The Truth About Love
P!nk
RCA
Motherhood often changes people.
The birth of a baby usually alters a person’s perception to the beauty of life
and love, changing their attitude as much as their figure. But clearly having
little baby Willow has had no such
effect on American Singer-Songwriter Pink, who returns for her sixth studio
album, The Truth About Love.
With an album title like this,
it’s easy to think that maybe an LP of love ballads would follow. But starting
with Are We All We Are smashes that idea
completely, with Pink kicking off the album her usual fist pumping anthem style.
This continues through to the cheeky first single, Blow Me (One Last Kiss). It’s a fun and flippant break-up song,
with enough uses of the ‘S’-word to make any laugh. The pop-rock style is
something Pink is very good at, yet it’s not the only one that features on this
album. Try could be technically classed
as a ballad, with its emotive lyrics and slower tempo, especially after the
furore of the first two tracks. But this is a ballad with typical Pink flair,
with heavy drum beats and rocking guitars. Yet these get stripped away for Just Give Me A Reason, a true ballad
that questions where a relationship is going and if it could last. It features
the first of several intriguing collaborations, with Nate Ruess, lead vocalist
of Fun, brilliantly singing the male
half of the lyrical ‘fight’. And in a Mothers-United movement, Pink is joined
by recent music retiree Lily Allen, under her new name Lily Rose Cooper, for True Love. Although Lily’s vocals only last
for one verse, it’s a welcome return from the previous Queen of British Pop. Then
several tracks later US rapper Eminem brings a dark edge to Here Comes The Weekend. It’s not to
everyone’s taste, but it does add another level to this album.
One thing Pink doesn’t do is soft
and sweet, and her frank opinions can be clearly seen in Walk Of Shame and Slut Like
You, where she shows women can be sexual predators too. It’s explicit, loud
and surprisingly fun, especially with Pink’s hilarious inter-verse mutterings
and the choral “Woo-Hoo”s. Her honest look at modern day love continues in
title track Truth About Love, which
showcases the nasty, yet truthful truth about relationships. Beam Me Up reveals Pink’s vulnerability,
and in doing so, her true vocal talent. If you feel that Pink is just a
shouting diva, you should turn to this acoustic guitar piece or the piano-led
album closer The Great Escape.
Overall, this album is a
rollercoaster ride of emotions, an eclectic mix of rock pop anthems and honest
truths. Even upbeat love songs contain darker hidden lyrics that offer a blunt
and human look at relationships, with all their highs and (very low) lows. Pink
sings about real emotions and in doing so produces tracks that are instantly
relatable.
