Welcome to my very first album review, and what an interesting start to album reviews, as the album I will be reviewing this time is the latest by one of pop's biggest divas, Ke$ha. It seems like it wasn't that long ago when Ke$ha made her big debut with TiK ToK. Back when she was releasing single after single, I didn't know what to think of her. I thought that she was either trying too hard to shock or was just obnoxious, but I kept hearing that she has a lot of talent. I never saw that. I was perhaps a bit too judgmental. I really didn't feel like checking out her non-hit songs, and it wasn't until a few months after her latest album, Warrior, came out that i decided to give a fair and unbiased listen to Ke$ha's music. Well what did I think? Let's first see how each song fairs on its own before I make a full decision on how the album works out in the end.
Track 1: Warrior
I'm a firm believer that albums should start off with an awesome shift-into-gear intro. Why? Because what's the point of putting album filler at the beginning of an album? I believe you should put one (not the best song of the album, but one of them) of the best songs of the album at the very front. The intro, the attention getter, is what the listener should expect so they know what they're going into. For instance, what if Pink Floyd put The Great Gig in the Sky as the first song of The Dark Side of the Moon. I'm sure the album wouldn't of turned out like it did in regards to how successful and memorable it was. Well... how does the album's title track fit at number one? Unfortunately, Warrior is perhaps the worst song of the album... I'm not joking. This is not a good song to start off the album. If someone is on the verge of liking Ke$ha, such as I was, then do not bring yourself to listen to this song. If you enjoy it, well that's fine, but I don't. I don't usually let my hatred of dubstep change how I view songs critically, because I know a lot of people rather enjoy it, and I think it's rather weak to hate a song just because of the beat, but that's where I find this song to be unlistenable. To be honest, they should've started off the album with something else...
Track 2: Die Young
The album's magnum opus, simply put. This was one of the main reasons that led me to buy this album and give it a fair listen. I'm just gonna say it, I love this song. I love it so much that you might see it on the best list of 2013. I'm dead serious. What is so awesome about this song? Well, for one, party songs in general seem to be having a huge dramatic turn. This is definitely a party song, but it seems like it could be a trend sender for many others to follow. The huge party jams of 2010 were all about partying for the sake of having fun, but lately club jams are more about trying to find any solace at all in your life of complete misery. Die Young works so well, because it's a song about partying because you need to keep yourself from losing your mind. Instead of just shouting cliches like too many other party jams out there, she actually shows that she has emotion. You came with somebody else and she has to go home alone? Well she feels pretty upset because of it. You're here, she's her, and just enjoy this moment before you have to go back to your own lives. Just enjoy the moment you're here with her, because afterwards you're gonna have to face reality once more. That's a really intelligent statement coming from someone who I thought was absolutely devoid of emotions. All in all, this song is just so forceful with how enjoyable it is that I am in love with it.
Track 3: C'mon
The second single from her album, C'mon lives up to it's title well, the fact that well, C'MON! It's actually somewhat a more glamourous version of Die Young that's still really enjoyable. I really enjoy it, but refer to what I said mostly about Die Young, except C'mon isn't as desperately seeking solace as Die Young is.
Track 4: Thinking of You
Thinking of You surprisingly has a whole bunch of things that normally would turn me off from pop music. It has a lot of heavy bass, snarky singing and lyrics, and is an angry break-up song. Somehow this song fits in the midst of all of those things and is actually really really enjoyable, but I can understand why someone would dislike it. Thinking of you isn't what the title would lead you to believe. You see, Ke$ha's fed up with all of your passive aggressive business over the years and with this break-up she feels absolutely fine to get rid of you. But every time she hears that certain song on the radio she's thinking of you. Not exactly the most original song, but it's a rather better way of breaking up than staying too close to the I'm glad I'm over you or the I can't get over you sides. Whenever a song does just that I feel really happy inside.
Track 5: Crazy Kids
This song right off the bat has a lot of potential. The guitar intro is really nice and repeats throughout the song and I will admit is refreshing to hear. But, the rest of the song is just trash. The lame stiff ugly beat coupled with some aggressive shouting lyrics really destroys this song. Honestly, it gets better, but in the end, I can't stand this song, so moving on.
Track 6: Wherever you Are
Honestly, it's boring. I know I should say a lot more, but there isn't that much to say. It drags on and isn't as satisfying during the payoff as the other tracks on the album. Skip it.
Track 7: Dirty Love featuring Iggy Pop
All right, here we go! This was the number one reason that I bought this album. I heard a rumor that Iggy Pop of all people was going to be doing a duet with Ke$ha, and I finally bought the album mainly because I wanted to just see how this would work. Well of course I heard it online at first, but I ended up buying the album because of it. Let me just say that this is not only one of the best songs on the album, but surprisingly Ke$ha's part is much more memorable than Iggy Pop's verse. Now, no disrespect to Iggy Pop, because Iggy Pop is awesome, but he has like 4 lines in this and sings the final choruses with Ke$ha. Rather underwhelming to be waiting more than half a year to hear this song just for Iggy Pop I must admit. But Ke$ha and Iggy Pop, as strange as a combination as I thought it would be, perfectly mesh together in their own brand of weirdness. This is an awesome, even jam-tastic song, that brings everyone together to have well... Dirty love. She doesn't want to be your girlfriend, she's never gonna be your wife, she just wants it here and now, and you're gonna give it to her, and you're gonna feel the same way. There's no wrong doing here, it's all just dirty love. One of the best on the album, only falling behind Die Young.
