Funhouse by Pink

When Pink called her new album “Funhouse” and promoted it with a well-thought out carnival theme, it turns out she was misleading a lot of people – the album is remarkably un-fun. Which is not to say it’s not musically strong, it’s just nowhere near the joyful musical romp that listeners probably expect.

“Funhouse” starts out with the number one hit single, “So What.” This caught it’s fair amount of flack when it was released for having lines like “The waiter just took my table and gave it to Jessica Simps,” which is not exactly high-class poetry, but the critics were definitely wrong here, as this was one of the catchiest singles released last year, and its sales proved that.

Pink then ups the emotional level of the album with songs like “I Don’t Believe You” and “Please Don’t Leave Me.” Neither of these are the catchy sort of song that will get her another successful single – instead, they’re slow, intense pleas to stay together as the singer holds onto the last dregs of a failing relationship.

This drama is interspersed with the song, “Bad Influence,” which is definitely the sort of light-hearted melody that the album promises, about girls’ crazy nights out. Lines like “tequila for my friend, it makes her flirty” and “I can’t help it, I like to party,” make it as catchy as “So What.”

The album’s title track has more of an R‘n’B influence than the preceding songs have had, with a unique electronic beat that carries the pace of the song from start to finish.

Pink then goes in the opposite direction with the song “Crystal Ball,” which is a threadbare acoustic tune that only has a soft guitar and her inspired lyrics to successfully carry it. Here, she is reminiscent of Sheryl Crow’s mellower style, and carries it through to the next song, “Mean,” too.

And finally, instead of trying and failing to sing the old aria, Pink sings a spiced-up pop song on “Ave Mary A,” proving again that listeners can’t know what to expect from her.

All in all, there are some really good tunes on “Funhouse” that anyone will be able to listen to at any time of day, but to repeat the whole album more than once, you’re going to have to be a fan of Pink’s pipes, which are a tad too dramatic and over-emotionally laden at many points on this record.