FREEDOM. IS AN EXPERIENCE!!

It's a great album, not quite cohesive as the ones before but somehow better than them 

"The One" hits close to home bc I hate men but I love it

I'm so proud of her

 

 

Ok but where's her atrl header 

 

"Boy Crazy" the SOTY that you are 

Edited July 4, 20251 yr by Zeferino
Listening to the album

3 minutes ago, Zeferino said:

Ok but where's her atrl header

Technically, it's not Friday yet in all of the US.

38 minutes ago, Cherish said:

Pretty sure Attention was a song she wasn't able to finish in time before she had to cut off her songs to send. 

did she ever say that? i would assume Attention was made purely for tour promo

11 minutes ago, Achilles. said:

Joyride still sounds great. It almost sounded like she rerecorded or re-mixed it or something? Doesn't sound quite how I remember. 
 

Yippee Ki Yay… collab version. Does she hate us?

 

i was thinking this about Freedom vs the leak we had a month ago. there was a lyric that i dont remember hearing at one point during one of the transitions.

and theres a lot of details in both Freedom and Cathedral i dont remember from the og leak.

as for Joyride, id have to take another listen cos i didnt notice anything new about it?

and YKY, what do you mean by collab version? like do you mean that she should have included it rather than the solo version?

Just got back from a night of drinking AHHHHH gonna finally listen, it's gonna hit so hard

Top 5

 

1. Joyride

2. Red Flag

3. Boy Crazy

4. Glow

5. Delusional

Just now, TomTom said:

Technically, it's not Friday yet in all of the US.

A reverse America's still sleeping experience 

 

"Glow" is a cute song, dk why but reminded me of the 🥔 song 

4 minutes ago, Zeferino said:

Ok but where's her atrl header 

 

"Boy Crazy" the SOTY that you are 

 

Just now, TomTom said:

Technically, it's not Friday yet in all of the US.

correct, it may be 12:55 EST now but PDT is still only 9:55pm

Ohhh "Too Hard" sounds so sophisticated

this album was great! (YIPPEE-KI-YAY. aside). felt like she was honoring her past music whilst also heading towards a new direction with it. basically her MAYHEM, in a sense. LOVE!

Love the echo effect on "Cathedral", the intro reminded me of when she was recording in the middle of nowhere with grasshopper noises and whatnot 

The tracklisting is delicious.

I actually feel so sorry for people who don't like Yippee-Ki-Yay.

Honorable mention: "Bop It", the hit that got away 🕯️ 

AOTY 

2 minutes ago, Zeferino said:

Honorable mention: "Bop It", the hit that got away 🕯️ 

@Kesha mom pls release a deluxe with Bawp It & Attention 🙏 thank you x

My review:

 

Listening to the album through for a third time, its hard to ignore the fact that this is a really, really strong pop album. If I wasn't necessarily a fan of Kesha but enjoyed pop music, objectively speaking its a really good album, aside from a couple of duds (Delusional and the second half of Freedom). My main criticism of the album when I first heard it, is that overall it feels very safe. As I mentioned, this album really shines if you are just looking at it from a pop music perspective, and I do think she has effectively sprinkled a lot of the tone, mannerisms and language that has made her sound unique, dating back to Animal days. I think this particularly rings true on Joyride, Boy Crazy and Red Flag, all of which give quintessential Kesha while still being fresh and current, and something we haven't heard before. I am/was a bit disappointed that a lot of the other tracks feel a lot more generic. Don't get me wrong, there is definitely a place on the album for songs like Love Forever and Too Hard, even The One (which isn't by any means a sound that I resonate with that much but still works as a cute album track). I think my main gripe is that these more generic bops aren't balanced out by more hard-hitting, experimental or genre-bending songs that she is also known for, and thus creates a listening experience that almost feels a bit hollow and half-baked.

 

Given that this is her first record as a free, independent artist, I thought we would get a few more songs that reference that journey she has been on to get here, the highs, the lows etc. Obviously Gag Order was extremely personal and raw, and I understand that her intention for this record may have been to keep it very light and consumable, but as a follow up to Gag Order and the expectations that that album set, I do just feel a little underwhelmed that she wasn't able to bring in that sound and song-writing elements into this album a bit more. I think adding a few more songs that played with a bit heavier content or more range in genres/sounds would have really elevated this album and made it sound like a more fully realised body of work. Individual song ratings:

 

Freedom - 6/10 

The intro is so hauntingly beautiful and offers a nice transition from Gag Order into . The transition into the song itself is a little jarring but I love how groovy the song is and that the chorus was recorded to emulate a celebration or party. It loses points from me after the second chorus, the rest of the song is basically just lines from the first verse recycled and cut together which make its sound messy and lazy.

