Well
whataya know? Kesha actually CAN sing, well sort of.
It’s been
two years since the release of her 2010 EP “Cannibal”, and in that waiting
period Kesha ducked under the radar, going through a self-proclaimed spiritual
journey to find new inspiration. She was also determined to finally knock down
the accusations of her vocal talent (or lack thereof). Did it work? In a word,
yes.
Perhaps
Kesha and Christina Aguilera should have switched album titles, because while
Aguilera’s 2012 album “Lotus” mainly focused on being a fighter, “Warrior”
focuses more on Kesha’s own rebirth and new found cause to represent the
misfits everywhere. The opening title tracks proudly exclaims: “We were born to
break the doors down, fighting till the end. It’s something inside of us, it’s
how we’ve always been” in a defiant chant. There’s “Die Young” the album’s lead
single that holds influences from “Animal” and “Cannibal”, but also steers
towards a more tangible sound instead of drum-machines and auto-tune. In fact,
auto-tune has been virtually abandoned, even though Kesha didn’t abandon her
musical parent Dr. Luke. His perfect pop production keeps the flow, but is now
ready to let Kesha, the person, come to the forefront and not her hot mess
public image. Instead, she’s a little more put together, a little more cohesive
and now has a musical ambition. As calculated and as pop-machined “Animal” and “Cannibal”
were, they were a necessary move for Kesha. Now that she’s gotten that out of
her system, she now has a cause: to prove to the world she is a credible
artist.
Kesha may
come across dumb, because she is nowhere near stupid. All of her own songs, and
songs she’s featured in, are HER creations, with the help of a couple other
songwriters. She’s sung back-up vocals for other prominent singers, she’s
worked with the best hit-makers in the music business, if there’s anyone who
knows how to make popular music, it’s her. And “Warrior” proves she is one of
the only artists who can not only add 70s rock and light pop/rock to her track
list, but throws them in with her signature style and you ultimately wouldn’t
notice any change of pace. She will never be tasteful, that’s for sure, but she’s
also continuing to stray away from being crude and is entering into taunting and
teasing with the disgusting. She knows exactly what goes into making pop that
is irresistible and at the same time is expanding her horizons to lean towards
messages besides getting sleazy, partying all night and waking up in bathtubs. “Warrior”
may not be as bright as the sun and fun music of “Animal”, and it also may not
be well-suited for the clubs like “Cannibal”, but it’s all the more compelling
because of it. In “Wonderland”, Kesha finally masters the challenge of a ballad
(this is also proven in the deluxe version with her most raw vocal performance:
“Last Goodbye”), in “Crazy Kids” she hits glory notes that no one ever would
have thought she was capable of. She can’t out-Whitney Whitney, but she can
still crank out the hits like her. “Warrior” is the culmination of Kesha’s
spiritual journey, and this victory proves that we as an audience may not
appreciate her as much as we should. It took eleven months, but this is the
first pop album of 2012 that’s enjoyable all the way through.
Like it or
not, “Warrior” is the best pop album of 2012. Regardless of genre, it’s still
up there.
Recommended
Tracks in Bold:
1. Warrior 2. Die Young 3. C’Mon
4.
Thinking of You 5. Crazy
Kids 6. Wherever You Are
7. Dirty
Love 8. Wonderland 9. Only Wanna Dance With You
10.
Supernatural 11. All That
Matters (The Beautiful Life)
12. Love Into the Light
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