Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Review: Ke$ha Cannibal

Ke-dollarsign-ha is the source of much contention--nay, hatred--at my work. Nevertheless, it is my job as a professional music critic (a job for which I get paid tons of money, believe me) to review even the albums of the most frowned upon artists. Enter Ke$ha.



With “Cannibal,” Ke$ha pulls a page from the Lady GaGa book, tacking a mini-LP onto her mega hit debut album “Animal.” Smart move. Not only does this allow her to strike while the grime is hot, but it also gives her the freedom to pump out more of the same tunes, without having to worry about silly things like growing as an artist or even facing the fears of a sophomore slump.

In a whirlwind 27 minutes, Ke$ha successfully amplifies her trash-to-riches persona. The valley-girl rhymes remain as wrinkled as last night’s clothes (“Me and all my friends, we don’t buy bottles, we bring ‘em/We take the drinks from the tables when you get up and leave ‘em”) and the choruses are bigger than ever.

Though she acknowledges her newfound success (“Now that I’m famous, you’re up my anus”), she has no plans of changing her lifestyle (“Dirt and glitter cover the floor/We’re pretty and sick/We’re young and we’re bored”). And why would she? That’s what made her famous. (“I know I’m the new **** on the block/I’ve been through my sketchy phases/Been broke, been a **** waitress/But I’m not now, guess it worked out.”)

Ke$ha understands her niche in the pop world. She doesn’t have Rihanna’s voice, Lady Gaga’s creativity, or even Katy Perry’s big rack. So she’s got to stick to her strength--being the girl passed out on your floor, who, by the way, just happens to be packing enormous hits.

Her songs may be obnoxious but they are also incredibly catchy. All those memorable hooks, combined with the throbbing beats, basically demand spontaneous, uncontrollable dancing. Combine club anthems like “We R Who We R” and “Blow” with a few I’m-not-always-a-party-girl confessions (“The Harold Song,” “C U Next Tuesday”) and you’ve got an EP that can stand toe to toe with the debut release.

If Ke$ha keeps pounding out these hits, she may have to add a few more dollar signs to the middle of her name.

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