MUSIC REVIEWS
Pink - I'm Not Dead
David Allun Jones
Fancying herself a rebel chameleon of pop, Pink broke out of the suffocating, trendy R&B box that fueled her debut, Can’t Take Me Away, only to indulge deeper into her variety of influences on her “coming out” opus, Missundastood, a multi-platinum collection that made her a global pop force, demanding your attention with a middle-fingers-up attitude backed up by soul-belting pipes. Further evolution into her distinguished rock persona didn’t quite translate into great sales on her third album, the punk-y Try This, leading to the idea that she had possibly went too far left too soon. But like the unapologetic girl she is, Pink extends on the vibe of her last album, daring you not to like I’m Not Dead, a surprisingly potent modern day pop album.
I’m Not Dead finds a way to umbrella all the aspects of Pink’s colorful character, making a comfy home for politically charged acoustic folk and emotive bluesy ballads amongst vibrant pop that carries different degrees of a rock, electronic or hip hop edge. Most people’s first glimpse of I’m Not Dead would be by way of it’s first single, “Stupid Girls”, a silly, yet on-point, attack on the Lindsay Lohans and Paris Hiltons of the world. Unfortunately, the song’s sharp lyrics (“Where oh where have the smart people gone?”, she wonders, bemoaning the celebrity culture influencing young girls today) is undermined by dated teen-pop production, flawing the rest of a far superior succession of tracks.
From “Stupid Girls”, Pink turns introspective with a trio of impressive ballads (“Who Knew”, “Long Way To Happy” and “Nobody Knows”) that showcase her vocal strengths as she explores loneliness and heartbreak with the steely manner that has made her come across way more interesting than most of her contemporaries. “Dear Mr. President” follows, employing the harmonies of The Indigo Girls as Pink rips into George Bush with poignant ferocity, holding a faux interview as she confronts him with questions on stateside homelessness and the numerous casualties from the War In Iraq (“What do you feel when you look in the mirror?/ Are you proud?”). It’s a ballsy record that proves Pink to be one of the few mainstream figures that dare to speak out against political atrocities while also shining a light on a musical niche she happens to sound perfect at.
When it’s just her in a stripped-down acoustic setting, Pink excels. “The One That Got Away” finds Pink dipping into a fitting Janis Joplin-esque sensibility with a regretful love story that extends on a “Killing Me Softly With His Song” premise over mopey, country-rock guitar strumming. Hidden bonus track, “I Have Seen The Rain” has her revisiting an anti-war song her father wrote while serving in the Vietnam War. With it’s wispy acoustic melody and father and daughter’s dry harmonies, it’s a moment hauntingly beautiful in it’s despairing take on a bleak moment in world history. Still, what fun would it be for Pink to completely subdue her energy, as her raucous personality helps the loud power pop tracks “U & Ur Hand” and “Leave Me Alone (I’m Lonely)” become way more than the “Since U Been Gone” clones they would’ve been in another singer’s hands.
The dichotomy of Pink’s yearning to be taken seriously as a real musician and her desire to be as foul-mouthed and untraditional as possible do threaten to cave-in everything into a schizo mess, but the singer is able to rescue the material and make it all meaningful. There are moments of contradiction (The taunting “Cuz I Can” and “I Got Money” nearly paint her in the same light as the women she bashes in “Stupid Girls”) and dj vu (we’ve heard the troubled youth reflection of “Runaway” and “Confessions With My 13 Year Old Self” before) but the fact that these songs help build an album that offers more thought and charisma than we’re used to from the pop world makes the disc worth checking out. As the title suggests, Pink has no interest in resting in her laurels. She’s definitely alive and it’s an appreciative stance that’ll determine her long-lasting appeal, even when she’s no longer selling millions.
