Kesha ‘Gag Order’ reviews: Critics say album is ‘deliciously weird’ and ‘startlingly raw’
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Pop singer-songwriter Kesha is back with her fifth studio album, “Gag Order,” which comes three years after her last effort, 2020’s “High Road.” It was released on Friday, May 19, and the early reviews have been highly favorable, adding up to a MetaCritic score of 82 as of this writing. What do you think of the collection?
If her score holds at 82, it would outdo the 81 she received for 2017’s “Rainbow,” her comeback album following a protracted legal battle over her accusations of sexual assault against her former producer Dr. Luke (“Gag Order” is the last album she will release under contract with his label). But it must be noted that the 81 for “Rainbow” was based on 27 reviews, while only five have come in for “Gag Order” as of this writing.
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Nevertheless, those reviews are full of praise. Four are classified as positive, while one is marked as somewhat mixed, but none are outright negative. Helen Brown (The Independent) gives it a perfect score, saying that it “comes loaded with deliciously weird and compellingly urgent hooks … If ‘Gag Order’ is anything to go by, Kesha’s career is far from over. I’d say she’s only just getting started on a thrilling second act.”
Brittany Spanos (Rolling Stone) adds that this is “some of her most intense music yet … She has found a psychedelic middle ground between the sleazy synths of her 2012 breakthrough, ‘Warrior,’ and the rootsy and Southern rock of her past two, 2017’s ‘Rainbow’ and 2020’s ‘High Road.'” Olivia Horn (Pitchfork) notes the dark tone of the record, “but the overall maturation of the work brings welcome changes. Kesha’s lyrics, as subtle as a hammer, feel more startlingly raw.” And Paul Attard (Slant) calls it “a total rebuke of the party-girl image that Kesha presented on albums like ‘Cannibal,’ and yet it’s somehow even freakier.”
The one mixed opinion on the review aggregator thus far comes from John Murphy (MusicOMH), who says it’s “both fascinating and hard to listen to at times,” with “a sense of catharsis” that “sounds completely different to any record she’s released previously.” Have you listened to her new album yet? If so, what do you think? Discuss in the comments below, and join the discussion on all things music here in our forums.
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