Pink
Try This
On Sale Now
For $13.28

I make zero apologies for my adulation and respect for Pink. She's got a soulful voice with a punk personality who writes groovy pop music. What more can you ask from a young female recording artist? She's the kind of gal who breaks out into "Bobby McGee" in concert and does the song justice. She's one of the most self-assured ladies out there in the mainstream. More importantly, she's the anti-Britney. Pink is all feeling, all heart, and a classy, authentic, albeit unconventional beauty.

Mizzunderstood was in my top thirty records list for 2001 for all the reasons above and more. Not only was it a vastly personal record, but it was a cosmic improvement over her R&B spiked debut. Like her third album, it grooves, rocks, twists and shouts. And she can do it in the span of four minutes or less. She is a born natural, even if the songs dont break new ground musically. Give her props for consistently exploring new territory. But there's always that lingering question of her involvement in the songwriting process. For instance, it was widely publicized that Linda Perry (of 4 Non Blondes) did most of the work on her 2nd album. This time around, she hired Tim Armstrong from Rancid to give the record a more power-chord driven punk flavor to it. I highly doubt she isn't involved with the process of constructing the tunes because she sings them like she wrote them herself. As a confident lyricist, she fits the mold of the music as being revealing, simple, and full of verve. In other words, she knows what she's doing, and does it well.

Try This isn't as eye-opening as its ancestors, but it still rules the airwaves. While the Christinas and Britneys of the world are shaking their tailfeather and getting off on their own self-induced (or vomit-inducing) whore image, Pink at least is trying to sustain her voice and her place in the world. And what a strong voice it is. It comes across as an amalgam of Mary J. Blige mixed with the snarl of Joan Jett. In essence, she rocks with soul and it's a terrific mix. And oddly enough, as guitar-driven as the tunes are, the dance beats never falter. But the whole package isn't necessarily as consistently interesting as Mizzunderstood, which is a tad disappointing.

However, she's still better than most give her credit for. She's more than just another pop diva singing a cover of "Lady Marmalade," she's an original girl reconstructing her favorite genres to fit her image. In other words, she comes across as confident in her own skin, which makes her appealing and sexy. And at least she has the chops to back it up. She declares that "If God is a DJ/then life is a dance floor/Love is the rhythm/you are the music." Not a bad metaphor in the least. If this is her philosophy, then she stays true to it from track one on. And I have to agree with her on that one.

First single "Trouble" isnt a great tune by any stretch of the imagination with its one-dimensional G-C progression that almost sounds like a copy of Nirvanas "Molly's Lips." Perhaps that's where some of the standard punk aroma comes from, courtesy of Mr. Tim Armstrong. But because Pink has such charisma, it doesnt make for a waste of time, and the record keeps improving as it goes along. Certainly "God Is A DJ" is a better, more original metaphor than something like "Life Is A Highway" or "Everyday Is A Winding Road." And how about "Last To Know," an outright hate letter to some guy who blew her off before a show. It's a killer track along with "Try Too Hard" which sounds like old-school 80s glam rock. "Humble Neighborhood" takes a Joy Divison beat and mixes it with Garbage. (Even on the cover, Pink almost looks like Shirley Manson, another confident, sexy singer with a bad-girl self-awareness). Both "Walk Away" and "Love Song" are examples of Pink at her finest, professing with confession, all the while preserving a catchy contemporary essence that makes her work so stimulating and likable.

In conclusion, Try This is a fine depiction of Pink at her strengths as a singer. The songwriting isnt the most inventive and you may have even heard these songs before from different artists or even from her last record. But dont dismiss her. She wont let you. After all, “You get what you’re given/Its all how you use it,” and she uses it a hell of a lot better than her peers right now.

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