Album #86 : Pink - Missundaztood

P!nk

M!ssundaztood (2001)

I genuinely, honestly, have never seen what the big deal is about Pink. Really, truly. Is it the attitude that straddles perfectly the line between honest personality and manufactured confection designed to appeal? Is it the undeniable vocal talent? Is it the fact that she is one of the few artists in modern pop music who generally doesn't rely entirely on hired gun songwriters (though let's not bullshit here - there has not been a single album song released in her entire studio career that hasn't had the services of a hired gun songwriter to provide some guidance) to develop her material? Or is it the influence she's had on pretty much every female pop star in the last ten years?

To tell the truth, it's probably all of those things and more. Though I may not get the big deal, it can't be denied that Pink is a big deal. 

Therefore it seemed only logical that the LOAD Project take on a Pink album, given her profile and importance to modern music. I've selected 2001's disgustingly-spelt album M!ssundaztood (yeah there's an exclamation mark in there; no wonder the standard of modern English has gone through the toilet.) Let's see what it has to offer.....

The Album

The copy I'm reviewing is the international version of the album. Interestingly, my research told me that the American copy basically flooded the first few tracks with all the singles, thus following Modern Pop Album Rule One: Put the singles first because nobody gives a shit about the rest of the songs, and they will still say your album is OMGWTFBBQAMAZEBALLS even though they only listened to the first five songs. The international version is different, spreading the album's four singles throughout fairly evenly.

It's the singles that I'm going to start with, and they're a mixed bag. On the positive side, Get The Party Started is aptly titled, because it's a great dancepop party tune. Clever horn and synth samples make up the bulk of the sound, and it manages to sound like an 80s/90s pop tune without being a massive ripoff. Family Portrait is probably the standout song on the entire album. It's an emotionally charged song about Pink's parents' divorce, and tells perfectly the story of a divorce from a child's point of view (right down to the self-blame and the belief that they can make everything better). It's told in a soul-tinged ballad with a magnificent vocal.

On the negative side, Just Like A Pill is full of all the typical pop cliches - quiet verse, prechorus buildup, chorus sound explosion, repeat the chorus ad infinitum until it's stuck in your head - but it's just a mediocre pop-rock song, while Don't Let Me Get Me commits the cardinal sin of being a song, sung by a white girl with a steadily building musical profile on the verge of mega stardom, that cries WOE IS ME MY LIFE IS PAIN and wallows in self-pity. Added to that is the fact that it's just so middle-of-the-road that it engenders no feeling. To think that some dude described this as 'power rock'. Mate, it's as powerful as Andre Rieu.

On to the album tracks, then, and perhaps this is the big surprise - there are some mighty fine cuts here. The best of these are the Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) and Richie Supa (Aerosmith) penned Misery, with its 60s soul-meets-gospel-meets-modern pop ballad, and a cool guest vocal from Steven Tyler; Eventually, a mighty fine R & B ballad that might be 'by the numbers', but they're the right numbers (tasteful guitar, subtle synths, gentle drum and bass, and a top class vocal effort); and Gone To California, another nice R & B style tune with good lyrics and a smooth saxophone solo that manages to elevate this song above the average.

There's also some songs that, frankly, are little more than album filler designed to ensure that the consumer isn't being shortchanged, and possibly to boost the royalty coffers a bit more. 18 Wheeler is supposed to be all LOOK AT ME I AM A BADASS AND I WON'T TAKE YOUR SHIT attitude. Unfortunately, it overlooks several key factors:

• If you were run over by an 18 wheeler, you would probably be kept down due to being incapacitated at best, deceased at worst; and
• If you're such a OMG ATTITUDE BADASS, why have you censored the word 'fuck'? What's that? To avoid a Parental Advisory sticker? WHOA TAKE THAT WORLD! STICKIN' IT TO THE MAN

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, shit album filler tracks. Missundaztood is dreadfully boring (at least 18 Wheeler shows some fucking personality, this song has all the personality of tofu). Respect sees Pink try to drop science, busting MAD RHYMES YO. Unfortunately, she's quite shit at it. Dear Diary manages to take the tried-and-tested formula of the 90s acoustic guitar pop ballad and somehow suck the life out of it.

To finish on a positive note though, two things; firstly, when she's not attempting to rap, Pink is phenomenal. She displays such an adept vocal range through the album, shifting from rock chick 'tude to Dusty Springfieldesque soul smoothness. Some of the songs might be terrible but that's not a complaint you can level at her singing. Secondly, the guiding hand of Linda Perry is a boon for this album, helping out with a clever lyric here, an earwormy pop hook there. Her presence is part of the album's charm.

The Verdict

There's brilliant, there's good, there's bland, there's bad and there's utterly terrible....and all five are here on Missundaztood. To be honest, I found the album a frustrating experience. Fantastic songs were often lost among the uninteresting noise, which is a disappointment. What I was pleased about was that within the album tracks, there were a few little gems...which, for me, is always one sign of a properly talented artist.

It's safe to say that I get the big deal a little more now than I did before...but you'll forgive me if I think that in terms of pure musical value, Missundaztood is, on balance, a distinctly average album.

My rating: ** and a half

Standout Tracks

Family Portrait

Eventually

Misery

Tomorrow, I bring you an album that promises to be another one of those 'so bad it's hilarious' releases.....