Released: Nov 30, 2012
Genre: Dance-Pop, Electropop, Electronic Rock
Label: RCA
Number Of Tracks: 12
The controversial pop star comes back with a rock-tinged sophomore effort.
WarriorFeatured review by: UG Team, on november 30, 2012 6 of 6 people found this review helpful
Sound: If UG is your only source of Ke$ha news – and let’s be honest, it probably is – then you might be under the impression that she’s got aspirations as a rockstar. The Tennessee party monkey has been telling the press all about her metal credentials and genre-smashing aspirations in the media preamble for new album "Warrior". If you’ve read about it you might be feeling sceptical and, well... You’d be right to. The most you can say about her new effort is that you can tell she likes rock and metal – what you can’t say is whether she has any clue what to do with it.
"Warrior" opens with a handful of club-pop tracks similar to those which she made her name on, fit for purpose as backing to tightly clothed guys inviting girls to the bar for a complimentary roofie. There are some brief forays into deeper electronic territory but the real talking points come later, when she gets the guitars out.
This seems like a good time to point out that Ke$ha (co-)writes all of her own songs. When she wants something in there, it gets in there; even it is watered down and twisted beyond recognition. There are some real drums and crunchy guitars on "Thinking Of You" and "Only Wanna Dance With You" – the latter even features members of The Strokes – but "Led Zep IV" this is not. The scarce blues influence ends up sounding like Taylor Swift and the rock influence sounds like Avril Lavigne, racy lyrics notwithstanding. While "Warrior" does offer up a few more curveballs than debut album "Animal", they're little more than novelty and if she does do catchy, upbeat pop well then that remains the extent of it. // 2
Lyrics and Singing: "All that matters is the beautiful life", so says our girl on "All That Matters". Elsewhere she wants to dance, she wants to get high and it also sounds like she might want Iggy Pop’s geriatric thrust on "Dirty Love", which features a cameo from the punk icon. She’s nothing if not consistent. Her taste for the trashy is half of what’s got her this far, and Iggy probably sees something of himself in that but ultimately this is more car insurance ad than "Raw Power". Besides the odd ballad and a couple of nice sentiments about following your dreams, this is mostly her staple diet of sex, drugs and pop. // 3
Impression: Maybe it’s unrealistic, but I’d like to think there’s a karmic element that will come into play here. Sing along and you’ll find yourself with a sore throat. Dance while sober and someone will throw their drink on you. Buy it as a stocking filler and Santa will move you over to the ‘bad’ list on principle. Ke$ha aims to empower her audience and help them find their ‘inner warrior’, but she’s put this scribe on the brink of self-destruction. A truly degrading experience. // 2
While I'm not even remotely a fan of Ke$ha, I feel like an overall rating of 2 is just a mindless attack on the album. I'll have to listen to it to say for sure, but really for the genre of pop entertainment dance "music", her songs are usually pretty catchy.
Not even going to read it because I now it's not going to be a serious review. You guys would even give artist like Trentemøller or Dorian Concept a 2.3...
I do believe someday, many years from now, pop-stars will realize just because they like Rock and Metal music doesn't make their "music" exactly like it. I can't look at my tube-tv and expect to be a LG 60" just because I like them. That's just silly.
If you fart into Songify, it perfectly recreates a ke$ha song with slightly more talent and soul, then your fart instantly gets sloppy music vids, paid for mtv air time and millions of teenage sheople followers on twitter
I really don't know why this has such absolutely awful reviews.
As a dirty, sleazy pop album, I think it's great!!
Ke$ha is an anomaly as of late - a pop star that really does not let the innumerable cynics get her down. She's kept doing her thing, whether people hate it or not. I think she's good.
She does her thing cuz she gets paid for it. Vast sums of money that someone like her barely 'earned'. She sang on the album and that was it, pretty much everything else was done for her in the studio by a strangely large number of producers and writers who probably had no input from her what so ever. Even the vocal lines were most likely written for her.
To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if I asked you 'what makes pop music 'good'' and then you said 'Its got a good beat to it'.
How is that different from most other current pop stars?? Which is beside the fact that I did not say anything about her writing the songs.
To be honest,
people saying they like music "because they like the beat" is probably the most aggravating, least sensical reason I've ever heard.
I wouldn't be surprised if you expected me to think I like ambient music because 'Its got a good beat to it'. Or experimental metal. Or anything. Seems such a strange quip to make based off of the comment.
Hell, I wonder if there's ANY pop music UG likes....
To be honest what's so wrong with other people writing music for her? On an originality level I can understand how that would be points against someone, but if the song is good it shouldn't really matter who wrote it as long as they're credited. There's a lot of people who write their own songs and make pretty terrible results.
Also pop for the most part is about accessibility and catchiness (this isn't inherently a bad thing though like a lot of people tend to believe), so I think "liking the beat" is a bit more valid in that case than some other genres. However, if that's the only reason you can think of you should probably reconsider if you actually enjoy the track.
Justifying music taste in general can get pretty complicated because of the subjectivity of it all.
It gets bad reviews because the music is bad. If you like jumping up and down to a catchy three chord-formula than this record is for you. It's not innovative and daring. It's just lazy pop that sells because of the brand - Ke$ha.
If you want party music Supersuckers have made more fun records than this. I'd even settle for some Mindless Self Indulgence because at least it's a bit rhytmically interesting. If you want a record that touches your soul...why the hell would you go to Ke$ha?
I bring your attention to the ES synthesizers in Logic Pro. Or any synth that uses an electronic signal from the processer in the computer. So any software synthesizer.
"Elsewhere she wants to dance, she wants to get high and it also sounds like she might want Iggy Pop’s geriatric thrust on "Dirty Love", which features a cameo from the punk icon."
i love how people r giving her a shitty rating for her record but yet shes still doing something making people happy w her music need to be more open minded about music bad review and o yeah probly making more money than you.
A) Her music's certainly not making me happy
B) Being open-minded does not equate to (wrongfully) thinking that all music has merit. Kesha's music is re-re-re-recycled garbage; we've all heard it before, we'll all hear it again. There's nothing unique, or skilled, or soulful about it.
C) "Probly" making more money than someone does not equate quality of music. Pop musicians make money because their music is not complex. It's very easy to listen to; the lyrics are always familiar; and it has a beat that people can dance to. Pop isn't about artistic expression anymore; it's about money. Also, for the record, if you think that someone's worth is measured by their wealth, you seriously need to reexamine your values. Go grow up a little before you decide to open your mouth again.
UG, please don't be so biased. This record is intended for mindless teenage party animals, not actual music freaks from UG. Of course we're gonna hate it because we're used to good... music...
Actually, I was making up an argument midway during that paragraph. Nevermind. This album sucks.
