“We get it that you’ve been through a lot of shit/ But life’s a bitch, so come on, shake your tits and fuck it,” Kesha sings on the relentlessly catchy “My Own Dance,” which gets a lot of mileage out of its hard-knock drums and a chanted chorus punctuated by a theatrical-verging-on-cartoonish hook straight out of whatever they’re calling alternative rock these days. Mostly, she strikes a believable balance between vulnerability and the bluster she made her name on. This process often yields lyrical mantras fit for bumper stickers or Pinterest-font home decor, which sometimes works (“I don’t wanna go to heaven without raising hell”) and sometimes not so much (“I’m over adulthood/ I’m throwing all my big girl panties in the garbage can/ ‘Cause I can!”). The deep cut “Kinky,” is even billed as a duet between Kesha and Ke$ha, the crass alter ego she retired after severing ties with Dr. Thematically, High Road mirrors its music’s trajectory, searching for the common ground between Kesha the young, brash party-starter who brushed her teeth with Jack Daniel’s and Kesha the wise thirtysomething survivor who still loves to wild out with her friends. Nothing about the album’s sound is hip or tasteful, but that’s never really been Kesha’s shtick - as ever, your appetite for unapologetically garish pop will dictate your tolerance. “Resentment” brings together the unlikely trio of Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson, post-country iconoclast Sturgill Simpson, and rising adult-contemporary producer Wrabel, while “Honey” spices up “Say It Ain’t So” guitar chords with blasts of soulful harmony. “Birthday Suit” involves strummy young-adult-fiction acoustic guitars and a glitchy Super Mario Bros. Opening track “Tonight” introduces that synthesis from the jump, successfully sliding between “Tiny Dancer”-style classic rock elements, snarling club-rap verses, and a huge pop chorus in the lineage of “Die Young.” Lead single “Raising Hell” matches Southern gospel with New Orleans bounce with an assist from Big Freedia herself. Musically, that means finding many ways for her rootsy Rainbow makeover to interact with the electronic pop-rap sleaze of Animal and Warrior. She has moved on by making an album about moving on, a full-length attempt to reconcile her past and present selves. With High Road, Kesha has mostly pulled off that tricky balancing act. If Kesha’s life has gotten more peaceful, as one might hope, anything after Rainbow runs the risk of feeling like falling action. On an entertainment level, so much about modern pop stardom is driven by narrative. Still, on a human level, such experiences can’t just be erased processing your past can take a lifetime. Luke situation define her, nor do most of her listeners. As a human being and a recording artist, she surely doesn’t want to let the Dr. But Kesha’s life isn’t over, and neither is her career, which puts her in a tricky position. Sonically it was the album she claimed she always wanted to make, even as it remained haunted by the man who had stood in the way of its creation for so long.Īs the title implied, Rainbow was a note of resolution and hope after the storm that dominated years of Kesha’s life. Luke allegations and the legal battle surrounding them, and the power ballad “Praying” seemed to address Kesha’s alleged abuser directly: “I hope you’re somewhere prayin’/ I hope your soul is changin’.” Elsewhere she reaffirmed her worth and autonomy: “I’m a motherfuckin’ woman!” she shouted on subsequent single “Woman,” backed by exuberant Dap-Kings horns. Luke had always prevented her from exploring, largely replacing her signature blend of pop, rap, and EDM with an earthier blend of classic rock, country, gospel, and soul - one brand of gleefully trashy swagger subbed out for another. On Rainbow, Kesha delved into musical styles she said Dr. In 2017, on Kemosabe, Kesha released Rainbow, an album that dealt directly with that conflict and its attendant trauma. In 2016, the courts dismissed her lawsuit and rejected her request to terminate the label deal. In 2015, she asked the court to be let out of her contract with Dr. Luke” Gottwald for a wide range of alleged abuses including sexual assault and battery. In 2014, Kesha sued her producer and label head Lukasz “Dr. How do you move on? This is the defining question on High Road, Kesha Rose Sebert’s fourth album and second since the public drama that redefined her life and career.
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