instagram filter. While soothing by default, its songs are hampered by timid arrangements and over polished production.

Her second album, “Kiss,” charted significant growth but in keeping with her out-ward modesty, Jepsen’s improvement came from harnessing the power of collaboration and meticulous craftsmanship rather than a splashy reinvention. By enlisting the help of seasoned songwriters and producers, Jepsen unlocked her gift for con¬structing airtight singles that drew from disparate eras and styles.

Her keen sense of proportion was equally important, ensuring that in combining the persistent cheeriness and lyrical chastity of ’50s bubble¬gum pop, foregrounded artificiality of ’80s synth pop and build/drop structure of modern dance music, she would never drift too far in any direction. Far from pastiche, this was a demonstration of sound musical technique.

Jepsen’s third album, “Emotion,” represents another behind-the-scenes progression. Having found a formula for success, Jepsen addresses her previous record’s weaknesses (misguided collaborations with Owl City and Justin Bieber that disrupted her careful balancing act) and increases her hit rate to a near-perfect clip.

The album opens with “Run Away With Me,” Jepsen’s best work to date, aside from the nearly insurmountable “Call Me Maybe.” Her vocal melodies move the song in tight, purposeful steps, shifting syllabic emphasis when neces¬sary to widen its scope. While never receding to the background, she also never dominates the track, preferring to work in lockstep with percussive pops and synthetic throbs. Like Jepsen’s best moments, the song sells generalized romantic cues through acts of subtle craftsmanship. Even a saxophone riff that, in lesser hands, would serve as little more than a knowing, nostalgic wink, is deployed tastefully.

From there, she gets slower (“All That”), funkier (“Emotion”) and peppier (“Boy Problems”), showing the cool confidence of the gym rat who wakes at 5 a.m. to refine her jump shot. Jepsen and her team falter only when they lose faith in their technique.

Unfortunately, the album’s biggest mistake comes when the stakes are highest. Lead single “I Really Like You” was Jepsen’s best shot to reassert her commercial relevance. Instead, it stalled at 39 on the Billboard singles chart — likely due to a chorus that strains for manufactured sweetness by multi-tracking Jepsen’s voice beyond its breaking point. An indecisive mix further sterilizes her efforts — even the hook smacks of trite groupthink.

Rare misstep aside, “Emotion” thrives on technical competence. In an era of deeply personal, capital “s” pop statements, “Emotion” has no agenda, no vanity. Like Jepsen, it lives in the details, one irresistible hook at a time.