Song of the Day - beautiful Trauma - P!nk

I woke up with this song in my head.  Be sure to click play and enjoy the song before you go out and enjoy this beautiful fall Saturday.  Here's beautiful Trauma...

Song of the Day - Secret - P!nk

The newest single and video from P!nk's beautiful Trauma album is the one song that reminds me a little bit of Madonna.  Here's Secret...

P!nk's beautiful Trauma Tour

When P!nk first announced the dates for her beautiful Trauma Tour, I didn't think I was going to be able to see it.  Her dates at New York's Madison Square Garden came smack dab in the middle of my trip to Europe, but luckily enough the New York metropolitan area is full of people, and I nabbed a ticket to last night's show at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and had a kick ass time!

Upon the release of beautiful Trauma, I was as excited as excited could be.  P!nk's 2012 The Truth About Love record was a game changer for me.  Until that time, I'd been strictly a one diva guy with Madonna for all of these years, but suddenly there was P!nk and this album.  I found myself making videos (see here and here), teaching lessons from the songs, and I spread P!nkmania just about everywhere I could.  

I should have known that beautiful Trauma wasn't as great as I expected it was going to be.  It's really hard to top perfection.   Not to say that the record is bad.  In fact, it's pretty darned stellar, but it's just not the same as Truth and the same can be said for the show I watched last night.  Stellar, absolutely, but this show just doesn't quite capture the same magic as the last one.  For what it's worth, here are some highlights:

The Stage and Opening

I absolutely loved the stage and the set for this show!  Surrounding the main stage was an abstract heart/ramp, complete with trap doors, steps, and a people mover straight down the middle, all of which got plenty of use during the two hour show.  

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With great fanfare, the show began promptly at 9 o'clock, and our heroine entered stage top via a grand chandelier and Got the Party Started.  As it would be throughout the evening, her voice was magnificent and her moves beautiful and often breathtaking.  Check out these notes on the opening from Phoenix New Times' Amy Young:

Clad in sparkles and suspended above her band and dance crew, Pink glided up and down with the aerial flair that fans have come to love as one of her skills.

Her team below created a booming sonic foundation as she twirled about, singing. Their energy was palpable, making it clear they were polished to perfection and ready to deliver the goods on this opening night.

Once she lowered herself and untethered from her sky ropes, Pink utilized as much of the stage as she could – strutting and dancing on and across every space, from a movable walkway to stairs on either side.

Her voice was booming, solid with that combo of rawness and power that sold her to so many fans. Though the backup singers pick up a lot of the slack while she is in continuous motion, she gets major kudos for maintaining singing strength while she’s flying through the air in pretzel-like positions. Her voice never wavered.

Humbleness

Without ever meeting her, it becomes obvious from early on that P!nk is a special kind of star.  She's gracious, well-spoken and she seems to realize that her gifts have brought her to a place in life that she treasures.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you and you and you and you...

...she was pointedly thanking us all for being there in much the same way we all thanked her for a great evening.  Throughout, she interacted with her fans, stooping down for selfies and photographs, acknowledging gifts thrown up onto the stage, and getting as personal as one could get in such a setting.  Love her!   

Duets

P!nk performed two duets last night, but not in the usual way,  First up was her latest collaboration with Eminem, who appeared as a larger than life parade float on the light-hearted, yet seriously serious Revenge.  Next up was P!nk's huge smash from Truth About Love, with Nate Reuss appearing on the large screen from the video for Give Me Just A Reason.  Both numbers were definite showstoppers!

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Madonnaesque

I said in my review of beautiful Trauma that the song Secret sounded a lot like something Madonna might have done.  This point was obviously as she performed the tune live.  The vocals, the mood, the music...this one's got Madge written all over it!  

In the lead up to her latest great track, What About Us?, we see another Madonna-inspired, politically charged introductory video that at times had the audience cheering wildly.  I once heard P!nk say that Madonna was one of her inspirations growing up, and I'm happy to see that finally she's beginning to take a page from Madge's book.  Approve!

High Flying P!nk

As we've all come to expect, from that beautiful, aerial performance of Glitter In the Air at the Grammys to the spectacular side-of-a-building whopper to the title cut of beautiful Trauma on the AMA's this year, P!nk loves her acrobatics, and there was plenty of it last night, from the opening number throughout.  For any of you who saw the Truth About Love Tour, P!nk duplicated the ending with a high-flying, up close and personal performance of So What. I swear I was watching the real Tinkerbell!

All in all, P!nk's beautiful Trauma show was a night full of great music, awesome vocals, fantastic aesthetics and a super duper superstar!  Like I said earlier, even though it's not as magical as her previous tour, it's still a great show.  You should definitely check it out if you have the chance.  I highly recommend it!

Song of the Day - What About Us? - P!nk

Good morning and Happy Sunday!  I am basking in a P!nk afterglow after watching P!nk's Beautiful trauma Tour at Prudential Center in Newark last night.  As expected, P!nk proved once again that she is one of those rare artists who has got it all, great voice, great stage presence, great showmanship and she is the humblest singer I've ever witnessed.  Great show!  Here's one of the best from the album, What About Us...

