I always wondered what would happen if Pink no longer had pink hair. Now she doesn’t and she’s still the bomb. After giving us her R&B laced debut “Can’t Take Me Home”, I was fully expecting the same from Pink. Then I was reading only to be startled. Startled that Pink and critics were saying that her new album was a complete 360 departure from her last album. Wait- the last album was great, why change the formula? Then I heard it: ROCK. She wanted to have more “Rock” influence, and I’m not saying rock is bad, but she has such a soulful voice, how could it work? Would I buy the album? So while purchasing my Jill Scott, I picked up the new Pink, she did well the last time, just have faith Carletta.

In typical bad girl style, Pink wanted to branch out and do what she wanted to do. She had earned it; her previous album did extremely well for LaFace records which houses such big name acts as Usher and TLC. Now, on Arista Pink is tearing down the walls again, and proving that she’s not some crazy pop singer with pink hair, but that she’s a real talent and force to be reckoned with.

The album is entitled “M!SSUNDAZTOOD” quirky and cornball as I think it is, it’s a Pink thing. As I said, this album is a complete departure from the last Pink album, so I really did go into it with no expectations at all. Frankly, I was pleased. On this album, Pink worked closely with Linda Perry who is from the group “4 Non-Blondes” who had a breakout hit with that song “What’s Going On?” You know the tune even if you don’t remember it. Perry had a hand in 8 of the albums 14 tracks, and famous producer Dallas Austin (of TLC fame) worked on 4. And our favorite bad girl had a hand in 11.

Some of the songs hit a little too hard for me and I don’t really think that Pink “belongs” on the track. One of those tracks is “Don’t Let Me Get Me” which is about defying everything that people told her to be. It’s the song we’ve already heard about that Pink says she doesn’t want to be like Britney Spears in. The song has a really good message, about being a hazard to yourself, it just didn’t move me at all. The song just sounds so contrived, it’s hard to just feel it and go with it. One of my favorites from the album is “Just Like A Pill”. I think Pink’s sense of humor kind of shows, it’s about comparing someone in a relationship who doesn’t treat you well and they’re like a pill. On the sing she sings: “I can’t stay on your life support there’s a shortage in the switch. I can’t stay on your morphine because it’s making me ill. I tried to call the nurse again, but she’s being a little b!tch. I think I’ll get out of here. Where I can run just as fast as I can to the middle of nowhere…”

“Get the Party Started” which was the lead single for the album, is not a misleading single. It does have the type of feel that runs throughout the album. It is a club song, and it makes you want to dance, it is also a very strong track. Another strong track from the album is “Family Portrait” which to me is a very raw song. You can see into Pink’s life on this song. It’s about being a badass kid and thinking that all the problems that your family have are directly related to you. Some of the lyric are “It aint easy growing up in world war three, never knowing what love could be, you’ll see. I don’t want love to destroy me like it has done my family.”This song’s serious subject matter and mid-tempo are best suited for Pink vocals because you can hear and really feel her on this track. Perhaps it’s a really strong track because most people can relate and she poured her soul into it.

“Misery” is a song that features vocals by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. I still don’t know how Pink managed that one, but good for her because the song is really good. It has a bluesy feel to it, and it’s kind of smooth. Also a good song to showcase Pink’s vocals. They mesh very well with Tyler’s. “Dear Diary” to me is very similar to “Family Portrait” in that it has a lot of rawness and reality to it. Shows off Pink’s depth and strength as a singer. “Eventually” is the closet thing to a real ballad I think that appears on the album. It still has the guitar twinge, but has soul also, it’s a track with lots of different little elements all melded together to from something good. “Numb” is one of those songs that flips back and forth from mid-tempo to going hard. Surprising to myself, I really liked this one. Even more surprising to me was that Pink and Dallas Austin did this one. It is also one of my album favorites.

This album does not stop. It is good from beginning to end. Although my personal preferences tend to be the less hard-hitting songs, there’s something for everyone here. If you were a Pink fan from before, don’t be discouraged by the things you may have read or heard, she’s still got it. You have to be impressed with her audacity to even go there. To just switch her style and be something else. That in and of itself is noteworthy. So if you haven’t already gone out and get this one.

Track Listing
M!SSUNDAZTOOD
Don’t Let Me Get Me
Just Like A Pill
Get The Party Started
Respect f/ Scratch
18 Wheeler
Family Portrait
Misery f/ Steven Tyler
Dear Diary
Eventually
Lonely Girl f/ Linda Perry
Numb
Gone To California
My Vietnam

Pink Website: http://www.pinkspage.com
If You Like The New Pink You Might Like: 4 Non-Blondes, Sheryl Crow


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends