Album Review: Gag Order | Kesha
Kesha goes experimental & writes songs for an audience of one: herself.
You might not know it, but Kesha quietly dropped her latest LP back in May. Her latest, Gag Order is executive produced by visionary Rick Rubin (Adele’s 21, Tom Petty’s Wildflowers, Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill …just to name a few). This record is aptly titled in reference to her 9-year legal battle with Dr. Luke. If you’re following along, this 6th record is the last in the contract she signed back in 2005 to Kemosabe, Dr. Luke’s label. Fast forward to today, Kesha’s legal battle has had quite an impact on her, detailed on Gag Order. (If you’re curious, the full history of the legal struggle can be found here)
If you’re looking for the “We R Who We R” “TikTok” or “Timber” hitmaker, you won’t really find her on this record (except for maybe Only Love Can Save Us Now). This record really draws you in more than any of her previous efforts. On Gag Order, Kesha isn’t making music for streaming or radio, she is writing what she wants. “With Rick Rubin, it was like… pop star rehab.” For someone who has seemingly mastered the artificial, feel-good, radio-ready, pop song formula, making this album was a challenge. This record is experimental and dark. It’s weird. It’s raw in its lyrical content and production. It almost feels sloppy in some parts, and with Rubin on board, it’s an intentional choice to make some of these tracks keep that grittiness to them. It’s incredibly unique in its sound.
In her 2017’s album, Rainbow, Kesha used that record to work through some of the actions inflicted on her by Dr. Luke, but this record feels more like Kesha reckoning with how she feels mistreated by the industry, by colleagues, and even by herself. She opened up to Rolling Stone about the new record and how she “really dug into her uglier emotions.”
Check out our favorite tracks, listen to the album, and see our scores below:
Can’t Miss: Only Love Can Save Us Now, Eat The Acid, Fine Line
You Can Skip: Only Love Reprise
BY THE NUMBERS
Bennett’s Score: 7.1
Carson’s Score: 6.7
Album Score: 13.0
Average Track Score: 6.9
Notes from Bennett:
I Love Kesha, she owns a share of my childhood music catalog & it’s very, very interesting to listen to this Album from 2023 Kesha. It’s clear that this album is coming from a mature-spiritual psychedelic person and not from that crazy fun 20-year-old party girl who owned the charts. I really like that.
Eat The Acid, Fine Line, Only Love Can Save Us Now & The Drama is a really good quick snapshot of what this album is. I really think Eat The Acid & Only Love Can Save Us Now are two of the coolest songs Kesha has ever made. Only Love delivers a state of euphoria inside its choruses with really cool dirty-boastful verses that stand out against the rest of the record for me.
Gag Order is AN album for me, while I can enjoy the singles standalone, I want to enjoy this album in a cohesive project (even if it may be front-loaded).
Also, when I listen to Too Far Gone, I end up having to reflect on a new line each play.
Notes from Carson:
If you’re looking for We R Who We R / Timber type Kesha, your best shot is Only Love Can Save Us Now or Peace & Quiet
Not usually a fan of album interludes, but it works on this record. For an album that feels all over the place, somehow the disjointedness of it it works together to melt cohesively.
All I Need Is You is apparently about Kesha’s cat. That’s adorable and somehow makes this heartbreaking.
No personal bests track-wise on this in my opinion (not sure you could ever make a song better than Your Love is My Drug). However, I feel like it’s safe to say this is her best album as a whole. This is a RECORD. It’s thought out - it’s not been poked and prodded and dissected by a label for hits, and that’s why it works.
The Drama is a trip. Buckle up.