POP/ROCK
Ke$ha, "Animal" (RCA)
Auto-Tune -- a pitch-correcting software -- is supposed to be dead, according to Jay-Z, whose "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" was one of 2009's biggest hip-hop jams. But Ke$ha clearly paid no mind to his pronouncement on the name-dropping, smack-talking smash "TiK ToK." "TiK ToK" sold 610,000-plus downloads in the last full week of 2009, making it the biggest selling song from a female artist in one week.
To Ke$ha's credit, there is more to "Animal" than the infectious, on-fire single. "Take it Off" is a fiery dance-floor workout, and "Your Love Is My Drug" is a fun-loving, summery pop track. The electronic-leaning ballad "Stephen" is charming in its teenage bewilderment. The driving "Blind" comes off like a great Pink track. Some of the other slow jams don't fly, including the throwaway "Hungover." Some dance tracks flop: "Party at a Rich Dude's House" and "Dinosaur" might have worked better as Avril Lavigne B-sides, while "Boots and Boys" is a failed experiment in sex- obsessed '80s revisionism. While Ke$ha's true identity is hidden among her inspirations, "Animal" is still a blast.
RICARDO BACA, DENVER POST
Katharine McPhee, "Unbroken" (Verve)
McPhee has left a negligible footprint since finishing second to Taylor Hicks on "American Idol" in 2006. She takes a dramatic new tack on her second album, changing her look and her sound. Her voice is markedly rougher and more emotional, less chilly and note-perfect. That newfound expressiveness serves her well on "Say Goodbye" and the title track, both plangent ballads. She also nails the misty, moody "Keep Drivin.' " But most of the material on "Unbroken" is connect-the-dots pop with undertones of country. Despite the CD's defiant title, there is a whiff of desperation to this collection, but one that adds a piquant note of urgency.
DAVID HILTBRAND, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
