Pink deserves a lot of credit for overturning everyone's expectations. After emerging in 2000 with a debut full of club-ready, R&B-influenced dance-pop, she moved on to genre-hopping hybrids (MISSUNDAZTOOD) and punk-inflected rock (TRY THIS). 2006's I'M NOT DEAD resumes Pink's game of stylistic hopscotch, as she skitters skillfully from arena rock to hip-hop-influenced jams to thoughtful folk to well-crafted pop.
Remarkably, these genre experiments work well together, and stand as a testament to Pink's unwillingness to fit into any music industry mold. Whether collaborating with the Indigo Girls on the acoustic protest song "Dear Mr. President," showing off her irresistible swagger on the electro-groove-driven "'Cuz I Can," or generating soaring pop-rock on "Runaway," I'M NOT DEAD gives listeners plenty to chew on, and the results are as tasty as they are surprising.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (p.65) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "I'M NOT DEAD swaggers with a cockiness that most dudes in bands can't match....[Pink] is belting more urgently and taking more risks than her pop-radio contemporaries."
Entertainment Weekly (p.58) - "In superior tracks that combine rock's old-fashioned roar with contemporary, heavy-breathing beats, Pink becomes a new breed of automotive hybrid: Britney Benatar" -- Grade: B+
Uncut (p.119) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "I'M NOT DEAD is composed with industry pros such as Max Martin and Billy Mann, but maintains some of the stroppiness..."
