P!nk, TRUSTFALL | Album Review 💿

Well into her career, the ultra-consistent, pop superstar, P!nk, impresses once more on her ninth studio album, TRUSTFALL.

Consistency.  That is the first word that comes to mind when I hear the name, 🎙 P!nk. The 🏆 Grammy-winning pop superstar is really good at music, period.  Her 2019 album, 💿 Hurts 2B Human deserved much more attention than it received, sigh.  Hopefully, the stupendous follow-up, 💿 TRUSTFALL, earns Alecia Moore the accolades she deserves.  With nothing left to prove deep in her career at the ripe young age of 43, TRUSTFALL is another fabulous addition to an ultra-consistent discography.

“When I Get There” 

“Is there a bar up there where you’ve got a favorite chair? Where you sit with friends and talk about the weather.” Interestingly, P!nk kicks off TRUSTFALL with a somber cut, 🤩 🎵 “When I Get There”.  Often, when it comes to pop albums, we expect a fun, up tempo joint, yet the always consistent artist provides an unexpected but rewarding contrast. On the gorgeous opener, she memorializes her late father, Jim Moore.  As always, P!nk delivers a top-notch vocal performance with marvelous, authentic songwriting to match.  You buy what she is selling, particularly if you have lost someone close to you.  She looks ahead to when she can be reunited with him: “Yeah, I know you’ll tell me when I get there.” Essentially, the TRUSTFALL commences soundly.

“Are we just too squared to fight for what we want tonight?” 🤩 🎵 “TRUSTFALL” serves as the second single and second track from TRUSTFALL. The bright, optimistic sounding backdrop was produced by 🎛 Fred again.. and Johnny McDaid.  The rhythmic synths are a selling point on this thoughtful, dance-pop joint from the versatile musician. As always, we get commanding lead vocals from P!nk.  The chorus is catchy and memorable, centered around said trust fall: “Close your eyes and leave it all behind / Go where love is on our side / It’s a trust fall, baby / It’s a trust fall, baby.” Prior to the chorus, She sets up these trust falls in the verses. “Picture a place, somewhere else far away / Where you know what they mean, and they mean what they say / And would that be enough?” she sings in the first verse.  In the second, she asserts, in trust fall fashion, “Jump with me, come with me, burn like the sun.” In the bridge,  there is excellent contrast provided though still related to the verse and chorus musically and lyrically. “What if we just fall? I’m going without you / And you’re not going alone.” 🎵 “TRUSTFALL” marks another winning moment for the 🏆 Grammy winner. The message is utterly superb!

“Turbulence”

The air of maturity that graces TRUSTFALL continues on another thoughtful, well-conceived number, 🤩 🎵 “Turbulence”. Another winner, produced by 🎛 Matt Koma, P!nk has another top-notch backdrop to sing upon.  And sing she does! She encourages him, who is nameless, despite the adversity and strife. The prime example is the chorus: “The panic is temporary / But I’ll be permanent / So when it hits, don’t forget / As scary as it gets, it’s just turbulence.” Elite musicianship continues to be the trend on 🤩 🎵 “Long Way to Go”, which features 🎙 The Lumineers. 🎙 Wesley Schultz is the first voice heard on this sweet joint, impressing the listeners with his expressive instrument.  P!nk joins in the chorus, with contributions from background vocalists.  She takes the reins in the second verse, contrasting Schultz, and continuing to flaunt her marvelous pipes.  Like the preceding songs, “Long Way to Go” is thoughtfully penned and incredibly tuneful.

“Before your change of heart, before it all go dark / We were two young fools, oh, kids in love.” Things don’t slow down on the fifth track, 🎵 “Kids in Love,” which maintains the pop star’s unflappable consistency. She trades The Lumineers for another talented collective, 🎙 First Aid Kit, providing the assist.  This round, however, P!nk takes first blood, performing the first verse and pre-chorus.  She’s joined by First Aid Kit on the chorus, who end up performing the second verse.  P!nk does offer words of wisdom: “I’ve played the victim, I’m the one who let it burn / If you don’t fuck up, well, then you’ll never learn.” So, so true!

“Never Gonna Not Dance Again” 

If you need a feel-good anthem in your playlist and more importantly, your life, look no further than 🤩 🎵 “Never Gonna Not Dance Again”, the uplifting promo single from TRUSTFALL.  From the start, “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” is a surefire vibe.  Produced by the talented team of 🎛 Max Martin and Shellback, P!nk gets a hella exuberant, groovy backdrop that is perfect fuel for the fire.  The message, along with an assertive, inspired vocal performance from the superstar, is what truly sells this joint. Even if things are bad AF, P!nk refuses to quite dancing – she’s going to persevere on! In typical P!nk fashion, she’s lit 🔥 when she drops the bomb: “I want my life to be a Whitney Houston song (I wanna dance) / I got all good luck and zero fucks, don’t care if I belong, no.” Woo! #Never Gonna Not Dance Again!

