Ke$ha released her second album Warrior recently and in the US fans could get a bonus EP if they ordered the album through her official website. Deconstructed contains 5 acoustic tracks, four of which are Ke$ha tracks and a Dolly Parton cover. Often labelled a one-trick pony by critics, Ke$ha is out to do what she does best and prove them wrong. What does Deconstructed sound like then?
Deconstructed is Ke$ha without all the bells and whistles. She strips every song back to its bare bones, takes away the vocal effects and just sings. The EP opens with a cover of Dolly Parton’s Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You, a song that was co-written by her mother Pebe Sebert. The track is proof not only that Ke$ha can actually sing, but also that a career in country music could prove fruitful if she decides to follow that direction further down the line. The loose arrangement fits surprisingly well with Ke$ha’s vocal and it’s a fantastic recording.
Elsewhere Ke$ha reimagines four of her own tracks in a stripped-back way. Blow sounds a million miles away from the original version with an urgent piano melody driving the track to its conclusion whilst Warrior album trackSupernatural shows that Ke$ha song’s still work without the heavy beats and production. Current hit Die Young, which is oddly getting all kinds of flak for glamorising death (clearly no one has actually listened to the lyrics), is given an almost gospel sound as an organ plays the melody.
The finest moment on the EP comes on The Harold Song which was originally included on the Cannibal EP. The track is one of our favourite Ke$ha songs and it sounds fantastic and a little eerie in its acoustic form. The music is minimal and Ke$ha’s vocal is very strong.
Deconstructed is an EP that all Ke$ha naysayers should listen to. She’s much more than a party girl who got lucky. She’s got real talent and the sign of a good song is always what it sounds like acoustic. Thankfully for Ke$ha they still stand up so people need to take notice and recognise the talent she has.
