The Oeuvre: Pink

 The oeuvre is a potentially intermittent music series following an attempt to listen to an artist’s entire catalog as a whole over a short period
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Pink slunk out of the gate with the pop debut Can't Take Me Home (2000). Glossy and light, her voice never wavers from the higher ranges, backed by solid beats. Even at its most raunchy it only hints at the whiskey and cigarettes attitude that would come to define her sound. Reveling in sexuality artists like Britney Spears only toyed with at the turn of the century, Pink’s voice writhes and moans while never stepping outside of R&B tropes. As a debut it celebrates more of the producer’s art than the artist’s, but manages to hint at what is to come.

Missundaztood (2001) stumbles with its opening song whose lyrics even reference it as the first single. Frothy and silly it stands as one of the few tracks that remain tied to the sound established in her debut. Followed by three singles, Don’t let me get me, Just like a pill, and Get the party started, a tight pop/rock sound evolves as does the songwriting. More personal and perhaps autobiographical lyrical choices are interspersed with catchy pop hooks, lending more opportunity to show her vocal range. Growly and playful, Pink dives deep into Motown with Respect only to follow soon after with Family Portrait, a pained look at a dysfunctional family. Falling into cliché more than once, the album is a dynamic look at a growing artist tasting freedom.

Trouble opens Try This (2003) ironically as the song and album hold little of the progression between the first two albums. Uninspired yet unoffending, it is nearly more of a trifle than Can’t Take Me Home. Pink’s voice sounds raw throughout, as if recorded the moment she stepped of stage after a year of touring. The final track Hooker has a Chemical Brother’s beat backing Punk stylings in an experimental and angry song.

Contemplative yet inviting I’m Not Dead (2006) is more than a return to form. Collaborating with The Indigo Girls on the gentle but accusing Dear Mr. President Pink steps whole-heartedly away from the beats driven sound that broke her and embraces a swath of sounds. Who Knew has a snappy drum sound that drives a song about heartbreak while U & Ur Hand is a raunchy put down of every man in every bar. Conversations with my 13 yr old self leans hard into a personal storytelling style but falls too often into cliché. Fingers is an aural treat as a breathy gravelly Pink delves into the joys of late night masturbation. Sexual and powerful, this album fully realizes the promise of teasing as much as revealing.

Embracing full on diva with Funhouse (2008), Pink speaks to the pains, perils and emptiness of a party girl left behind. Glitter in the Air stabs at pretension but craft and vocal purity rescue the track. So What leads off what appears to be an attack on her then separated spouse and a marriage in trouble is often referred to throughout the record. As so many of her more meaningful tracks are, Sober leads with a snappy beat helping dull the pain of a woman lost to addiction. Mean is a blues exploration of a soured relationship and one of the standout tracks. Crystal Ball sounds like a non-pitched corrected Katy Perry song which not necessarily a bad thing. I Don’t Believe You is a heart-breaking ballad that squeezes every moment and leaves space to reflect on the emotion revealed.

Pink’s Greatest Hits (so far)2010 has three new tracks, Heart Break Down, Raise Your Glass & Fuckin’ Perfect. While very different sounding, each song is a solid work that stands on its own. Heartbreakdown is a poppy pithy story of a cynic who falls in love and a clear warning shot to up and comers that Pink is able to bust out perfect pop. Raise Your Glass is a guitar and drums driven stadium anthem that returns to the party girl of Mizzunderstood. Fuckin’ Perfect is the coda of a survivor who implores others to recognize the beauty within, because everyone else can already see it. It is mature work that speaks to the ongoing societal problems of body image and gender issues without patronizing the listener. Confessional yet catchy, it is a powerful closer.