In the early part of the '90s, before Jennifer Finch left the band, I really wanted to hear a collaboration between them funky rocker chicks L7 and the coolest rapper chicks in the world: Salt N Pepa. I was thinkin' it woulda been a pretty cool twist on the "women in music" front. Well, that never happened. Okay, so fast forward ten years: summer of 2001 it FINALLY gets done. Rocker chick (well, kinda) Gwen Stefani did a duet with rapper chick Eve on a sexy as all hell single called "Let Me Blow Your Mind".
So here we are with probably one of the best collaborations I could ever think to happen. Linda Perry and Pink. Am I a happy fucker? Yes I am.
I'll admit to not hearing anything by Pink prior to 'Missundaztood'. Well, let me just say that this new album by Pink has turned me into a total fan of that little powerhouse chick.
What I expected from this collaboration never materialized. That is, I was thinking power chords and wall of sound thumping like a gangster. The package y'all get is better than that and less predictable. 'Missundaztood' is chock full of personality. Every track is another day in the life, another mood in the creative jungle of Pink's mind. While Bon Jovi guitarist Ritchie Sambora plays on at least one track the bulk of this record is a fantastic palette of musical colors. There's funky electronica musings, there's beautiful acoustic guitar, there's haunting organ melodies. There's so much going on through out this record that there's no way you'll hear it all in one listening. You gotta play this record when you're washing dishes, when you're figuring out your bills, when you're sitting at the typewriter staring at a blank page. When it gets into your subconscious is when you'll fully digest the diversity and the heartfelt words Pink sings to you.
Oh...that voice. That fucking voice. Beautiful, sensual, passionate. Pink is, simply put, an incredibly versatile vocalist. She does her tough chick street thing on "Get The Party Started" and then she does a breathy blues/gospel number called "Misery" (awesome duet with Steven Tyler). Pink has that been-smokin'-too-much scratch to her vocals, like a built in distortion box. She knows when to let her voice crack, and when not to. She's in total control of that powerful instrument that she keeps in her heart pocket.
There's a track called "Family Portrait" and on it you can hear the pain of a pre-teen being released. This song will hit you hard if you come from a family of divorced parents. Every word, every thought she expounds is stuff you think only you have felt about your own damn family life. But it's on "Lonely Girl" that you get to finally hear the magical pairing of two strong women in unison. Linda and Pink give a somber call and respond performance on this track that Linda wrote. This is one of my favorites.
Another favorite track is called "Dear Diary". It's probably one of the most exposing songs on a record that was written to shed a spot light on the soul of Pink. Despite the fact that all the songs were co-written by either Linda Perry or another artist with Pink, this album plays like pages from the diary of a young woman coming to terms with the world of adulthood, not to mention rock stardom. She's finding herself and she's expressing herself and she's defending herself and she's learning to love herself through out 'Missundaztood'.
(This PiNK Page is dedicated to Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield: Go fuck yourself, you dumb ass cocksucker mother fucker...and you're stupid too.)
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