New Album Review: Kesha- Gag Order

Kesha- Gag Order

Label: RCA

Producers: Kesha, Rick Rubin, Stuart Crichton, Jason Lader, Hudson Mohawke, Jussifer, Drew Pearson, Stint

While Kesha could have been relied upon in the past to only add to the splashy pop party scene evoked in other springtime releases, Gag Order represents a very different stage in the former hit maker’s career arc, but one that sheds light on just how deeply reflective and powerful pop music can be when it embraces its darker shades. Released in the aftermath of the long overdue settlement of her legal case against former producer, Dr. Luke, and with the addition of Rick Rubin as the lead producer, it’s no surprise that Gag Order fully embraces the alt-pop sounds of artists like Fiona Apple, Bjork and St. Vincent, as well as the other bits of genre variety that have been sprinkled into her work since 2017’s fabulous Rainbow. These more intricate alternative and art-pop sounds prove to be a fitting backdrop for abstract and gutting numbers like “Eat the Acid”, “Living In My Head”, and “All I Need Is You”, songs that clearly prioritize art and personal catharsis over anything resembling commerce, while tracks like “Only Love Can Save us Now” and “The Drama” successfully distill that more avant garde direction with some of the popping attitude of bygone Kesha dance floor jams. This is one of those albums that resonates far below the surface level and will require repeated, deep, and attentive listens before you can fully capture the entirety of its reach. This emotional weight is perhaps most immediately accessed through the moving closing song, “Happy”, though that moment also delivers far more gravity when played as the encore for all that precedes it. Conclusively, if you commit to Gag Order, you’re likely to reap the same emotional release and reward that Kesha clearly had in creating it.

Track Listing:

1. “Something to Believe In” (Kesha, Stuart Crichton, Pebe Sebert)
2. “Eat the Acid” (Kesha, Crichton, Sebert)
3. “Living In My Head” (Kesha, Ross Birchard, Gabriella Grombacher, Everett Romano, Rick Rubin)
4. “Fine Line” (Kesha, Ajay Bhattacharyya, Sebert)
5. “Only Love Can Save Us Now” (Kesha, Bhattacharyya, Jussi Karvinen)
6. “All I Need Is You” (Kesha, Bhattacharyya, Karvinen, Rex Kudo, Caroline Pennell, Romano)
7. “The Drama” (Kesha, Shawn Everett, Drew Pearson, Dee Dee Ramone, Joey Ramone, Johnny Ramone, Kurt Vile)
8. “Ram Das Interlude”
9. “Too Far Gone” (Kesha, Pearson, Skyler Stonestreet)
10. “Peace & Quiet” (Kesha, Birchard, Kennedi Lykken, Kathleen)
11. “Only Love Reprise” (Kesha, Bhattacharyya, Karvinen, Rubin, VantaBlaqJungleKat)
12. “Hate Me Harder” (Kesha, Bhattacharyya, Karvinen, Lykken, Pennell, Justin Tranter)
13. “Happy” (Kesha, Blake Slatkin, Stonestreet)