Kesha discovers rage at the end of the Rainbow: ADRIAN THRILLS hears a raw and purposeful return after a five-year gap between albums
Kesha Sebert, whose album Rainbow is her first for five years
KESHA: Rainbow (RCA)
Verdict: Raw and purposeful return
Singers and musicians are often keen to talk up every new release as a fresh beginning. But, in the case of U.S. star Kesha Sebert, whose album Rainbow is her first for five years, the claim carries a little more weight than usual.
Having made her name with cheerleader pop hits such as Tik Tok and Timber (a frothy duet with rapper Pitbull), the brash Nashville singer saw her career thrown into limbo by a draining three-year legal battle that continues to rumble on.
Kesha sued former producer and label boss Dr Luke for charges that included sexual assault and emotional abuse, accusations that were dismissed by a judge. Dr Luke filed a countersuit alleging defamation and breach of contract.
There are no direct references to those cases on Kesha’s third album, out today, but the emotional impact looms large on a set of soul-baring songs that address the singer’s feelings of ‘hopelessness and depression’ and, ultimately, her desire to put her woes behind her.
The results can be scattergun. Kesha, 30, who originally styled her name as ‘Ke$ha’ and sang of how she brushed her teeth every morning with Jack Daniels, has moved on musically from her electro-pop roots.
She now dashes between pop, rock and country with skittish abandon. Beneath the stylistic changes, though, there is an overriding sense here of an irrepressible talent keen to get her career back on track.
Kesha sued former producer and label boss Dr Luke for charges that included sexual assault and emotional abuse
There are flashes of anger. Opening track is a raw ballad called Bastards that finds her holding back the tears as she sings about ‘the people I’d like to prove wrong’. She warms to the theme on the overwrought Praying, promising: ‘No more monsters, I can breathe again’.
Even the light-hearted moments are more pointed. Woman, inspired by sexist comments made by Donald Trump and enlivened by the funky horns of The Dap-Kings, is an expletive-strewn younger cousin of Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Want To Have Fun.
Kesha has dabbled in rock before, having worked with Iggy Pop, the Flaming Lips and Alice Cooper, and she does so with relish here, collaborating with the Eagles Of Death Metal on two rousing guitar anthems that sound ready-made for an eventual live return.
The singer-songwriter writes a letter to her 18-year-old self with advice on how to overcome those challenges
She also looks forward. The ballad Learn To Let Go is a song of resilience co-written with her mother, Pebe. The optimistic title track is bolstered by deft orchestral touches by pianist and arranger Ben Folds.
Kesha’s mum, a Nashville songwriter who enjoyed some success in the Eighties, is credited again on the cornily titled country number Old Flames (Can’t Hold A Candle To You). A hit for Dolly Parton in 1980, the song is reprised here as a duet between Kesha and Dolly, who sings the second verse.
The track is one of several that reiterate the singer’s slowly returning confidence. It may be uneven, but Rainbow’s sense of purpose is admirable.
With most of this year’s strongest pop albums made by women — Katy Perry, Lorde and Lana Del Rey all impressed — Kesha is ready to rejoin the party.
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