Song of the Day - Whatever You Want - P!nk

Here's P!nks latest video for her song Whatever You Want.  It's one of the few songs I love from the beautiful Trauma album and curiously doesn't show up on the setlist for her shows that just began a little over a week ago.  Here's Whatever You Want...

Song of the Day - Beautiful Trauma - P!nk

Oh sure, I go away for a few days and P!nk comes out with a new video for the title cut to beautiful Trauma.  Ah well, better late than never and besides, Ms. P!nk and costar Channing Tatum make a cute 1950's couple!  Who knew they could dance so well!  Check out Beautiful Trauma...

P!nk's 'beautiful Trauma': A Track by Track Review

Now that I've had a week or so to digest P!nk's new album, beautiful Trauma. it's time to make an assessment.  The album contains 13 tracks, the same as The Truth About Love, though that album had several incarnations which contained a few more.  So my first thought after listening to the album left me wanting more.  I came across a tweet from Idolator that summed up the record better than I could...

Short on obvious singles, but big on heart, 'Beautiful Trauma' is a worthy addition to @Pink's iconic discography: https://t.co/1MbinzyGF3 pic.twitter.com/8p0HotjaRg

— idolator (@idolator) October 13, 2017

That assessment  is spot on.  P!nk does things on this album that she's never done before and on several tunes, she showcases her talented voice more than ever before.  Possible pop hits are limited here, and there are even a couple of songs I'm already sipping, but it is P!nk, and so of course there is some meat here to sink your teeth into.  So without further adieu, here's my take on the songs of beautiful Trauma...

beautiful Trauma

The second song released in advance of the record is not one that immediately sticks in your head.  The tune begins like a ballad, but by the time she gets to the chorus, P!nk has you singing along to the uplifting chorus and the tune grows on you in no time.  One of my favorites off the record.  Check out an inspiring performance of the song on SNL...

Revenge, with Eminem

The last time Eminem appeared on a P!nk song was Here Comes the Weekend from The Truth About Love, and I absolutely did not like it.  Out of all the songs on that abum, this was the one I listened to the least, for sure.  Not so much this time around.  Revenge has the feel of an old school groove, and our mistress lays out a catchy rap and once Em drops in, it feels like a true duet.  To my glee, I've already heard this fun one on the radio and it made me smile!  Check out Revenge on YouTube.

Whatever You Want

Whatever You Want was the third and final release in advance of the record and this one's classic P!nk.  This acoustic gem is just that, a gem!  The track is very catchy and very radio friendly and could land a hit for Ms. P!nk.  Check out Whatever You Want...

What About Us 

The first song released from beautiful Trauma is also the best it has to offer.  With a poignant political message, a powerfully produced video, and of course P!nk's unique style of creating appealing music, this one inspired me to write a post just to say how much I appreciate her and her music.  This one got me and I am sure many people excited for the new album.  Check out What About Us....  

But We Lost It

They say everything is temporary
Who the hell are they anyways
I wanna know where does love go to die
Is it some sad empty castle in the sky?
Did we just shoot too high and spoil like wine?

You walked by and it's like our bodies never touch
No love, you hold me close, but I don't fell much
I cry, maybe time isn't on our side
We had a thing but we lost it
One more go, I kinda thought if we took it slow
It might be easier for us, yeah for us to know
I know we never been quite here before
I wish I knew it when we lost it

On The Truth About Love, P!nk proved she can do a power ballad as good as anybody, and But We Lost It is one killer heartbreak song.  For anyone who's ever lost it with a special someone, this one will surely hit home.  Beautifully sad!   

Barbies

Okay, so here's the first song that I did not connect with.  Maybe it's because I never played Barbies in my room...check that, it is the reason.  I just don't connect with it lyrically.  This one's another down-tempo tune, and it's got its nice melodies, but that's where it ends for me.   

Where We Go

The melody in this one reminds me of something else I've heard before, though I can't quite pin it down.  Somewhere in the alternative 90's perhaps, and mixed with a little bit of today's chill.  This one is easy breezy and very likable, with  nice, rhythmic verses and an uplifting chorus.  Check out the audio for Where We Go on YouTube.

For Now 

Here's another, this time more rockish, power ballad that's beautifully written and powerfully performed.  This one's got that concert, hands in the air feel to it, and it really shows off P!nk's powerful pipes in a way we haven't seen much of before.  It's not my favorite, but like the folks at Idolator said, it's got lots of heart.

Secret

Now here's a fresh sound for P!nk, and I am loving it.  More mid-tempo and pretty hypnotic, this one reminds me of something Madonna might have done back in the day, and no, not because of the name of the song.  Secret is definitely an early favorite of the album.  Check it out on YouTube. 

Better Life 

Here's another tune that brings a little bit of freshness into P!nk's sound.  Hearkening back to her R&B days, though a lot less brash than then, this one's got a really nice groove to it.  I can definitely hear Better Life more on R&B radio than in pop, and I think it'd make a great single.   Take a listen on YouTube.

