CD Review: Pink, 'Funhouse'
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IN THE REALM of anti-Britneys, Pink is pretty much the queen. The tattooed, take-no-crap singer who started in R&B with "Can't Take Me Home" has solidly transitioned into the pop world with albums such as "M!ssundaztood" and "I'm Not Dead," both of which exhibited an upbeat, almost punk-like attitude on songs such as "Stupid Girls" (which was fittingly full of swipes against Spears and other teen starlets) and "Who Knew."
But there are no similar antics on Pink's latest, "Funhouse," which instead focuses on her divorce from motocross star Carey Hart; the album is an example of all things depressed, with most of its songs lamenting the end of her relationship and wondering what her future holds. Of the album's 12 tracks, only a few use an upbeat tempo — such as first single "So What" — and even those, on second listen, are pretty miserable, making the album seem like a voyeuristic look into Pink's personal life rather than something most people could relate to.
The album starts with the aforementioned "So What," in which Pink defends herself from the realities of her divorce with the fact that she's "still a rock star" and can just "drink her money" now that she's "just lost her husband." While the lyrics reflect Pink's reflexive need to just "start a fight" to deal with her problems, the track feels overproduced and forced, like an airing of dirty laundry that should be dealt with in divorce court, not on the charts. Though the song is Pink's first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, is it because of the legitimate quality of the song (which simply isn't as clever as "U + Ur Hand") or due to the gossip associated with the singer's divorce?
"So What" leads into "Sober," which also deals with Pink's confusion over her identity after her separation. Less standoffish than "So What," these lyrics seem to more accurately tap into Pink's sense of loneliness: "The quiet scares me cause it screams the truth," she sings, though the song delves into cliche with a mournful violin medley at its end.
But on "I Don't Believe You," Pink mumbles her way through describing her divorce as "one of those bad dreams where you can't wake up," and "Mean," sounds like a rejected country ballad from one of Jessica Simpson's previous recording sessions.
That's not to say the album is all bad — "One Foot Wrong" is tolerable thanks to some synthesizer touches that make the song more engaging than a straightforward ballad, and "Please Don't Leave Me" sounds fluid, but also slick and overdone.
Overall, the album simply rehashes subject matter, with "Mean," "It's All Your Fault" and most of the other tracks all saying essentially the same thing: Pink doesn't know how the relationship ended, but screw Hart, she will move on and end up victorious, thanks to girl power, alcohol, etc.
And that's the prevailing problem with "Funhouse" — it suffers from the same woes that all mediocre break-up albums do, as it tackles only one subject but fails to switch up its musical or lyrical approach in doing so. If this is the way love goes, thanks but no thanks.
Written by Express contributor Roxana Hadadi
Photo courtesy La Face
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I can't believe we have listened to the same CD. I absolutley LOVE this CD. I only got it 2 days ago but I have listened to it over & over again. Regardless of the subject matter her voice is amazing. As for her "anti" brittany songs - she actually loves Brittany - she has said many times that she is having a laugh at herself as much as anyone else in those songs. " I Believe You" is one of the best songs I have heard. I loved the last Pink CD too & admit this one took a couple of extra listens but I like this one at least as much if nt more - it's a lot deeper & whilst I don't normally like ballads no-one sings a ballad like Pink - the emotion in her voice gets me everytime. She's the one artist I could listen to singing ballads all night.
By alesse , Posted October 31, 2008 3:14 AMI have to agree with the other comment. I cannot believe we listened to the same album as well. This could very well be Pink's best album. Far deeper then "I'm Not Dead," the songs may not be as radio friendly but are far better. And there is plenty of fun upbeat songs. You failed to mention the super fun and catchy "Bad Influence." Or the title track with the catchy hook "this used to be a funhouse now it's full of evil clowns" that I find myself singing in my head all the time. "I Don't Believe You" may be all about her divoirce, but listening to that song you feel her emotion and can identify with her. If you have ever gone through a break up, you know exactly how she feels. And to say that "Mean" sounds like a reject from a Jessica Simpson album is just unforgiveable. The song has a rock country twist that Jessica Simpson only dreams she could accomplish. Overall, "Funhouse" is a fantastic pop album and deserves to be heard.
By Brad , Posted October 31, 2008 12:32 PMHonestly i agree with Review. I though it was to based around her divorce and kind of boring. I wanted to turn it off which i would have if i wasn't reviewing it. I only like "So What" on it but over all i didn't like the album.
By Tara , Posted November 7, 2008 5:23 PMI've only just bought this album and only had chance to listen to it fully about 3 times but, so far, have been impressed. Although the theme of the album is of a personal nature, I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that will be able to relate. There are a few stand out tracks, So What!, Bad Influence, Please Don't Leave Me and, the excellent, Crystal Ball (which no one seems to have mentioned so far). This album is every bit as good as I'm Not Dead, and considering I've only had limited exposure to it so far, I expect this will shortly become my favourite Pink offering. All In all, this album is well worth the purchase price and would be an worthy addition to anyone's music collection.
By Walter , Posted November 14, 2008 8:53 AMWell this Tara thinks the CD is brilliant, even if I don't think it's as enjoyable as her previous one. When Pink first started out, I didn't think much of her. I liked her voice but then so many people have good voices and not much else to offer. But now that she's had a chance to really flex her creative muscles, I realise that Pink's got the talent and the originality to stand the test of time and it's mostly because she doesn't pander to the masses and produce generic, mass-manufactured pop rubbish. The world is rarely ready to accept someone so different to the carbon copies we're forced to endure on most radio stations or TV, particularly if they're likely to walk their own path from time to time. As for the quality of the songs on Funhouse, I love most of them. 'So What' is a great song and the video shows that in spite of her obvious pain in all of this, she can take it in her stride. So she's singing about something personal which might be depressing for some. It makes it more personal and easy to identify with. Everyone gets their heart broken at some point.
By Tara S , Posted December 3, 2008 11:26 AM'Sober' and 'Please Don't Leave Me' are great ballads. 'Boring' is pretty cool too.