Pink, "I'm Not Dead Yet" (LaFace/Zomba) Given Pink's well-earned reputation as pop's irreverent wild child, it is sometimes easy to overlook how much she's grown as an artist since her slick R&B; debut in 2000.
Yes, she still knows how to get the party started, as evidenced by the slickly produced, radio-friendly dance grooves that pepper her latest, "I'm Not Dead." And her powerhouse vocals are still the main attraction. But what stands out on this disc are not the party jams or her voice, but the poignant ballads, smart rock tunes and searing commentary that now define her music.
The album's first single, "Stupid Girls," is a great dig at the silly behavior of the tabloid-crazed starlets in Hollywood; though on the surface it seems like a great dis song, at its core it's really an ode to female empowerment and smashing stereotypes.
The most touching and poignant song on the album is "Dear Mr. President," a bare-bones ballad Pink performs with the Indigo Girls. With only a simple acoustic guitar backing her up, Pink rails against President Bush, attacking him on everything from No Child Left Behind to gay rights as she asks, "How do you sleep when the rest of us cry? How do you dream while a mother has no chance to say goodbye?" Though she may turn off some for wearing her politics on her sleeve, there's no denying her artistry on this song.
"I Have Seen the Rain," a hidden track, is a sweet duet she sings with her father, James T. Moore. The two of them harmonize, in one take, over a song he wrote about Vietnam veterans.
But the album is hardly a downer. "Cuz I Can" is a great song about partying hard and enjoying a life of sin; it has a strong, march-like beat while Pink sings about being able to buy and do things with all her success -- because she can.
"I'm Not Dead," co-written and executive-produced by Pink, is a welcome addition to Pink's body of work, a bridge to where she's headed. She's maturing as both an artist and a person, but not abandoning the pop music that has brought her so much success.
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