In the two decades since Pink released her debut album, Can’t Take Me Home (2000), the US superstar has ricocheted through various shades of pop. Her multi-platinum repertoire has spanned golden-age R&B, punk-pop riffing, country-tinged ballads and clubby bangers, all powered by her gloriously sweet-spiky vocals and irrepressible attitude.
With ninth album Trustfall, the 43-year-old singer-songwriter and occasional aerial acrobat, real name Alecia Moore, is looking to seal her heritage-act status (there’s no denying her influence on younger stars) while also holding on to her place in the current spotlight. This is a precarious balancing act for any mainstream talent. Pink’s musical agility and irreverence have always served her well, but commercial pressures seem to weigh heavy on her newest collection.
Trustfall’s EDM-fuelled title track and lead single is co-written and produced by British dance-pop don Fred Again, a consciously on-trend collaboration that could have connected emotionally. But the usually intrepid Fred sounds restrained here in a generic “epic groove”, albeit one elevated by Pink’s vocals. Elsewhere on the album, Pink reunites with accomplished co-writers and producers including Max Martin and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, all of whom now seem like safe hands rather than creative catalysts (compared to, say, Linda Perry’s early-Noughties work with the singer).
Pink’s songs have always switched between poignant reflection and brash wit, and Trustfall has both. Heartfelt opening number “When I Get There” evokes the loss of her father, while she harmonises beautifully with Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit on the nostalgic “Kids In Love”. Further brooding guest turns come from The Lumineers (“Long Way to Go”) and country-rocker Chris Stapleton (on the rather maudlin endnote “Just Say I’m Sorry”). In contrast, “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” adds an enjoyably silly disco shimmy (“I want my life to be a Whitney Houston song/ I got all good luck and zero fucks/ Don’t care if I belong”).
Trustfall feels less like a cohesive album than a catchy pick‘n’mix designed for digital playlists. It covers many bases while never fully harnessing the fearless energy that makes Pink a genuinely thrilling entertainer. Her upcoming Summer Carnival tour concerts are unmissable, but on her new album the rebel pop queen has entered risk-averse realms.
★★★☆☆
‘Trustfall’ is released by RCA
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