After listening to Pinks latest effort, Im Not Dead, two things become clear: 1) this CD is a waste of time and 2) the Pink that used to be considered decent is officially dead.
With her vicious lyrics and pungent voice, Pink broke into the music industry, giving music connoisseurs something new and interesting to mull over. Her first album, 2000s Cant Take Me Home, presented a witty smartass who had a predilection for hip-hop music and thuggish boys.
Pinks sophomore effort, 2001s Missundaztood, revolutionized her whole image, not only pushing her voice to new limits but also scrapping her mainstream fluff for a bright and animated rock persona. Then, Pink died. 2003s abominable Try This was released and frankly is not even worth discussing. And now Pink is trying to claw her way back into the limelight with Im Not Dead.
Its amazing how many bad songs are on this album. In fact, the best songs on Im Not Dead can only be considered mediocre. Lets begin with Pinks complete lack of vocal emotion on the majority of this CD. On Leave Me Alone (Im Lonely), Pink groans over some of the albums brightest production and best guitar solos, and on U + Ur Hand (which already has a horrid title), she makes various threats against this man, his hand, and other organs, but cannot back them up with her vocal performance. In Cuz I Can, Pink attempts to rap, something she did well on Missundaztood but fails at here.
Its laughable, and kind of amazing, how awful some of these lyrics are. Dont get me wrong; there are some decently written tracks (and decent is the best they deserve). Nobody Knows and Who Knew both have the standard ballad writingwith a touch of Pinks trademark sasswhile Dear Mr. President contains the albums best lyrics, not because Pink says anything people havent heard before, but because she tells the truth. She questions how Bush can sleep at night knowing the effects the war has on people in the U.S., stating, [Bush] dont know nothin bout hard work.
Bad production runs rampant on Im Not Dead, sorather than list all of the terribly overproduced and under-produced tracks on Im Not Dead-I will just highlight the ones that could at the very least gain radio play. Not only do Who Knew and Nobody Knows have acceptable lyrics, they also garner production reminiscent to Kelly Clarksons (they sound a lot like Since U Been Gone and Because of You, respectively). Dear Mr. President and Leave Me Alone (Im Lonely) fill out the short string of mediocre tracks on Im Not Dead. The One That Got Away, with its soulful groove, could have earned a spot in this list if it werent surrounded by the yawn-inducing Runaway and I Got Money Now. By the time you make it past track eight, its unbearable to even listen to a song straight through.
Its a shame Pink allows Im Not Dead to be such a disgrace to music, since she ends the album with a tear-jerking tribute to her father, I Have Seen the Rain. Over the strains of a lone acoustic guitar, Pink and her father sing beautifully together. Who knows? Maybe Pinks fifth attempt at entering the music business will be the charm