Pink’s seventh album finds her cementing a seamless transition into the adult pop market. Having forged a successful career off the back of pop-rock anthems that championed the outsider, ‘Beautiful Trauma’ mainly drops that familiar sound for an album that seeks to align with current trends.
The lead single, What About Us, was a chart success ahead of time, meaning that she has remained relevant in the mainstream, and the song’s club-ready feel and light political commentary managed to catch the zeitgeist. “What about us? / What about all the times you said you had the answers?” she sings.
It was co-written by Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac, two of the minds behind one of the biggest hits of the year - Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You - while there are also writing credits here for pop powerhouses Max Martin, Shellback and Jack Antonoff.
There are several decent pop-rockers among the bunch, but We Lost It, Wild Hearts and You Get My Love are all piano ballads that showcase Pink’s strong vocals.
These tracks, though, lack emotional delivery, even if they hit the right notes. Where We Go and I Am Here, on the other hand, are country flavoured songs that Pink pulls off well after dabbling in similar waters as part of You+Me. Barbie sticks to acoustic pop and features the line “I wish I could go back to playing Barbies in my room”. It’s an awkward analogy, but it hits the current obsession with a rose-tinted version of the past.
The LP’s second single, Revenge, features Eminem and is something of a misstep. It’s a different sort of throwback - hip hop with a retro soul vibe - that feels out of place for both artists. Pink returns to the sound on Better Life and makes it work, but the disco-informed Secrets is another low point.
In a recent New York Times interview Pink admitted her streaming numbers aren’t great and that her focus is on touring. “I’m a ticket-seller,” she said. It feels unlikely that this album will produce any other major chart hits, but it will duly provide further ballast for her impressive live act, which really shows off her voice and includes acrobatics that the singer performs herself.
‘Beautiful Trauma’ also drives home that throughout her career Pink’s been an incredibly consistent hit-maker. Despite being warned by her label not to expect much radio airplay for What About Us, she managed to break into the top 30 in the US and the top five in the UK. That level of performance is not something that can be said of many of her contemporaries. With continued success into her late 30s she’s still an outsider.
Pink Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu March 01 2018 - PHOENIX Arizona - Talking Stick Resort Arena (USA)
Sat March 03 2018 - WICHITA Kansas - INTRUST Bank Arena (USA)
Mon March 05 2018 - TULSA Oklahoma - BOK Center (USA)
Tue March 06 2018 - LINCOLN Nebraska - Pinnacle Bank Arena (USA)
Fri March 09 2018 - CHICAGO Illinois - United Center (USA)
Sat March 10 2018 - CHICAGO Illinois - United Center (USA)
Mon March 12 2018 - SAINT PAUL Minnesota - Xcel Energy Center (USA)
Wed March 14 2018 - ST LOUIS Missouri - Scottrade Center (USA)
Thu March 15 2018 - KANSAS CITY Missouri - Sprint Center (USA)
Sat March 17 2018 - INDIANAPOLIS Indiana - Bankers Life Fieldhouse (USA)
Sun March 18 2018 - GRAND RAPIDS Michigan - Van Andel Arena (USA)
Tue March 20 2018 - TORONTO Ontario - Air Canada Centre (Canada)
Wed March 21 2018 - TORONTO Ontario - Air Canada Centre (Canada)
Fri March 23 2018 - MONTREAL Quebec - Centre Bell (Canada)
Sun March 25 2018 - DETROIT Michigan - Little Caesars Arena (USA)
Tue March 27 2018 - LOUISVILLE Kentucky - KFC Yum! Center (USA)
Wed March 28 2018 - CLEVELAND Ohio - Quicken Loans Arena (USA)
Wed April 04 2018 - NEW YORK New York - Madison Square Garden (USA)
Thu April 05 2018 - NEW YORK New York - Madison Square Garden (USA)
Sat April 07 2018 - PITTSBURGH Pennsylvania - Consol Energy Center (USA)
Mon April 09 2018 - BOSTON Massachusetts - TD Garden (USA)
Tue April 10 2018 - BOSTON Massachusetts - TD Garden (USA)
Fri April 13 2018 - PHILADELPHIA Pennsylvania - Wells Fargo Center (USA)
Sat April 14 2018 - NEWARK New Jersey - Prudential Center (USA)
Mon April 16 2018 - WASHINGTON District Of Columbia - Capital One Arena (USA)
Tue April 17 2018 - WASHINGTON District Of Columbia - Capital One Arena (USA)
Thu April 19 2018 - CHARLOTTESVILLE Virginia - John Paul Jones Arena (USA)
Sat April 21 2018 - ATLANTA Georgia - Philips Arena (USA)
Tue April 24 2018 - ORLANDO Florida - Amway Center (USA)
Wed April 25 2018 - FORT LAUDERDALE Florida - BB&T Center (Formerly BankAtlantic Center) (USA)
Sat April 28 2018 - HOUSTON Texas - Toyota Center (USA)
Sun April 29 2018 - HOUSTON Texas - Toyota Center (USA)
Tue May 01 2018 - DALLAS Texas - American Airlines Center (USA)
Wed May 02 2018 - DALLAS Texas - American Airlines Center (USA)
Tue May 08 2018 - DENVER Colorado - Pepsi Center (USA)
Wed May 09 2018 - SALT LAKE CITY Utah - EnergySolutions Arena (USA)
Sat May 12 2018 - VANCOUVER British Columbia - Rogers Arena (Canada)
Sun May 13 2018 - SEATTLE Washington - Key Arena (USA)
Tue May 15 2018 - PORTLAND Oregon - Moda Center (Formerly Rose Garden) (USA)
Fri May 18 2018 - OAKLAND California - Oracle Arena (USA)
Sat May 19 2018 - OAKLAND California - Oracle Arena (USA)
Tue May 22 2018 - FRESNO California - Save Mart Center (USA)
Wed May 23 2018 - ONTARIO California - Citizens Business Bank Arena (USA)
Fri May 25 2018 - ANAHEIM California - Honda Center (USA)
Sat May 26 2018 - LAS VEGAS Nevada - Las Vegas Arena (USA)
Mon May 28 2018 - SAN DIEGO California - Valley View Casino Center (USA)
Thu May 31 2018 - LOS ANGELES California - Staples Center (USA)
Fri June 01 2018 - LOS ANGELES California - Forum (USA)
Sat June 02 2018 - LOS ANGELES California - Forum (USA)
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