Pop pioneer P!nk released her first album in five years, Beautiful Trauma, Friday. Her seventh studio album is a follow up of The Truth About Love and was highly anticipated by both fans and critics alike.
As a whole, however, the album screams mainstream pop. Yet, P!nk attempts to execute it in a more personal and powerful sense with her lyrics. In the lead single “What About Us,” the singer-songwriter establishes political undertones. She blatantly questions authority and the decisions being made in society today.
Though different to the lead single, the title track, “Beautiful Trauma” is just as powerful. P!nk chronicles the duality of life — deeming it both beautiful and traumatic at the same time.
Throughout the album, P!nk illustrates the dichotomy of life between songs. Announced as the second single, “Revenge (feat. Eminem)” comically approaches taking revenge on an ex. Meanwhile, the closing track, “You Get My Love” describes P!nk’s broken relationship — assumingly toward her rocky marriage with former motocross star Carey Hart.
Though P!nk is utterly honest with her lyrics, the album’s sound is nothing exceptional. Most songs sit at the level of mainstream pop and don’t exceed anything more. The album is very familiar to her past works, and has received mediocre ratings from other publications. In an album review from The Guardian, Michael Cragg states how the album “does the job, but is nothing more.” When looking at the album, the aim and goal is clearly seen, but it isn’t necessarily reached.
Despite criticism, Billboard recently detailed how Beautiful Trauma is set to top the Billboard 200 list. They also reported how P!nk has had the biggest 2017 album release by a woman so far. That alone shows that even with the negative attitudes of critics, fan reception of the album has been great.
Along with the release of the album, the pop singer also released dates to a world tour. Starting in March and finishing in June, it seems that P!nk has her spring filled up. Having no problem selling out arenas before, it’s unlikely she’ll have any problems this time around.
Rating: 3/5
