Ke$ha's debut album "Animal," released on Jan. 5, should probably add the word "House" to the end of its title. The perpetually drunk singer's debut album often depicts the lifestyle and activities that take place in many Greek houses across the Dartmouth campus (although admittedly in a slightly trashier way).
When "Animal" hit the top of the charts in its first week on sale, Ke$ha jumped on the bandwagon of her contemporaries Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, whose music also features quirky lyrics, fast paced beats and the major use of Auto-Tune.
Ke$ha's credibility as an artist relies on the fact that she writes her own music she had an impressive repertoire of 200 songs to choose from for inclusion on her first album. Yet, unlike Gaga and other singer-songwriters, Ke$ha seems to lack originality. At times, Ke$ha's music reminds me of that of Disney Channel star Ashley Tisdale, but with slightly more mature lyrical content. If I had to place Ke$ha in a musical genre, I would classify her sound as "Disney-frat-club-music."
The album begins with a catchy tune titled "Your Love Is My Drug," which establishes right off the bat how much Ke$ha sounds like Katy Perry. The track is at once promising and discouraging in terms of Ke$ha's creative potential despite her playful, signature ability to alternate between rapping and singing, she relies on overused motifs, riffing (or perhaps ripping) off Amy Winehouse and Rihanna's songs from 2009 about rehab.
The album's second track, the fraternity basement staple "Tik Tok," sounds like it was made solely with the goal of topping the charts in mind. Showcasing Ke$ha's intent to have fun, the upbeat song begins with the lyrics, "Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy." The single hit number one in an astounding nine countries, also having the most digital downloads of a song by a female artist in its opening week. "Tik Tok" is meant for the clubs.
Thus it is no surprise that the media has cast Ke$ha as an out-of-control party girl a persona Ke$ha has no qualms with, judging from the recent fake video she circulated of her and a group of friends drunkenly defacing the Hollywood sign.
Sometimes, however, it seems like this is Ke$ha's only persona. Despite some varied subject matter, the songs on the rest of the album sound remarkably similar to the first two.
More problematic is the fact that Ke$ha's homogenous style seems like an imitation of a host of other pop singers "Take It Off," "Ki$$ N Tell" and the album's title track "Animal" sound like Auto-Tuned rip-offs of Perry's singles.
This is less of a problem in "Hungover," "Blind," "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" and "Boots & Boys," which feature less Auto-Tune. In these less-produced songs, I could hear Ke$ha's natural tone. And although the beats may all be the same, her lyrical content sometimes surprises and her voice is good enough on its own, without the help of technology.
"Animal" concludes with her second single "Blah Blah Blah," which along with "Tik Tok" helps carry the album. The song features the band 3OH!3, and represents the idea of "female players," with Ke$ha proclaiming her interest in pure physical attraction, free from commitment. "Blah Blah Blah" helps to spread her message of female empowerment and diminishes the stereotype that men are the only ones looking for potential hook-ups, not relationships.
Just looking at the titles alone, "Animal" is a party album, showcasing Ke$ha's trashy-yet-classy style as a songwriter and an avid partier. She hit the mainstream hard and quick with her first singles, which showed her potential, but lacks in freshness with several comparisons to other artists. Hopefully, her second album will illuminate her talent as a songwriter further and not focus purely on her party-girl image.
