Member Since: 12/12/2008
Posts: 12,791
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THE A.V CLUB: B
(counted for metacritics, right?)
http://www.avclub.com/articles/keha-warrior,89338/
Quote:
Ke$ha never had a chance to be considered a credible artist: The debauched tone of her first single, “Tik Tok,” led detractors to brand her as nothing more than a vapid party girl puking up last night’s glitter. This pigeonholing lingered even though subsequent tunes “We R Who We R” (cheerleader-pop with robotic grooves) and “Your Love Is My Drug” (Swedish pop with an ’80s chaser) proved her pop-star mettle and staying power.
Perhaps being consistently underestimated explains why Warrior, Ke$ha’s second album, occasionally feels vengeful. The title track is a surging call for revolution with zippered electro zaps and choppy digital effects, while the scathing “Thinking Of You” eviscerates a former crush (“Found out you were full of it / I’m over it, so suck my dick”) by alternating between harsh rock drums and a swaying pop chorus with trilling vocals. During “Crazy Kids,” meanwhile, Ke$ha establishes dual personalities: On the acoustic guitar-driven choruses, she’s sweet and melancholy as she reveals her insanity; on the electronic-dipped verses, she unloads snappy hip-hop boasts (“I’m no virgin or no Virgo / I’m crazy that’s my word, though”) to assert herself.
Of course, writing quality tunes is the best revenge on any haters. And although Warrior has no shortage of modern techno-pop songs espousing endless love and/or long, magical nights (“Wherever You Are,” “Die Young,” “C’Mon”), the album takes some bold musical risks. The soul-strut “Dirty Love” is a gloriously unhinged duet with Iggy Pop that finds Ke$ha unleashing her inner Broadway cabaret singer, while the gooey, ’70s-piano-pop ballad “Wonderland” survives (and even thrives) on the strength of her Nashville-esque vocal delivery. And if the guitar-heavy “Only Wanna Dance With You” resembles The Strokes’ peppy garage-rock, well, it’s because that band’s Julian Casablancas and Fab Moretti appear on the song.
Those who already loathe Ke$ha probably won’t find Warrior any more endearing than her past work. (Not that she’d care—if anything, the singer seems galvanized by polarized reactions.) But anyone up for giving her a second chance—or recognizing she has actual singing, writing, and performing talent—just might be pleasantly surprised.
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THE BOSTON GLOBE (counted for metacritics)
http://bostonglobe.com/arts/music/20...UKO/story.html
Quote:
On Ke$ha’s second full-length, the pop star-lightning rod has again enlisted the aid of multiple producers and songwriters per track in a Hollywood script-doctor approach to music that’s either the death knell of “authenticity” or business as usual, depending on your cultural exasperation level.
In some cases it doesn’t work; the title track sounds like three separate songs grafted together: an up-tempo rapped verse laid over a tautly wound bass line slams into an ascendant, slower chorus and a dub-step diversion. Perhaps that’s the hydralike production work of hit-makers Dr. Luke, Cirkut, and Max Martin in action? Fellow kingmaker Benny Blanco joins the crowded creative conference call on first single “Die Young” to much better results. There’s still a somewhat distended feel to the progression between parts here — a strummed acoustic verse arrives at an electro-house chorus — but it’s a more seamless blend.
Even the less crossover single-focused tracks, like “Crazy Kids” — part dirty South hip-hop influence, part straight-mall pop — insist on darting between genres with speed-bump transitions. The standout Strokes collaboration “Only Wanna Dance With You” is an utterly glorious exception.
Too many cooks in the kitchen notwithstanding, it amounts to 12 songs here with some 40 perfectly crafted hooks. (Out now)
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sound mixed
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That was already counted, luckily.
