By Adesuwa Okoyomon (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: January 30, 2013
After the worldwide success of “Tik Tok,” Ke$ha rose to fame with ease and has since been recognized as an international electro-pop star. Although she has been criticized for being on the pursuit of pleasure, Kesha Rose Sebert believes that she “has been keepin’ it PG” and declares that she wants to “get a little frisky.” Well then spread your wings Miss Sebert, spread your wings.
Warrior is her second studio album and it includes electro-pop (also referred to as techno-pop), electronic rock and pop rock genres which coalesce into another impressive album from our favourite wild child. Warrior features songs produced by Ammo, Dr. Luke, Shellback, Benny Blanco and Max Martin whom she had previously worked with on her debut studio album Animal. American pop singer Ke$ha wants to let us know that she is still one of the “misfits.” The album kicks off with “Warrior,” an electronic pop song intertwined with dubstep components. The track presents us with the energetic side of Ke$ha that has grown on us over the years.
In the second track “Die Young,” Ke$ha is having a swell time being young and carefree and advises us all to “make the most of the night like we’re gonna die young.” In the third song “C’mon,” Ke$ha is certain that she just really wants to have a truckload of fun, she coaxes us to “steal some bubble gum from the corner maximart” and proclaims “I wanna stay up all night … I don’t wanna think about what’s gonna be after this/I wanna just live right now.” Oh Miss Sebert, aren’t you quite the cool one? “Thinking of You,” the next track on her album is a love song, or is supposed to be. In the chorus she’s telling her significant other “I’ve been thinking of you” but then she caught him “lying and cheating” so she decided that the only appropriate thing to do apart from cursing him, was to make a song about him and let him know that she’s “in a brand new city getting laid.” You go girl. “Crazy Kids,” the fifth track on her album, is a technopop song which she uses to inform us all that “we are the crazy kids.” “Wherever You Are” is a pop love song and is the sixth song on her album. Its mid-tempo beat is calming as Ke$ha sings “wherever you are, know that our love will never die.” Warrior’s seventh song is titled “Dirty Love” and it features famous punk-rock star Iggy Pop. It takes the duo two minutes and 45 seconds to thoroughly explain that they really just want “dirty love.” The eighth song, “Wonderland,” is a personal favourite. It is a beautiful song which completely slows things down. Ke$ha sings about how things used to be. “Ain’t it funny how time flies … Wish I could find my way back to wonderland.” It is a personal and vulnerable song laced with nostalgia. “Only Wanna Dance with You” is the ninth track on Warrior. It leans toward the electronic rock genre and simply put, she is singing about the only person she wants to dance with. The next track on her album is “Supernatural.” It is a shocking song, not in a vulgar or X-rated manner but it is considerably sultry. She sings “Poison me with love, I’ll bring you back to life.” Okay Ke$ha, okay. The 11th track, “All That Matters (The Beautiful Life)” is a fast-paced techno-pop song and Ke$ha just wants to “get high” because “all that matters is the beautiful life.” The 12th song off Ke$ha’s new album is “Love into the light” and another personal favourite. She sings positive and inspiring lyrics; “maybe it’s about the time to let all of the love back in the light … to let go and forget about the hate.” The next track, “Last Goodbye” is an emotional song about being in love and thinking it would last forever but then life happens; “I never thought that I would ever leave your side … Promise me you won’t cry, this is our last goodbye.” It has a mid-tempo beat and catchy tune and that makes it really likable. “Gold Trans Am” is a lewd song with electronic rock elements and a beat that makes you want to move your head from side to side. The 15th song “Out Alive,” is a techno-pop song that proposes we “live it up tonight” because “no one’s getting out alive,” we will all leave this earth naked and alone, the same way we came. “Past Lives” is the last track on the album and it slows things down and takes us into Ke$ha’s personal world one last time. It is an enthralling love song and a marvelous end to Warrior.
The album is an entertaining listen, it is not fundamentally about partying, living by the hedonic calculus or maximizing pleasure. Although some of the songs on the album are blatantly telling us to live for today by becoming the personification of enjoyment, Ke$ha’s vulnerable side is also made visible. You can lose yourself to some of the songs on the dance floor and you can also immerse yourself in the awe-inspiring sensitive songs, and that is what makes this album spectacular.
