try this: ke$ha (animal)

I knew when I saw the song titles and cover for Ke$ha’s album that she was going for the whole pop-trash angle. Sort of like a Lady Gaga thing, but more electro and dirty. And let me tell you, her debut album Animal is…kind of rad. It’s so close to being a disaster, but it’s so close to genius. Max Martin is a master at his craft of making pop stars, and he had to have Ke$ha after hearing her on the chorus of “Right Round” by Flo-Rida (which was basically the best part of the song). Ke$ha’s single "TiK ToK" has been a party anthem and a number one Billboard hit, but will it be a one-hit wonder?

Animal begins with the words “maybe I need some rehab” – which pretty much sets the tone for 14 tracks of semi-skanky, electronically accented, valley-girl inflected songs. Ke$ha does the talking/semi rap thing a little bit, but also is a very pop-friendly singer with an unmistakable tone. The lyrics are about—well, parties. Lots of them. She also ventures into hot guys, heartbreak, getting trashed, hangovers, and how she sometimes feels bad for being a hot mess.

“Take It Off” samples the melody of The Streets of Cairo (“there’s a place in France where the ladies love to dance…”). The song makes you feel dirtier than Christina Aguilera in 2007, but also all sorts of happy at the same time. It’s got single written all over it. Ke$ha gets a little Katy Perry-ish on “Kiss N Tell,” with an admittedly infectious hook and bouncy video-game noises. I like any song that blatantly says “you should have kept it in your pants.” And who is this “Stephen” guy? First Taylor Swift, now this chick. In any case, she attempts to get his attention in this song that borders on annoying, but I like it anyways. “Blah Blah Blah” is mostly a less cool-sounding "TiK ToK" in which she wants a guy to stop talking.

At the halfway point of Animal, it goes downhill. “Hungover” sounds like a boring version of Beyonce’s “Halo.” I wish “Party At A Rich Dude’s House” was as good as the song’s title, and “Backstabber” and “Blind” serve their purpose as filler. “Dinosaur” is a surprisingly hilarious song about an old guy that keeps hitting on Ke$ha and her friends. The 80’s elements take it up a notch, and songs like these are what this album is all about. “Dancing With Tears In My Eyes” is okay, but reaches for a sad seriousness that doesn’t hit. It picks up with a fun, electronic-heavy ode to “Boots and Boys”-- but at this point Ke$ha, we kinda get it. The last track “Animal” is a less fun “My Life Would Suck Without You.”

So grab the first five tracks, maybe throw in “Boots and Boys,” and have yourself a party. This chick knows what she’s doing, but she’s no Gaga. Then again, I thought she’d be a one-hit wonder too.