It seems like only yesterday that some crazy-haired chick in hotpants and shades was spewing forth sloganeering messages of girl power via the immutable medium of pop music. In fact, it was way back in 2000 that Alecia Moore first thundered onto the scene with her 'f*ck you' attitude and novelty hairdo; in the ensuing eight years, the Pennsylvanian singer has gone blonde, got married to a pro motocross racer, had a song covered by Shirley Bassey, released four albums, and got divorced from aforementioned pro motocross racer.
Coincidentally, her fifth outing 'Funhouse' deals with the emotional trauma the 29-year-old has dealt with since the dissolution of her marriage - her 'most vulnerable' to date, she's confirmed - but aside from a portion of the lyrical content, you can't really tell. A Pink album without a certain degree of kick-ass would be like a Russell Brand show without an unsavoury joke, and there's plenty of kick-ass to be doled out here – not least on the insanely addictive So What (a song you'll hate so much that you'll eventually come full-circle to love), the brilliantly imaginative Bad Influence, or the Franz Ferdinand-style jauntiness of the title track.
Needless to say, if uptempo, feisty numbers are Pink's forte, the ballads are her downfall - and although I Don't Believe You and Glitter in the Air are delivered with (contrived?) sincererity, their tepid bite doesn't even leave teethmarks, much less require a tetanus injection. With a new wave of similar sassy singers like Katy Perry nipping at her heels, Funhouse needed to be more than an affirmation that Pink embodies more than just the fierceness of Cyndi Lauper's pet Rottweiler. She succeeds, but only by the skin of her teeth.
