Album review: Ke$ha goes punk rock on sophomore release Warrior

Ke$ha dives in a new sonic direction while maintaing her authenticity.

Sound and genre experimentation is a dangerous idea, especially when compiling your sophomore album. Ke$ha’s newest album Warrior manages to avoid falling into a sophomore slump by perfectly incorporating the Ke$ha that debuted with Animal and this new and experimental one.

In a style completely unexpected from Ke$ha, Warrior tends to abandon her electropop sound in favor of this rock-inspired album. Ke$ha makes a wise decision to forget the auto-tune in favor of more heart-felt lyrics and guitar heavy instrumentals.

The track that fully exhibits this new Ke$ha is "Thinking of You." While many artists lose some of their original sound when they try to experiment with and incorporate other genres, Ke$ha’s experimentation never takes away from she made herself out to be in her debut album. The Ke$ha that penned "Tik Tok" and this rocker Ke$ha that makes her appearance are perfectly capable of coexisting alongside one another, something that "Thinking of You" makes perfectly clear.

"Only Wanna Dance With You," "Crazy Kids," and "Die Young" still manage to retain Ke$ha’s club-style dance beats, yet casually incorporate a punk-rock vibe. And with the auto-tune abandoned, we can hear more of Ke$ha’s vocal talent that took the backseat to in Animal.

Ke$ha has stated that with this new album she wants to “capture some of the true essence of what rock and roll is, and that’s just irreverence and sexiness and fun and not giving a [expletive]”. Warrior definitely catches that essence. In the title track, Ke$ha sings the motto for that old school rock mindset. ”We are the misfits ... we ain’t perfect but that’s all right." She’s declaring a manifesto for the individuality of the rising generation and not backing down from the person that she is and wants to be.

Ke$ha’s Warrior quickly proves that she isn’t the Katy Perry/Britney Spears infused wannabe that her critics have accused of her being. This album showcases her talent and her ability to skyrocket into stardom on her own.