Album Review; Ke$Ha - Animal

Okay so it's really no secret that I'm a HUGE Ke$Ha fan. It all started with Right Round (with which Flo Rida broke the record for the most downloaded song evar) and has blossomed ever since. I LOVE her voice and couldn't get enough. When I first heard Tik Tok (and realized Kesha was white...) I played it on repeat for like two days straight (not because she's white, but because it's amazing). Tik Tok has now beaten Right Round's record, so I figure this girl is gonna go pretty far.
I spent time immediately trying to find as much as I could on the internet, and she's shot up to become one of my favorite musicians right now, along with Jay Brannan (who'll get his own post soon.) This is my standard track-by-track review of her debut album, Animal.


1. Your Love is my Drug
I think my favorite line is "My steeze is gonna be affected if I keep it up like a lovesick crackhead". This cute, bubblegum song just makes me smile. Not my fave on the album but still killer.

2. Tik Tok
Didn't I do a whole entry on this song already? Yes.
Still. This song is freakin' awesome. Check out the remix feat. Pitbull and the parody by The Midnight Beast!

3. Take It Off
Probably my favorite dance song on the album. Whenever I hear it, I think of a room full of throbbing people dancing like motherfuckers. I love "There's a place I know if you're looking for a show, where they go hardcore and there's glitter on the floor." This girl and her glitter! Love it. This song should definitely be the next single off the album.

4. Kiss N' Tell
This song is a little cutsey for me. While I really like it, I don't think it's single-worthy for me. I do like it though! It's just not horrendously exciting.

5. Stephen
This song is about a guy with a girlfriend who won't call her and it cracks me up.
"I've got it down to a simple art, just bat my eyes like this and there's a broken heart."
People can say she can't write lyrics, but they can suck it. That line is amazing.

6. Blah Blah Blah (feat. 3OH!3)
I honestly like the demo version of this song better. On 3OH!3's next album they've got a duet called My First Kiss, so I think that's why 3OH!3 is on this album. They needed another voice somewhere on the album, and they went with someone familiar. And while I love 3OH!3's contribution, it really wasn't necessary for the song. Her version just plain sounded better! ...however, I still really, really like this version. If Take It Off isn't the next single, this will be.

7. Hungover
This song may or may not be the story of my life.
This is the first slow song on the album, and it's goddamned amazing. Definitely peg this song or Animal as single number 3. It sets a good precedent for the rest of the songs, being a transition between party lyrics but ballad feel. It reminds me a bit of La La La by LMFAO - still a party song, but a more serious vibe to it.

8. Party at a Rich Dude's House
This song is strange for me, because it could have been one of my favorite songs on the album if I hadn't heard the demo version first. For some reason, they decided that this needed to be a clean album, which is ridiculous considering who Kesha is. There's a spoken line in the demo where she sounds like she's stumbling around and says "And the sun is comin' up and oh my god I think I'm still fucked up..." but in the clean version she says "drunk" instead of "fucked up" and anyone that's woken up drunk knows that you don't exactly know what's going on, and you're more than likely to say fuck. I know that's how I feel. Otherwise, killer track.

9. Backstabber
This song is basically great. Amazing for when you're in a bitter mood. I totally see this as being single #4. (This track also has a demo that's a bit naughtier)

10. Blind
The chorus of this song reminds me of something, but I can't quite place it.
Anyways, this track is a guilty pleasure for me. ...actually, all of the slow songs on this CD are. It's amazing. This songs nice though, and it's good for the album.

11. D.I.N.O.S.A.U.R.
I liked the demo version of this one better, too! It had a few more instruments involved. I kinda like that the background drum beat sounds a bit like when you're riding Yoshi in Super Mario World, though.... I wish this song had been closer to the beginning of the album, because the second half of the album has more mature lyrics, whereas this song could have been written by any high school girl who's seen Bring it On.

12. Dancing with Tears in My Eyes
I like this song a lot. It's one of the more mature songs on the album, but it's still Ke$ha through and through. I like whatever it is that the guitar does throughout the song, it's nice. Definitely one of my favorites on the album.

13. Boots & Boys
While this is nowhere near one of my favorite songs on the album, but I like the concept. It's basically a parody of all the songs men write about women and cars, and objectifying men just as much as they've objectified women. Not the most creative song on the album, but I respect the effort.

14. Animal
"I am in love with what we are, not what we should be. And I am starstruck with every part of this whole story." This is a song that's incredibly pertinent to my life right now, and I really love listening to it. It might be my favorite track on the album right now.



There are various deluxes, bonus tracks, and unreleased tracks all over the net, so I'm gonna review some of my favorites and why you should listen to them.


! - Aliens Invading
This is a song about Aliens Invading and then Ke$ha having sex with them. Yes. This song is freaking amazing and I can't imagine why it wasn't on the album - I would SO choreograph something to this. Seriously, it has a mess of plays on my iTunes.

@ - Taio Cruz - Dirty Picture (feat. Ke$Ha)
This song takes a second to heat up, but then it's amazing! It's all about sexting. It makes me giggle with naughty delight listening to it. If people knew who Taio Cruz was, this would be a club banger in ten seconds flat.

# - Paris Hilton's Closet
What is there to say? This is a song about Kesha getting wasted and throwing up in Paris Hilton's Closet. AMAZING.

$ - Never Know About Love (Trashy Boy)
I just love how this song sounds. It's a bit of the nastier version of Kesha vs. the bubblegum pop version. I definitely love this version of Ke$ha.

% - This Love
She made her own version and then gave it to The Veronicas, who did do an amazing job of it. I love their version, but I also LOVE Ke$ha's version a whole bunch. I, like a dork, layered one on top of the other so I could hear both at the same time. Ke$ha's actually done a bunch of writing, check her wikipedia page to see what all she's had a hand in.

^ - Slow Motion (feat. Three 6 Mafia)
It looks to me like Ke$ha originally had a far sluttier, hip-hoppier album lined up, but decided to go with the bubblegum. It's a shame, because I like a lot of the grittier stuff that she's kept hidden. This song's great.

& - Mr. Watson
This is a song about hooking up with a teacher. ...it makes me giggle.

* - Boom Boom Bang (feat. Busbee)
Same situation as Slow Motion, it's a grittier, hip-hoppier song that I really like.

( - Mouth

I just found this one seconds ago, and I can't quite tell if it's Ke$ha or not, but I certainly hope it is, because I'm digging this song!


Okay, let's review!

Ke$Ha can be spelled 3 different ways - Ke$Ha, Ke$ha, and Kesha. The $ was used out of irony, since she made no money from Right Round.
She wrote or co-wrote her entire album.
She is NOT trying to be Lady Gaga. Try actually listening to her music, and you'll see this. I like and defend Ke$ha probably the same way some people respond to Lady Gaga, but they're such different people. Gaga is representing herself as an artist - Ke$ha is representing herself as a walking party. If you're gonna compare her to ANYONE, go with Katy Perry. Ke$ha herself appreciates that comparison.

Single predictions:
1. Tik Tok (obviously)
2. Take It Off, Blah Blah Blah
3. Hungover, Animal
4. Backstabber, or whichever song didn't make single #2

There does tend to be a formula for singles, and I'm hoping she decides to follow the formula.

Buy the album! It's only $6.99 on Amazon!