🎵 “Runaway” has the elephantine task of following up one of the very best songs from TRUSTFALL.  Nonetheless, “Runaway” keeps the momentum alive and well with ease.  The tempo is quick, the lyrics enjoyable, and once more, the pop singer has a tuneful melody on her hands.  Another bop, with 🎛 Greg Kurstin’s production touches earning an A. 🎵 “Last Call” contrasts, moving beyond the dancefloor ready pop.  There is more of a folk-rock, singer/songwriter vibe, another style that the versatile artist has excelled at through the years.  Similar boxes are checked off: the voice, tunefulness, strong lyricism, and terrific production (🎛 Billy Mann). Kurstin returns to the boards on the feisty, attitude-laden 🤩 🎵 “Hate Me” where P!nk eschews profundity in favor of profanity! “Everything you fucked up, failed at, broke or lost / And it’s all my fault, but I know it’s not,” P!nk asserts at the end of the first verse. She’s sarcastic on the chorus, welcoming the accusatory party “to the shit show” and adding in the post-chorus, “I’m not your bitch / Wanna light me up like an evil witch / For my exit / How I disappear, it’s my magic trick.” Woo! Safe to say, on “Hate Me,” she’s untouchable – totally on fire!

“Lost Cause”

🤩 🎵 “Lost Cause” provides balance, following the hate-drive bop, “Hate Me.” Balladry has always been a strong suit for Moore, and “Lost Cause” is no exception.  Her voice is the focal point, growing better and better with time.  Her best moment is undoubtedly the chorus, which features some of the best melodic moments of TRUSTFALL.  Sure, she’s refined on this particular record but that doesn’t hold back a few swear words (“I’m a bitch / A possessive and jealous love addict, but, boy, you’re an asshole”).  The big takeaway is that she does not want to be characterized as a lost cause despite her flaws and shortcomings… she still has potential. On 🎵 “Feel Something,” she’s trying to do just that – “feel somethin’” again.  Her flaws and shortcoming are on her mind, but regardless, she will not quit! Despite the fact that her feet are gettin’ sore, she keeps on runnin’.

🎵 “Our Song” arrives as the penultimate number, once more embracing balladry. This number, co-written by P!nk, complements who she is as an artist perfectly. The piano accompaniment (🎛 HARLOE) sounds particularly potent – absolutely gorgeous.  Besides tickling the ivories, HARLOE produces and writes alongside 🎛 Jessie Shatkin.  Once more, the vocal performance, as well as the songwriting is elite. Just as impressive, if not more so, is 🤩 🎵 “Just Say I’m Sorry” featuring 🎙 Chris Stapleton.  The piano accompaniment of “Our Song” is replaced by rich electric guitar, courtesy of Stapleton.  As marvelous as the guitar sounds, the soulful pipes of Stapleton are what truly up the ante on this celestial duet.  The vocal chemistry between P!nk and Chris is EVERYTHING.  Once more, the melody benefits from its tunefulness, while the pen of P!nk and Chris is on fire too! Throw in production by Greg Kurstin once more and “Just Say I’m Sorry” contends as one of the very best songs from TRUSTFALL.  “Just say, ‘I’m sorry’ / It’s not the hardest thing to do / Just say you’re wrong sometimes / And I’ll believe you ‘cause I love you.” Woo! As 🎙 Elton John once sung, 🎙 “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word”, sigh.

Final Thoughts 💭 

Can P!nk do any wrong? Nope! Well into her career, the ultra-consistent pop superstar impresses once more on her ninth studio album, TRUSTFALL.  There are NO bad songs to be found, period.  From start to finish, Alecia Moore continues to ‘do the damn thing.’ Authentic, tuneful, and epic are some perfect adjectives to describe TRUSTFALL.  It’s a strong showing by all means 💪. 

🤩 Gems 💎: “When I Get There,” “TRUSTFALL,” “Turbulence,” “Long Way To Go,” “Never Gonna Not Dance Again,” “Hate Me,” “Lost Cause” & “Just Say I’m Sorry”  

🎙 P!nk • 💿 TRUSTFALL • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 2.17.23

[📷: RCA]