"Disappointing"? Not At All. This CD Should Not Be Overlooked (Try This - P!nk)

Member Name: Under Rug Swept.

Product:	Try This - P!nk
Date:	10/10/06 (314 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A good few shining gems on the CD

Disadvantages: There's also some bland tracks which are clearly just fillers

"Try This" is Pink's third studio album, released in November 2003 - almost 3 years ago. Everybody expected great things from Pink after she had moved away from the R'n'B sound of her debut album to create the masterpiece, "Missundaztood". But as it turned out Try This was dubbed an awful CD and a disappointment. But I disagree.

While I admit that Try This is the weakest of Pink's four studio albums, I still do not find the CD weak or a disappointment. I think it is weak and bland in some areas, but there are some shining gems on this album which should not be overlooked.

Even Pink herself doesn't think the album is totally up to scratch. Claims say that Pink's label rushed her to get a CD out to milk the success of Missundaztood, but she didn't want to rush an album release, she wanted a break (which she clearly deserved). After being forced into releasing a CD, Pink just thought to herself, "You want a CD now? Here - try this". Apparently this CD was Pink's way of saying rush me and you'll get a sub-standard album - or, more basically, "F*** you".

Despite Pink's lack of enthusiasm in making a groundbreaking record, she still definitely pulled it off. This CD is more devil-may-care than her previous, heartfelt album which dealed with many real life issues. There are still some serious songs about love, such as "Waiting for Love" and "Love Song", but the main feel of the album is fun and rock.

The album kicks off to a flying start with lead single, "Trouble". This is fun, up-tempo rock (with a country influence to it in some parts which is concentrated on in the music video) which basically says that you should watch out for Pink. "If you see me coming/Down the street/Then you know/It's time to go". I love this track and it had reasonable success in Europe, reaching #7 on the UK charts, but it was not received so well Stateside, just breaking the top 70 on the billboard charts. Pink's vocals are quite smokey and throaty in the verses, but powerful and on-point in the chorus. The song has a fun, powerful climax which Pink really milks for the best. The only negative thing I can say about this song is the way the first verse is repeated - it's kind of like so many lyrics were written for the song and then just recycled.

"God Is A DJ", track 2, is a fun devil-may-care party pop song with a rock feel to it. "I see the world as a candy store/With a cigarette smile/Saying things you can't ignore". Basically in this song Pink is saying, "F*** everyone else, be yourself and have fun". The chorus is infectiously catchy but from the moment I heard this song I couldn't help but feel this song seemed unoriginal, as great as it is. The song again had success in Europe, reaching #11 on the UK charts but again it did not do so well over the Atlantic.

The lack of success of "God Is A DJ" in the US meant that track 3, "Last To Know" was released only in Europe. This song touches a slightly more serious issue than the previous songs - it's about a relationship which didn't work out because Pink wouldn't.. um.. submit to her partner. "After the date/I wouldn't go home with you/I wouldn't put my heels in the air for you/Tried to get me to do things I just won't do/Last I heard from you". This song is consitently a good rock track throughout, picking up particularly towards the end - I really like the second bridge with it's more up-tempo feel than the previous. The chorus is catchy, even if it does lack lyrically and I think this song would have proven much more properly as a single had it been properly promoted - it peaked just outside the top 20 in the UK.

"Tonight's the Night", track 4, is the first weak song on the album. The music is mildly catchy and Pink sounds good and throaty again, but it just doesn't appeal to me much. It's fun, with it's "Who gives a sh** about life? Go have fun!" attitude, and I suppose it's a nice song to listen to whilst you're getting ready for a party, but this song really is nothing special. "Tonight's the night/I'm gonna get right/Gonna hit the scene with my friends".

Track 5, "Oh My God", really is one of the sexiest and promiscuous songs you will ever hear. "I can sit and listen/Or I can make you scream/Oh my God/Go a little slower/Oh My God/What was that again?" It's really steamy, and Pink pulls the effect off perfectly. The song features an appearance from Peaches after the first chorus and her quite filthy contribution has a nice effect. The song is well produced and "Oh My God" is a good track on the album.

"Catch Me While I'm Sleeping", track 6, was actually written to be added onto Pink's previous album Missundaztood - but it was dropped as there was more than enough tracks on the album. It serves a great purpose on "Try This" as a catchy, well produced mid-tempo song. Pink sounds great as usual, and this track is a highlight on the album. "You can catch me while I'm sleeping now/Maybe while I'm dreaming too/It's a lonely, lonely, lonely place for me baby, yeah/It must get lonely for you too". This is one of my favourite tracks on the album and definitely worth an album.

