Kesha’s newest single “Raising Hell,” from her upcoming album High Road found the ears of devoted listeners and new fans alike on Thursday, Oct. 24, and it packs a powerful vocal punch. While she is no longer the “glitter puke” Ke$ha that our middle school iPod had on repeat, proven by the powerful lyrics in her third studio album Rainbow, the new song brings back some sentiments from her “Tik Tok” (The song, not the app!) days. According to Kesha, the song means that “good people sometimes enjoy doing bad things, and it doesn’t take away from you being a fantastic soul.” This sentiment is heard loud and clear in the lyric, “but I don’t want to go to Heaven without raising hell.”
Kesha dropped her iconic dollar sign with the release of Praying in 2017, following her 2014 lawsuit against the record producer Dr. Luke, in which she accused him of sexual assault. He responded by countersuing Kesha for defamation. The ongoing case seems to be in favor of Dr. Luke, as Kesha has lost in court or dropped claims made against him. Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and other big-name celebrities continue to show their support for the singer.
The new song is described best by NPR’s Lars Gotrich as “a gospel-inspired rave-up banger featuring Big Freedia, the matriarch of bounce music.” This aesthetic was captured with a fun flair in the song’s music video in which Kesha plays the role of a gaudy, 80’s-esque televangelist with a head full of fake hair and figure-hugging skirt suits. By the end of the video, she is getting arrested for murdering her abusive husband on the hood of a cop car, which seems more appropriate for a Kesha video. Need I remind you of the “Tik Tok” music video?
Courtesy: Sky Statement
Kesha also excited her fans by releasing an album trailer featuring an assortment of clips, some from her TV evangelist inspired music video. In the trailer she claims that in Rainbow she had to “address some very serious things,” but in this album she will revisit her roots. “Kesha got her balls back,” she says, “and they’re bigger than ever.” High Road comes out on Jan. 20, 2020 and will include 14 more songs in addition to the newly released single. They are listed as follows:
- Tonight
- My Own Dance
- Raising Hell (feat. Big Freedia)
- High Road
- Shadow
- Honey
- Cowboy Blues
- Resentment (feat. Sturgill Simpson & Brian Wilson)
- Little Bit of Love
- Birthday Suit
- Kinky (feat. Ke$ha)
- Potato Song (Cuz I Want To)
- BFF (feat. Wrabel)
- Father-Daughter Dance
- Chasing Thunder
Courtesy: Stereogum
While Kesha may not be brushing her teeth with whiskey anymore, it appears that this new album will be as creative and fun-loving as her earlier music. Just look at these lyrics: “I’m all fucked up in my Sunday best / No walk of shame ’cause I love this dress / Only God can judge this holy mess / Bitch, I’m blessed.” Kesha’s musical sound has evolved and matured along with her, but she remains genuine and true to herself. At the end of the trailer, she urges us to “have a good time while you’re on this road trip from hell”, so let’s all buckle up for the ride!
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