 

Joyride - 10/10

There's not too much more to say about Joyride. It really is such a fun, exciting and interesting pop song that feels very Kesha but in a way we have never heard it before.

 

Yippee Ki Yay - 6/10

Now when I actually listen to this song, I can't deny how fun and catchy it is, but it utilises that country-pop sound that has been charting releasing and it just feels like Kesha's attempt to release something that would be enjoyed by the masses (straight people) and could be radio friendly. There is nothing offensive about this song but its just not a sound I really click with these days.

 

Delusional - 4/10

Oh Delusional... I hated you when I first heard Kesha tease the snippet on Instagram live and I still hate you now. I don't really know what it is but I just find the song melodically and lyrically so uninteresting and dated. It feels like a clear call-back to her Warrior era, which I am here, but unlike the other songs on this album I think it fails at sounding like something new, modern and quintessentially Kesha.

 

Red Flag - 9/10

Now this is how you do a call-back to Animal/Warrior. The song is fun, insanely catchy but also feels current and well produced. I love the little hints to the hyperpop sound in the first pre-chorus and the bridge really feels like classic Kesha in a way thats so nostalgic but still actually makes sense in the context of the song. I really think this song is her best chance at getting another hit this era. Its radio friendly, easy to digest and is just asking to blow up on Tik Tok.

 

Love Forever - 7/10

I've always wanted Kesha to explore a disco/funk style so this was a real treat to hear. I love the almost Daft Punkness of the production, and the verses are well written. The highlight of the song is the pre-choruses, especially the second pre-chorus. Where this song kind of loses me is during the chorus's. Melodically their a bit uninspiring and lyrically feel quite lazy.

 

The One - 7/10

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this track, and I think it successfully achieves what it set out to do. Unfortunately this sort of millennial, "I am lion, hear me roar" vibe is not something I really enjoy listening to or connect with musically.

 

Boy Crazy - 10/10 

Instant smash. Don't really have much to say. I looove the production, all the layers and vocal editing in this song. This really should've been the song of the summer but as we know the GP have **** taste. I would've loved like 2-3 more Boy Crazy type songs on the album.

 

Glow - 8/10

I feel like this song is going to be more controversial because its heavily edited and the format is a bit strange but it really is just a fun, catchy, current sounding bop. I think this is one of the funnest songs lyrically and I personally love the production. My only complaint is that the demo that made its rounds last year was much better.

 

Too Hard - 8/10

I love this style of pop music. Its very airy and summery and chill. I was a little underwhelmed by the chorus at first, its a little bit repetitive, and I kind of put it in the same category as Love Forever however this track grew on me a lot more than Love Forever and has actually become  one of my favourites on the album. I really good see this being a cute sleeper hit towards the end of summer/start of Fall.

 

Cathedral - 7/10

I actually like this a lot more than I thought I would. When I first heard her perform it I was not super impressed. Lyrically, I think its more akin to Rainbow and Shadow, when she has shown she can deliver more interesting and captivating lyrics (as seen on Gag Order). The final version and production really elevates the song though. Lyrically I still feel like its a bit juvenile, however the production and vocal editing is stellar, and I think its a decent album closer, but not my favourite

 

Overall: While I did have some initial disappointment with this record when I first heard it (coming from Gag Order which was my favourite album by her), as time has gone on everything has sort of clicked for me. If her intention was to release a fun, care-free, pop record than she well and truly succeeded. As mentioned I just wish there was a little more depth to the album in terms of the lyrical content, genres explored and story-telling. Overall 8/10.
 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 20251 yr by CroNich

"JOYRIDE." is kind of the greatest lead single of all-time and this is probably her best album. I believe she has topped Rainbow .

 

@Achilles. i just bought the digital album from her webstore and only Joyride is 16bit flac, the rest are 24bit flac.

@Cherish 

 

I do king of need her to put out a radio edit or remix of FREEDOM. 

 

I get the intro of it in the context of it being a transition from Gag Order, but I would love a version that starts with that whopper of a chorus like she does in the live version

I stan Kesha from beginning and so happy for her to be free. This album is amazing, no skips, best pop album this year, please add Attention to deluxe!

Edited July 4, 20251 yr by beatluk1

Okay so I actually ended up eating some porkchops and chips before listening so I'm only on Red Flag right now but YALL were not wrong about this song  how did Delusional and Yippee-Ki-Nay make the cut for release before Red Flag???