You guys may have been wondering why I’ve posted a Ke$ha EP in the country section. Well, I haven’t just ticked the wrong box, Ke$ha does genuinely have some country stuff out, sure they’re just country styled versions of older singes but still, they’re ace and a far cry from the vodka tinged party tunes she normally comes out with. A common misconception about Ke$ha is that she doesn’t write her songs, that she’s just a Britney clone who’s a bit less subtle about her breakdowns. In fact, she has an active hand in her music and originally signed as a country/folk artist. After that she signed the wrong contracts and ended up using whiskey as mouthwash but at least the intention was there, right?

Although the ‘Deconstructed’ EP could just be seen as a cynical way to repackage old singles and make her alky image shift some way from Paris Hilton to a more artistic almost Amy Winehouse esque vibe. It doesn’t really matter because although the EP demonstrates neither the lyrics nor the soulfulness that would be needed for Ke$ha to ‘Back to Black’, the re-imagined versions of these songs have so much more emotion in them than how you’ll have heard them the first time round. Now she seems a lot more invested in the idea of dying young and the place being about to blow sounds almost beautifully tragic. However, if you want acoustic versions of an artist’s singles then you can just go watch BBC’s live lounge, so what else does Ke$ha have to offer now that she’s done cocaine off the toilet lids of Nashville? Well, the opener, a cover of ‘Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You’ is a little more original and is by far the most emotionally charged.

In the end, this EP won’t change your life, the lyrics are still a bit shit and you’ve probably heard the songs before, sans the opener. However, it does give a fresh look at a very interesting pop star (like she’s actually really cool if you read up on her) so I’d heartily recommend you give it a little go.

Just as a side note, I know I’ve been more pop focused in these last few posts, but to be fair I’ve just started listening to ‘ARTPOP’ and it’s kind of amazing so that’s kind of influenced it. I’ll get back into more varied genres in a few days no doubt!