Did you hear recently Pink proclaiming to be more talented than Madonna? Quite a claim for someone on their second album. Especially when that second album, is, frankly, not very good. Apparently a return to Pink's "skater roots", 'Missundaztood' ends up more Alanis Morrisette.
Anyone looking for some spicy R'n'B to follow up Pink's fantastic breakthrough hit, 'Most Girls', will be sorely disappointed.
Opener, and title track no less, is weak, which is not a good sign. It's the sound of Pink playing in front of her mirror with a hairbrush, complete with awkward grunts and embarrassed giggles.
Elsewhere on the album, Pink asserts "I'm a hazard to myself" over possibly the worst track Dallas Austin has ever produced ('Don't Let Me Get Me'). Recent single, 'Get The Party Started', is a respite from the dirge, but only if you've consumed sixteen pints of alcohol and/ or are under sixteen years of age.
The most affecting moment on this album is the heartfelt 'Family Portrait', which hints at deeper workings in Pink's mind. It's also provides a welcome refuge from the rock-lite production which dogs the majority of this album. 'Missundaztood' ends on 'My Vietnam', a tasteless title if ever there's been one. It features such wonderful lyrical insights as "life keeps dropping bombs and I keep the score". The song fades out as the American national anthem plays in the background.
I kid you not. More talented than Madonna? We'll see 15 years down the line. 'Missundaztood'? Maybe, but on this evidence, it's nobodies fault but her own.
