Pink is getting blonder. Evidently the bleach washed out some of her pizzazz. She returns with her second album “Missundaztood,” which falls victim to the sophomoric slump.
Breaking into the scene with her attitude-driven man-chiding hit “There You Go,” Pink seemed to have the goods ? a punky persona with pop hits. However, after enough exposure Pink comes off as more of a spoiled brat rather than a rebel with a cause.
“Missundaztood” contains the faceless, bland “Get The Party Started,” a song that proves that you don’t have to be creative or even talented to please radio.
The new release strays from her debut in the sense that there is less bitchiness and more popstar dilemma. She expresses her battle with narcissism on “Don’t Let Me Get Me” or attempts to seek insight in “Family Portrait.”
There is a noticeable shift in style from throw down beats to rockier moods ? most probably because 4 Non-Blonde Linda Perry contributed to the penning of 8 of the 14 tracks including the catchy, yet directionless “Missundaztood” and “Respect.” Perry is also featured on the song “Lonely Girl.”
Pink meanders into manufactured rock in all the wrong directions. First with the road-trippy “Just Like A Pill” and secondly on the sorry “18 Wheeler.” Her lyrical abilities are not the sharpest. Even compared to her debut, this release falls short in the lyrical aspect.
The mayhem does not stop, especially when Pink duets with rock god Steven Tyler on the soulish “Misery” ? if it had soul in the beginning, it lost it towards the end.
The only track that has clever arrangements is the slow-tempo “Dear Diary.” It floats without over-production.
“Numb” is a track that is heavy on rock arrangements, probably too heavy for a pop offering.
The album closes with “My Vietnam.” A song about what her father taught her and how she relates to it ? an aim at integrity that falls without reaching the point.
Being the TRL bunny that she is, Pink doesn’t really have to work all that hard to watch obnoxious teenagers scream her name on TV. She has the image, a powerhouse for a record company behind her and a pop star attitude. She is definitely not as fascinating as the other girls.
Pink can’t dance like Britney, sing like Christina or be as charismatic as Nelly Furtado. Out of all the newcomers out there, Pink faces stiff competition. “Missandaztood” won’t be helping her win the race.
Al-Qatami can be reached at nalqatami@campustimes.org.
