Kesha shines her "Rainbow" across the world with first album in almost five years
Three words.
Kesha. Is. Back.
No, seriously. The fast talking, partying, queen of the dance floor has returned. But not in the same way.
As you may have noticed, I spelled Kesha with an actual 's.' Their is no dollar sign to be found. That is not my doing, It's hers. In the wake of the singer's long awaited return, she's also decided to drop the iconic dollar sign.
She means business.
First, we should get to know a little background about the artist even though I'm pretty sure most of the world has heard of Kesha, and if you haven't then where the fuck have you been?
She was first introduced to the world with her global chart-topping hit "Tik Tok." The song led to more success for her as "Animal," her debut album featuring the aforementioned lead single charted at number 1.
Kesha continued her string of hits with songs like "Your Love Is My Drug," "We R Who We R" and her Pitbull collaboration "Timber."
Her last album to be released was 2012's "Warrior," which honestly seemed to be lacking something. Little did the world know that Kesha was going through a a lot at that time, and even before that.
If you had been keeping tabs on the "Die Young" singer over the past five years you would know that she had suffered from an eating disorder as well as filing a lawsuit against her former producer Dr. Luke for sexual harassment. In which, Luke retaliated by suing her for defamation.
Kesha had been hurting for so long.
In these years, everything had been taken from her. It didn't seem like the lawsuit would end in her favor. She had no idea if she would ever release music again. That's when the #FreeKesha was created on Twitter, showing Kesha that her fans were right by her side every step of the way.
Flash forward to this year and Dr. Luke had been fired from the label and Kesha was given the green light to release new music.
Finally, we have Kesha's long awaited third album "Rainbow," which couldn't have come faster. The circumstances that led up to this release were unfortunate, but if she didn't go through what she did, then the album wouldn't be the masterpiece that I've cried too many times about.
"Rainbow" opens with the acoustic, kiss off anthem "Bastards."
"Don't let the bastards get you down, oh no. Don't let the assholes wear you out," she sings in the chorus to let the haters know that they don't have a say in this new era.
"Been underestimated my entire life. I know people gonna talk shit, and darling, that's fine. But they won't break my spirit, I won't let ’em win," she continues in the second verse, solidifying the fact that she is strong and secure in who she is and that nobody can bring her down.
Now, this new and improved Kesha isn't here to point fingers or cause any drama. In fact, a recurring theme in "Rainbow" is forgiveness. She's decided to move forward from what happened, and finding true happiness in that.
This couldn't be more true than in the lead single from the record, "Praying."
"Praying" was the first offering from "Rainbow" and Kesha's first solo single since 2013. The song serves as a message to her former abuser to let them know that she isn't giving up and that through all of this pain she could only become stronger.
"I hope you're somewhere praying, praying. I hope your soul is changing, changing. I hope you find your peace. Falling on your knees, praying" she sings over monstrous piano chords.
The most notable line of the song probably comes in the second verse where the artist simply states "I'm proud of who I am" and continues on to announce "The best is yet to come."
And she was right.
Before the release of the album, Kesha released three more songs with "Praying," each even better than the last.
First up, is the pulsing and fiery "Woman" in which the singer declares "I'm a motherfucking woman, baby, alright. I don't need a man to be holding me too tight." According to Rolling Stone, the song serves as an anthem about Kesha's love for being a woman and for anyone that wants to yell about being self-sufficient and strong.
"Hymn" is another song released right before the the world heard the entirety of "Rainbow." The song is used as a "hymn for the hymnless" for anyone who doesn't have a religion or feels like they don't fit in. Kesha wanted everyone to feel a feeling of belonging.
Now, we get to my favorite of the three promotional singles.
"Learn To Let Go" spoke to me immediately. The lyrics, the video, the sound. To me it is one of the best songs she's ever released to this day. It adds onto the message of "Praying" by stating that "I think it's time to practice what I preach, Exorcise the demons inside me. Whoa, gotta learn to let it go."
I think we all deal with this at some point, letting go is hard. Especially, when you feel as though you've been wronged in a way that can never be forgiven.
Kesha doesn't want the past hanging around. Holding on to something will only waste time and that's why I feel "Learn" is such an integral part of the album. "Life ain’t always fair, but hell is living in resentment. Choose redemption. Your happy ending's up to you" is, to me, one of the most powerful lines ever.
Moving forward, "Rainbow" may be a serious album but we all know Kesha can have a good time. "Boogie Feet" and "Boots" are two dance-y songs that are sure to get the single treatment at some point in the next year.
"Godzilla" is also a short and sweet song where Kesha sings about being in a relationship with a monster who steals her fries and likes video games.
Another album standout would be the cover of the Dolly Parton classic "Old Flames (Can't Hold A Candle To You)" that actually includes Parton and, fun fact, was orginally written by Kesha's mother Pebe Sebert.
I'm gonna be honest, when I saw Kesha was doing a cover I was a little discouraged. I wanted to have an album filled with completely new material.
Much to my surprise, it's become one of my favorite tracks. If you've listened to the original song, you would know it's a littler softer and more stripped down.
Well, in this version, Kesha makes it all her own. Giving it a psychedelic bluesy opening as well as a huge rock outro where both ladies sing their hearts out and leave you wanting more. Definitely a cover worth checking out.
Now, the true star of the album is the title track, where Kesha began the journey of "Rainbow." She told Metro News that this song was "A promise to myself. A promise that things would get better."
In an open letter, Kesha mentions that she was in a very dark place. She wrote the song when she was in rehab for an eating disorder that had gotten out of control. She begged them for an instrument and they eventually let her have a keyboard. With it, she played "Rainbow" every day because she knew she had to get through that incredibly hard time.
"I’ve found a rainbow, rainbow, baby. Trust me, I know, life is scary. But just put those colors on, girl. Come and play along with me tonight," she sings over a full orchestra as the song builds and builds leaving no dry eyes in the house.
The album concludes with the dark and haunting "Spaceships." The song was inspired by a UFO sighting she experienced in Joshua Tree National Park. In the track, she explains how she never really felt normal and at place here on this earth and how one day she believes that her spaceship will come back to take her home.
"I'm waiting for my spaceship to come back for me and I don't really care if you believe me," she sings over a chilly bluegrass melody that would fit perfectly into a futuristic 80's movie.
The greatest part of the song is probably her ending monologue where her last words are "Nothing is real, love is everything, and I know nothing," which is followed by the sound of her blasting off into outer space.
Overall, "Rainbow" is an impressive body of work from an artist who went to hell and back. The album includes an array of styles that fit perfectly together and displays a message of hope and love. Furthermore, Kesha's vocals shine much brighter than they did on previous releases and I look forward to the impact this album will make on so many young lives.