Track 8: Wonderland
Wonderland is an interesting combination of country, pop, and even some R & B elements thrown together. If you like softer rockish ballads, than this is for you. It's more or less ok, not exactly a star hit, but I wouldn't be too surprised if someone would tell me that this is one of their favorites of the album.
Track 9: Only Wanna Dance With You
Short, sweet, and to the point. Ke$ha only wants to dance with you. It's rather enjoyable for what it is, but not that memorable. Honestly, stick to track 11 is what I would recommend. By the way, this song features the Strokes.
Track 10: Supernatural
I'm gonna be completely honest, I hate this song. Pretty much all that I said about Warrior applies to this song, and I'm sure some people can enjoy it, but I certainly can't. Skip.
Track 11: All That Matters (The Beautiful Life)
I can't talk about this song without constantly thinking about Beautiful Life by Ace of Base. Why? Because I remember her shouting "Beautiful life" more than she shouts "All that matters" just like the Ace of Base song Beautiful Life, except this is Ke$ha, not the Berggren siblings. Honestly, it's just as enjoyable as Beautiful Life. I would recommend this song more than Only Wanna Dance With You, because they have similar meanings, but I find All That Matters (The Beautiful Life) to be a lot more enjoyable. What's it about? Right here, right now, that's all that matters because this is the beautiful life. Pretty simple, but powerful enough to be memorable and enjoyable.
Track 12: Love Into The Light
I doesn't take a genius to immediately pick up how similar this is to In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins. Yes, the two sound so similar, but I'm a firm believer that rip-offs can still be done well. Is Love Into the Light done well (or is it even a rip-off)? I think so, for the most part. It's not ungodly boring like I thought it would be, not saying In the Air Tonight is boring, and also has a nice jam-out drum breakdown like In the Air Tonight. It's a nicely put together song and I enjoy it.
Well, since I bought the deluxe edition, might as well talk about those tracks as well.
Track 13: Last Goodbye
Another break-up song. More like one of the album's more mediocre tracks, but if you don't buy the deluxe edition, then you won't have to worry about it. It's overall ok.
Track 14: Gold Trans Am
This is a song about having sex in a car. How do I know that? Because she tells me right at the beginning. It's a sex jam and a car jam rolled into one. Actually it is a jam. No other song on the album has a guitar solo. That's right, a Guitar Solo, which is always welcome. I really enjoy this song. It's definitely not the subtlest song in the world, no, it's straight to the point like a newly sharpened pencil. Get into her car and she'll take you for a ride. Literally.
Track 15: Out Alive
I used to hate this song until I gave it an honest listen. It does have a slight, albeit slight, dubstep breakdown, but it's not as annoying as most and I can just learn to get over that part. Honestly, it's a powered-up dance and party jam, with a similar message to Die Young, but it's not as memorable. Overall, I'm sure I could learn to like it a lot more in the future, but for right now, it's more or less decent.
Track 16: Past Lives
Strange how no matter if you bought the deluxe edition or not, both versions end with a rather slow song compared to the rest of the album. Both past Lives and Love Into The Light were the only songs on the album that were written by Ke$ha only. Past Lives doesn't have satisfying drum moments like Love Into The Light, but it's actually really sweet, and it's cool listening to Ke$ha opening up her feelings and emotions. I usually find these songs boring, but I find Past Lives to be a bit more enjoyable than other slow-moving love ballads.
Well there's a track-by-track review of the album, but how does it stack up? Honestly, very well. I'm glad I didn't devolve myself into the Ke$ha haters category, because after giving her a fair listen to her album, Warrior, I get the feeling that Ke$ha is really really intelligent and completely self-aware. I enjoyed TiK ToK, but I didn't enjoy any of her other singles to be honest. Now, I can actually learn to like Ke$ha despite how many around me don't see much to be offered by her. Ke$ha finally proves that she is intelligent, and is full of emotions. Fortunately, I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees this, because the album so far has sold over 200,000 copies. Also, it's amazing how so many people were affiliated with this album. Nate Ruess of fun. Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, Dr. Luke, of course Iggy Pop, and many others were involved in the making of this album. Only two songs have 1 writer, all are written by at least Ke$ha (some have her mother as a writer too), and Dr. Luke proves once again how good of a producer he is. I'm looking to be surprised by you more in the future, Ka dollar sign Ha, and I hope you churn out more intelligent party jam pop music. I can fully recommend this album to someone who was on the verge of liking Ke$ha like I was, as long as they start with Die Young. Ke$ha proves how much potential she has with Warrior, and I look forward to hopefully her one day coming out with a 10/10 album.
Verdict: While it may take some time for new listeners to Ke$ha to appreciate Warrior, this album provides many enjoyable songs for Ke$ha fans and even for non-Ke$ha fans. Despite a few missteps in the album, I can recommend this song to most people. If you are not a huge fan, I would say just listen to Dirty Love and Die Young. Final Score: 7/10
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