DISC 1: Animal
From Animal, it can be proven that Ke$ha is one helluva party girl. The album is of the dance-pop/electropop genre, with lyrics revolving around her hardcore partying/flirting (or, as Allmusic reviewer David Jeffries calls it, "garbage chic") lifestyle. For example, "Take It Off" is a dancefloor-worthy number that suggests letting your inner inhibitions loose.
Most of the tracks are inspired by Ke$ha's personal experiences - "Kiss N Tell" was about the time when an ex cheated on her for another female pop singer ("I never thought that you would be the one, acting like a slut when I was gone"), and "Stephen" is about... some unknown guy named Stephen who didn't call Ke$ha back ("Stephen, why won't you call me?"). "Dinosaur" is an addictive cheer-type ditty written about "creepy rich guys who think they can hit on young girls", according to an interview with Maxim ("D-I-N-O-S-A, U-R a dinosaur"). "Party at a Rich Dude's House" is said to be written about an incident where Ke$ha puked in Paris Hilton's closet during a party at the Hilton home ("I threw up in the closet, but I don't care"), and lead single "TiK ToK" was about waking up around her attractive female friends and comparing it to feeling like rapper Diddy ("Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy").
A common complaint among legit music reviewers (trust me - I'm not legit) is that Ke$ha uses too much Auto-Tune in the album, which is experiencing an all-time high, thanks to this party girl. And it's kinda true - with this much Auto-Tune, we are not sure whether Ke$ha is a legit singer.
And let me put my POV like this - yes, Ke$ha can sing. Just listen to the tracks where she uses minimal Auto-Tune (which are my recommended tracks of the disc), "Hungover" and "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes". They may not be actual ballads since they still use electronic synths, but the songs show a more expressive and vulnerable side of the singer. "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" is a particular favourite of mine, with lyrics talking about being happy on the outside when hiding something more sad on the inside ("I'm fading, I'm broken inside/I've wasted the love of my life/I'm losing it/With every move I die").
DISC 2: Cannibal
Cannibal promises to showcase a more feral side of Ke$ha. Title track "Cannibal" tries to reinforce that fact with cannibalistic lyrics ("Use your finger to stir my tea/And for dessert, I'll suck your teeth"). For the other tracks, though, it's still party-girl Ke$ha, but with harder beats and louder synths. Lead single "We R Who We R", written in response to the recent gay suicides, is an empowering track telling listeners to not be afraid to be who they are. "Sleazy" is an hard-hitting track with talk-singing lyrics, while my recommended track "Blow" is an addictive dance number that gets you on the dancefloor immediately.
"Grow A Pear" is a playful track written about a whiney ex who is unable to "grow a pear" of balls and be a real man ("But I just can't date a dude with a vag"), while "C U Next Tuesday" seems to be another entry in the list of double-entendre song titles (remember Britney Spears' "If U Seek Amy"?).
However, again, the stand-out of the disc is the one song where Ke$ha uses minimal Auto-Tune - "The Harold Song", written about missing an old love ("I miss your soft lips, I miss your white sheets/I miss the scratch of your unshaved face on my cheek").
Overall, Animal+Cannibal is a big mass of dancefloor-destruction. So big that no party is complete without at least one Ke$ha track playing. With Ke$ha around, the "place's about to BLOW". Thus, I give Ke$ha's Animal+Cannibal...
4/5
NEXT REVIEW: TAYLOR SWIFT - SPEAK NOW. Keep a lookout!
No comments:
Post a Comment