KEARSTIN CANTRELL | Opinions Editor
Pop singer Kesha did not only drop the dollar sign from her name, but her new album also shows new depth that we have not seen from her before.
As a musician, Kesha has always been known to produce albums full of spunk, fun, and crass language, but never before has she included as much emotion as on her album “Rainbow,” released on Aug. 11.
On past albums, the majority of Kesha’s songs have been odes to the good times and party anthems with frivolous meanings, if any. However, after years of battling producer Dr. Luke in the courtroom over sexual assault charges, Kesha puts raw emotion into her work like never before.
While some songs on the album are classic Kesha tunes with titles like “Godzilla” and “Spaceship,” a majority of the album’s selection tells a more serious story: what she has learnt through the legal battles, as well as how her thought process and emotional strength have been impacted.
The first single that was released from the album, “Praying,” gives Kesha the chance to tell the people that have hurt her that she plans to take the high road. It includes lyrics like “I hope you find your peace falling on your knees praying” and “sometimes I pray for you at night/ someday maybe you’ll see the light.”
Still other songs on the album like “Woman” show that Kesha isn’t backing down from being the strong independent woman she has always been.
Rolling Stone calls “Woman” a “blissfully irreverent, proudly self-sufficient retro-soul shouter.” Much like many classic Kesha ballads.
Aside from the variety of emotion shown on the album, Kesha also reveals that her voice and style are much more versatile than has been made known in the past.
This easily be seen in the artist’s remake of Dolly Parton’s “Old Flames (Can’t Hold a Candle to You),” featuring Parton herself. What makes this song special is that Kesha’s mother, Pebe Sebert, wrote the song for Parton nearly 40 years ago.
According to variety.com, Sebert even contributed some new material for Kesha’s remake of the song.
Overall, Rainbow is a wonderful ode to the growth Kesha has had as an artist and, more importantly, as a person in recent years.