I myself often overlook track 7, "Waiting for Love", but when I listen to it again I have no idea why. This song is quite phenomonal and Pink's best on the album vocally, with a very emotive and powerful chorus. "She drifts through the sky/Counting the reasons why/How my life turned so fast/Remembering all of the past". The build up to the first chorus is quite long, but it has a positive effect because the chorus really does just blow you away as Pink shows off that powerful set of lungs.

"Save My Life", track 8, is a heart-touching song about a woman who needs to be saved from the troubles in her life. "She's back on drugs again/Even though she knows it ain't right/She can't even call up her friends and say/Help me save my life". It follows the rise and fall of the woman and I am sure a lot of people will be able to relate this song. A lot of Pink fans wanted this song to be released as a fourth single from the album, and I am sure it have done at least reasonably well. The song is catchy but with a serious issue - very Missundaztood.

The most hard rock track on the album is one of my favourites - track 9, "Try Too Hard". This is pure catchy rock, different from the rest of the album, and Pink certainly pulls it off as a rocker. The lyrics may be a little lacking, but when you're shaking your hair to this tune, who cares? "You're telling everyone/How different that you really are/But it's been said before/So maybe you're not so special after all". The song is about how Pink is annoyed by people who just act to fit into the crowd and be liked by people - finally admitting that she also is one of those people, where she changed "you" to "us" in the last chorus. Fun, catchy rock, this is one of those hidden gems on the album.

The following track, "Humble Neighbourhoods", is also quite rock, and it's a perfect rock party song. The lyrics again are quite lacking, but the music is good and whilst this is not an outstanding track on the album, it's not bad. You can't help but getting the feeling, like with "God Is A DJ", that this song has been done all before - but better.

Musically, I guess that track 11 on the album, "Walk Away", could be described as a weak spot on the CD. But I think it's catchy and I really like this song - it's one of my personal favourites. "You throw your hands up and you walk away/When times get hard you always walk away/Why is it so damn hard for you to talk to me?/When it's so easy for you to walk away." The song is about a relationship which just isn't working out, and Pink wants to move on and continue her search for Mr Right. The song has a jazz feel to it mixed in with the mid-tempo pop, but the jazz in this song is only a warm-up for the mindblowing following track, "Unwind".

I absolutely adore track 12, "Unwind". It's just amazing - the rock-jazz feel knocks you off your feet and Pink's vocals are an extra splash off cold water in your face. On top of that, the song is fun - it's about Pink having to relax and unwind doing her favourite things, even though they're bad for her health. "My life is like a fairytale/That nobody believes in/I can't remember anything/Not the people, not the places I've been/Just one more day/You can make it babe/That's what I tell myself/But everything that I love in life is killing me/'Cos it's bad for myself". The chorus really has a kick to it and you'll be rocking to this all night. This is another sparkling diamond on the CD. It reminds me a lot of the first track, "Trouble" - it has the same kind of structure and choruses. Fabulous stuff.

The first of the three bonus tracks with the UK release is "Feel Good Time" - the soundtrack to the Charlie's Angels movie. I am sure you will be familiar with this track - it was released as a single prior to "Try This"'s release and reached #3 on the UK charts (but only #60 in the States). This is how fun rock-pop tunes are supposed to be like, and this puts tracks like "Tonight's the Night" and "Humble Neighbourhoods" to shame.

The second bonus track is the one song which you should buy the album for. I'm not lying - "Love Song" is THE most beautiful, emotive and powerful love song I've ever heard. The lyrics are amazing and touching, and the layout of the song also makes it great musically. Pink's vocals are at their best. "What's the point of this armour/If it keeps the love away, too?/I'd rather bleed with cuts of love/Than live without any scars" - just a sample of the beautiful lyrics throughout this short-lived song. Yes, I'm sad to say this song is extremely short-lived at just 02:29 long. This song should have been extended, but despite the length this really is a perfect song. You need to listen to this.

The third bonus-track and the last track is the rude "Hooker". Much speculation has surrounded this song - rumour has it that this track was written about ex-friend and colleague Linda Perry, others say it is about music rival Christina Aguilera. "You ain't nothin' but a hooker/Selling your f***ing soul". That's basically the limit of the chorus, but despite the rude lyrics "Hooker" isn't actually even a bad song. It reminds me a little of "Last to Know" (but not as good). Musically, not a bad way to round off a great album - and it also shows Pink is still a bad-ass.

With one or two weak tracks, and a few astounding ones, "Try This" is a great album. It's just not as consistent as Pink's other albums, but it's still more than worthy of a place in your collection. I would certainly recommend this album to anybody, if only to listen to "Love Song" and "Unwind". Critics and even fans may have thought that this album was a shambles, and that it's the reason why "I'm Not Dead" is currently doing so badly in the United States - but I think that this is a great album which Pink shouldn't be ashamed of having in her cadillac.

Summary: "Try This" is certainly not a disappointment, and despite popular belief this is a great CD