Now that I've had some time to digest the album after several good spins, I'll say this...

I'll have to side with "Try This."

That album is still more listenable to me than "I'm Not Dead." I enjoyed IND, but Try This was warmer and more consistent. P!nk's newest effort needs to be trimmed in some places to feel solid. There are great performances/moments like "Dear Mr. President," "Who Knew," "I Have Seen The Rain" and the entire segment from tracks 5 to 11, but songs like "I Got Money Now," "Confessions..." and "Nobody Knows" really weigh the album down and could've been shaved off.

They both had pedestrian first singles "Trouble" and "Stupid Girls." Trouble was the better lead of the two, but had a worser video (which I think hurt its impact overall). Besides, the panache of Stupid Girls was already explored on "Hooker" and "Try Too Hard" from her last album.

Now, "Try This" was a solid work! It's a shame this album flopped, mostly because I think her record company didn't promote it right. It is SUCH a cohesive disc. You can just press play and enjoy the ride without feeling the need to reach for the "Next" button.

Her 2003 album was more sonically diverse than I'm Not Dead. It had a great feel to it. There were organs used throughout and you had rousing Motown-inspired numbers like "Walk Away" and "Tonight's The Night." Then you had sexy, slinky electro-rock like "Oh My God (with Peaches)." The slow jam ballad "Catch Me While I'm Sleeping" is an underrated P!nk CLASSIC and should have been a single and there's no denying that "God Is A DJ" is a P!nk STANDARD. There was a Country Western flavor to "Save My Life." Plus, you could even hear some Go-Go's and Runaways influences in "Unwind" and "Humble Neighborhoods" which were excellent.

Unfortunately, her sound hasn't evolved in any way since that great album. "I'm Not Dead" could've easily been made in 2003 and pulled from those prior sessions. She's still treading along in the same pop-rock direction. It's funny how someone like Kelly Clarkson can basically use the same sound that P!nk popularized with Linda Perry in a track like "Since U Been Gone" and make it sound 10x better and livelier than most of the uptempo numbers on P!nk's new album.

"Missundaztood" is better than either.

The last Pink single I enjoyed was Beck's 2003's "Feel Good Time".

CinisterCee said:

tune!

i downloaded the new pink album but i haven't listened to it yet. i dug "missundaztood" a lot cuz it reminded me of bizarro world britney with a dash of joan jett. i never got around to getting "try this".

JANFAN4L said:

I agree with all this! I like the new one, but it feels a little like a retreat, Bush-slam aside.

I think I vaguely remember hearing "Catch Me While I'm Sleeping" when I was working late one night (I remember hearing a song and thinking it had to be Pink and figured it was probably from either "Try This" or "Missunderstood"). I really liked it. Maybe it was a single.

JANFAN4L said:

i was playin this one alot on friday. :jammin: thats all i gots to add to your thread jf lol

VinnyM27 said:

Catch Me While I'm Sleeping wasn't a single...

Christopher said:

You've got to love Christopher's comments!!!

ABeautifulOne said:

True. It just stayed an album track. "Try This" only had TWO real singles (Trouble and God Is A DJ) until her record company just decided to stop trying altogether.

JANFAN4L said:

Could've sworn I heard it on the radio (the radio in the store anyway)...Could it be it was released to AC stations?

Man I like Pink in interviews. I like her message in "Stupid Girls".

CinisterCee said:

Her "Making the Video" for that song was comedic genius. See it?

GangstaFam said:

No, but it probably would be a hoot!

I won't even give Pink's new album the time of day. I loved 'Try This'.

I think she likes weaving away from expectations.

Her record company didn't want her to do Mizzundaztood, and she did.

Then they wanted another Mizzundaztood, and she did Try This.

Her fans wanted another Try This,


etc.

CinisterCee said:

Do you really think so? My impression was it lost a lot of fans.

sextonseven said:

How come?

sextonseven said:

I'm talking about real fans, not gym teachers and babysitters who liked "Get The Party Started".

No way Jose Try this is a very weird album for me. I love She aint dead much better. Although Waiting for Love and Catch me while I'm sleeping are incredible songs

GangstaFam said:

BIG TIME! I don't think she will ever make a better song than 18 Wheeler

Anx said:

Don't I could not get into this album for the life of me

GangstaFam said:

It sounds like a step backward and I never liked her pop/R&B stuff. I'm a fan of Rancid/Transplants so I bought 'Try This' because of Tim Armstrong.

CinisterCee said:

I guess that added up to a lot of fair-weather fans. Her sales dropped from 5.2 million to 700,000.

sextonseven said:

It lost me

sextonseven said:

haha damn.

sextonseven said:

i'm proud to say i'm not a real pink fan.

very proud.

Anx said: