Life Is Just Our Party Palace

Kesha “Let ‘Em Talk”

There is an urgency to Kesha’s new album Rainbow that is very noticeable when you hear in the context of current mainstream pop music – it doesn’t sound like something that’s been calculated and revised several times over in the hope of finding success; it sounds like something that had to be made. Kesha sounds absolutely thrilled to making music after what can succinctly and understatedly be referred to as an ordeal with Dr. Luke, and every moment is cathartic in some way. I’m particularly attracted to “Let ‘Em Talk” because it so perfectly articulates this feeling of “I’M FREE!!!!!,” and Kesha has always been at her best when she’s singing about being joyful as a form of defiance. A lot of “fuck the haters” sentiment in pop music strikes me as petty vanity and delusion, but that’s not the case here. This really is about pushing back at the miserable, angry, hateful people in the world and finding the strength to be fully yourself and enjoy your life. Songs like this feel necessary now, and a lot more political than they used to be.

Buy it from Amazon.