Album Details

• Artist: P!nk
• Album: The Truth About Love
• Label: RCA Records
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: carlita on 2012-09-22

Media

Now that things have calmed down a bit, I've returned to exploring the glut of new albums which have dropped over the past few weeks, coincidentally just in time for award consideration. I'll fully admit I at times gravitate towards certain albums first if the album cover does its job to draw my eye in. Case in point, P!nk's latest album, The Truth About Love. Looking at that cover, you know you want to listen.

Saw P!nk live for the first time when she still had pink hair and opened for N'Sync. (that's right, folks. And what?) M!ssundaztood, with its great videos to complement the songwriting and raw wounds on display ("Family Portrait", "Misery", "My Vietnam"), established her as a force who refused to conform to Barbie packaging or be ignored and patted on the head. Moving on to produce two personal and socially conscious records, I'm Not Dead ("Stupid Girls") and Funhouse ("Sober"), I wondered which direction she'd take this time. On this album, she delves into the beautiful honeymoon phase while not shying away from "I love you yet I hate you and we'll break up and get back together about 10 times this week" moments, highlighting the old adage that there is a mix of "your truth", "my truth" and "the truth" in every relationship.  

Her voice is best when on both sides of the spectrum- razor sharp on punk-pop opening track, "Are We All We Are", album highlight "Slut Like You", "How Come You're Not Here", Eminem assisted "Here Comes The Weekend" and vulnerably brutal on a song about losing a child called "Beam Me Up", "The Truth About Love" and putting cheating reality out there on "Where Did The Beat Go?". Unfortunately a few cheesy duds in the middle of the pop spectrum detract and recall the radio or Sirius channel playing at the dentist's office before your root canal.  Apart from these, I appreciated that she still unapologetically says what's on her mind "with a certain amount of angst in her back pocket".

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