Santo's "Funhouse" Review

P!nk
Funhouse
4.5/5

Hearbreak is a Motherf#%*er. That was the original title of Pink's 5th studio album, before retailers threatened not to sell her album because of its explicit title. Though the title was changed, the theme remains intact. Funhouse is a nearperfect album that showcases Pink's exquisite vocals and her niche for writing emotional, catchy, and heartwrenching tracks while still having 'fun' with her in-your-face, uptempo, pop/rock gems.

On the revelatory first single, the smash party track, "So What", Pink taunts & teases with infectious 'Na na na na na's' and sings "I guess I just lost my husband, I don't know where he went, So I'm gonna drink my money, I'm not gonna pay his rent," which is an obvious reference to her divorce to motorcross Carey Hart. The Max Martin (Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson) produced track became her first solo #1 ever, making it the biggest hit of her career.

Though the album's name is "Funhouse," most of the tracks are dark, depressing and sometimes even a bit haunting, even on the uptempos, like "Bad Influence," a bouncy, dark, upbeat track about partying a lot with your friends or the title track in which she compares her deteriorating relationship to a funhouse filled with evil clowns.

Pink really soars on the tracks where she displays her vulnerability, like on the Danja produced second single, "Sober," which is a poignant song about vices and sobriety or the playful sounding plead to her boyfriend, "Please Don't Leave Me," which has Pink begging her boyfriend not to leave her, regardless of her faults. By far, the album's standout track is the beautiful, acoustic, power ballad, "I Don't Believe You," which features the best vocal performance of the entire album.

The album isn't without its faults. The generic and recycled sounding, "It's All Your Fault" seems like it was taken directly from Kelly Clarkson's pile of leftovers whereas "Mean," even with it's intriguing lyrics, leaves much to be desired melodically. Despite these minor missteps, Pink still manages to keep it moving and has managed to create one of the year's best pop albums and quite possibly, the best album of her career.