Ke$ha released her sophomore effort “Warrior” Dec. 4. It is loud, somewhat diverse, a little bit more mature than her previous work and excuse me for saying, has its pretty good moments. Her rave-tastic style has not died yet; it is just more infused with the cult-culture and the Illuminati.
A lot of K’s revamped image is thanks to the sonic work of Dr. Luke, who along with Max Martin, produced the majority of the album. The production crew has also given some parts of it that anthemic and shameless pop sound that we all shamelessly consume any given day of the week. Many of you may know Dr. Luke’s work from acts such as Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Tao Cruz, Robyn, and even from the era of boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and N’Sync.
Leading with its title track, “Warrior” sets an example for almost all to be featured throughout the LP: bi-polarity in the fact that the song starts out ok, then leads into an unsuspecting twist of either an EDM break or Ke$ha trying to sleaze out her MC skills. But there are still some surprises around the corner.
We cannot forget about Ke$ha’s new knack for surprising people with her unedited vocals in more acoustic and deconstructed styles.
The album also reveals a lot of emotion, which is not something most listeners of hers are used to. Really, it is quite an expression, as it is such a left turn from her previous work.
In “Wonderland” she adapts from her style of writing for this album and creates a world of soft rock ballads. And with every great soft rock ballad, she croons about a world that she used to live in and how much she longs for it all the while becoming vulnerable.
The most interesting element in this album is Ke$ha’s choice of lyrics. Some songs are loaded with lyrics that are amateur, some that are experienced, and some that listeners can tell that she penned them in no more than 15 seconds. The later actually proves that the “Die Young” songstress is at her best when she does not really try.
In that light, a surprise appearance from rock legend, Iggy Pop, is included on an appropriately named “Dirty Love” in a brash and energized duet that can be appreciated by new and old music listeners.
When I’m griping about how random EDM breaks and dubstep influences are ruining pop music, please turn to the song “Supernatural” to understand what I mean. This cut was the most anticipated part of the album. It starts off with an amazing hook that gets the listener ready for a stellar intergalactic pop ballad.
Nope. We cannot have any of that because the ever-so-trendy and grimy EDM break where a chorus should be just comes in and stomps on the whole thing.
This trend is in almost every recent radio hit and I’m just ready for it to leave. Please. You ruined it, and this small detail is the reason why this album is not getting the props that it actually deserves.
Then it ends, like the grime never happened. This happens on various cuts. Do not get me wrong. There are quite a few interesting parts of “Warrior.” Songs like “Only Wanna Dance With You,” “Gold Trans Am,” and “Wherever You Are” are perfect examples of what the rest of the album should have been–full of energy and catchy enough to keep you coming for more.
The two lead singles from the LP include “Die Young” and “C’mon” which are two shameless and polished pop gems that are obviously going to soar above the rest of the album commercially. “Die Young” has already made the short list for music blogger’s best of 2012, and “C’mon” should be following closely in it’s footsteps as soon as the single promotions kick in.