I Am Here

This one gives me goosebumps!  I Am Here is yet another new sound for P!nk, and this time it's a downright gospel feel, complete with a backing choir and foot stomping inspiration, and the vocals are simply spectacular!  There are a lot of dead links out there for this one, unfortunately, so you're going to have to get beautiful Trauma to check it out.     

Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

I once penned an article for Yahoo entitled, Songs That Make You Want to Jump Off a Bridge.  Well, this song isn't quite that, but let's just say I'll be skipping this one a lot.  It's just not my type of song, though the vocals are really...wow!   Probably the best they've ever been! 

You Get My Love

If you didn't know that this was P!nk singing, you might think it was a Diane Warren song or maybe even Barbra Streisand.  Again, it's not my type of tune...it's very torch song, but that being said, I don't think anyone's ever heard this type of vocal range from her ever.     

So there you have it, the songs of beautiful Trauma.  The new album is not nearly as exciting as P!nk's former collection.  She's clearly pushing her own boundaries with many of the songs and sounds on the record, and her range is surely expanding.  As was mentioned in the tweet by Idolator, there are not a lot of potential singles here, but it's all quality, lyrically, vocally and musically, and though fans of P!nk's who were looking forward to another Truth About Love may be disappointed, but then again, maybe they'll learn to love some new musical styles from their favorite artist.

Song of the Day - Beautiful Trauma - P!nk

It's here!  The long-awaited P!nk album, her first since 2012's The Truth About Love, has finally been released and I can't wait to get at it.  In the meantime, here's a brand new "dance video" of the title cut released just this morning.  Stay tuned for more on beautiful Trauma...

Countdown to beautiful Trauma Song of the Day - Please Don't Leave Me

Aw man, it's really tough choosing songs to whet some appetites for P!nk's new album beautiful Trauma, which is coming in less than a day now.  I am so excited!  In just six albums, her catalog runs really deep, with all sorts of genres, from acoustic to dance to the tenderest of songs.  There are really enough genuinely good tracks to last me a month, but alas we'll just finish it up with this one and one more tomorrow before we check out the new stuff.  Here's a raw, beautifully written and performed tune in which our heroine lays it bare for us.  Check out the melancholic Please Don't Leave Me...

Countdown to beautiful Trauma Song of the day - Glitter in the Air

Continuing our celebration of the uber-talented P!nk this week in anticipation of the release of beautiful Trauma, here's one especially memorable performance of an especially beautifully written song.  Here's Glitter in the Air...

Pink - Beautiful performance at the grammys 2010 - Glitter In the Air from Kim Ji-hye on Vimeo.

Countdown to beautiful Trauma Song of the Day - Who Knew

P!nk's Who Knew is one of the most beautiful, most tender songs ever written, and you could definitely challenge me on that...but you'd lose.  The song is about someone from her high school days that she lost, and as she says, it can be applied to anyone you've lost, which is what makes it so special.  Check out the awesome, Who Knew...  

Countdown to beautiful Trauma Song of the Day - So What

Good morning and Happy Columbus Day!  Well, we're one day closer to beautiful Trauma and we continue our special week of celebrating P!nk with the lead single off of her 2008 masterpiece, Funhouse.  There's actually a sweet story behind this song that maybe some of you non-die-hard fans don't know.  The Funhouse album was P!nk's breakup album.  At the time of its creation, P!nk and husband Carey Hart were separated and most all of the songs on it were about their relationship, or lack thereof, and when she went to shoot the video, she asked Carey to be in it.  That's when their love was rekindled and they've been together ever since.  Sweet, right?  Anyway, here's the fun, hard-driving, in-your-face So What...

Countdown to beautiful Trauma Song of the Day - What About Us - P!nk

It's almost time!  In justfive more days before P!nk's beautiful Trauma hits our ears fully and I couldn't be more excited.  The record is her first solo studio full length album in five years, the last one being, of course, the wonderful The Truth About Love.  My friend Kyle said to me the other day that that one's going to be hard to top, and I agree, but she is P!nk, and judging so far from the three tracks she put out ahead of the album release, she'll be just fine.  

Along with the release of Whatever You Want came the announcement of the beautiful Trauma World Tour, which begins March 1st in Phoenix, AZ and finishes up in LA exactly three months later.  The tour will be making stops in the New York area in early to mid-April and I am so there!  

So to celebrate, we'll be posting P!nk all week long, right up until Friday, when beautiful Trauma finally drops.  We begin with the opening single to the album, a politically charged masterpiece that showed us all straight away that she's still got it.  Check out What About Us and stayed tuned for more P!nk...

Song of the Day - What About Us - P!nk

I can't believe it has taken me a whole four days to get to this, but ah well, we waited long enough. Finally, the tease I cautiously posted about actually came true.  On Thursday of last week, P!nk finally released a debut single from...yes...a new album, and now I am officially excited!  The new album, beautiful Trauma, comes out October 13th and I have already circled that day on my calendar. If this new song, What About Us, is a harbinger of things to come, then that makes me even more excited because the tune is the kind of tender, yet uplifting song we've all come to know from this uber-talented singer-songwriter.  Check it out...