I could probably put everything I know about Pink into ... well ... I guess it would be into a single album review. I know her real name is Alecia Moore. I know she burst onto the scene at the same time as a handful of other pop singer/songwriters. I know, for some reason, she hasn't seem to be given the same level of respect as some of her peers (though I've read one "professional" review that already dubbed this her "divorce album," given her recent change of marital status) ... but that could all change with FUNHOUSE. There's a 1960's one-hit wonder quality to the entire album, to every single track, a sound so magically captured in the Tom Hanks film THAT THING YOU DO! It's fun, with a lot of attitude.

So What (5 out ot 5): A perfect gem of a song. When it comes to rockin' pop rhythms with lyrical attitude, Pink clearly commands the lead over her peers with driving songs matched with the killer refrains like that of "So What," a musical shot of adrenaline. Who cares what others say? It in the end it doesn't matter b/c talent & attitude triumphs. Never diss the rock star. Celebrate the self. One of the best tracks here. A hit out of the park!

Sober (4 out of 5): A melancholy rocker, introspective in a way only someone who's looked inside can pen and perform. Personal demons are often driven by the actions of others (bad lovers, bad parents, bad friends, etc.), but only one's self-confidence can help you achieve lasting happiness. "How do I feel this good sober?" Indeed.

I Don't Believe You (5 out of 5): Starts softly and swells in power, much like any individual's soul. Only Pink's trembling & gritty voals can elevate the power to jilted love songs like these. Tragically romantic though the love may have come to an end.

One Foot Wrong (2 out of 5): Is it jazz? Is it electronic? Is that a reggae beat? I'm not too sure what to make of "One Foot Wrong." For the record, there's also a late 60's sound working here. The track feels a bit experimental. If it weren't for Pink's massive voice, then I probably wouldn't much remember this tune.

Please Don't Leave Me (4 out ot 5): Lyrically, the song truly shows Pink's vocal strength, alternating as it does between her contemporary singer and an almost lilting little girl backing "da da da" track. A throwback sound to the teen beach tunes of the 1960's brought forward in time beautifully here.

Bad Influence (5 out of 5): Forgive me if I think that THIS is what Pink does best ... celebrating her own downright sinful badness. Pop/rock with all the attitude you can fit between the start and the finish. Actually, this tune has an odd theatrical quality to it, like it's destined to be featured in a rock movie musical or maybe just a real solid and wicked music video.

Funhouse (5 out of 5): Celebrating annihilation ... complete with its own countdown. "This used to be a funhouse, but now it's full of evil clowns." The title track is exactly the kind of song your grandparents warned you about when they said, "Stop listening to that rock'n'roll ... it's so violent." Yes, it's so deliciously destructive, and it's arguably one of the best tracks here.

Crystal Ball (5 out of 5): Smoky & reserved, it's that other kind of song that Pink does extraordinarily well. Just her voice & a twinkling guitar. Questions about the future abound, but just greet them like you would any challenge, and you'll be fine. Hint: even that crystal ball cracks, folks. Honestly, I could listen to her sing this song and play that guitar softly for hours on end.

Mean (5 out of 5): Pink does southern fried rock like Aerosmith does (and ISN'T that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler singing back-up as he's done with her before?), complete with the blues-backed twangy electric guitars. This is the kind of vocal performance that Grammy's OUGHT to be celebrating. A big (but heartfelt) rock ballad complete with the F word worked in for good measure. "It's like a train wreck trying to hit the right track ..." Asks and tries to answer the question about how, why, when, and where the relationship went wrong.

It's All Your Fault (3 out of 5): It's the kind of track you'll be hearing playing in the background of a Spencer's Gift store for the next six months and always wonder what that's all about. Great driving undercurrent, the kind of track some kids love headbanging to these days. For all its strengths, it's the kind of song whose lyrics either means something to you or they don't.

Ave Mary A (5 out of 5): A flat-out indictment of the world we've created, complete with questioning one's faith alongside with how we got where we are.

Glitter in the Air (5 out of 5): A song that speaks to the simplest, magical pleasures of life, like a child throwing a handful of sparkling glitter into the air. Pink squeezes more depth, passion, and humanity into these four minutes that many of her peers squeeze out of an entire career.

This Is How It Goes Down (5 out of 5)

Sexy, subversive, and sinful, the perfect exclamation point to this visit to the FUNHOUSE. I could've done without the rap interlude by Travis McCoy, but that's only a matter of taste.

Well, after all is said and done, what is Pink's FUNHOUSE? I could be wrong (I've been wrong before), but I think she's singing about life ... the good, the bad, the tragic, the charm, the ecstatic, the love, the loss ... all of it rolled into one is the 'funhouse,' a ride that once we're all on board we have no other choice but to ride it all out ... thru the good times and the not so good times. There's something here for everyone -- much like life -- and no one should walk away disappointed. Musically, this album is absolutely terrific, and, lyrically, it's absolutely top rate. I haven't felt so excited about an artist's total release in an awfully long time, and here's hoping that Pink finds the success she so much deserves with this trip thru her own personal funhouse.

Im not a Pink fan and purchased this cd on the strength of two songs that got radio play-i was very surprised! Most of the songs on this cd are extremely well written and her voice is surprisingly strong-i highly recommend this cd to anyone especially women with broken hearts or someone just coming out of a relationship-its a tear jerker and makes you assess your own mistakes and faults! This cd has made me a Pink fan and it will make you one too!

It's really too bad record labels don't actually listen to the artists opinions in the mainstream nowadays. Songwriter this, producer that, marketing execs all over the place! Most new acts don't even have the advantage of crafting what THEY want to, even if they do want to, and if they don't they can slink along with formulated garbage & still sell a couple million records. But for every one of those artists, we have true talent in the pop world. Yes, it's hard to find, but it comes around once every year or two & it's name is P!nk.

Throughout her decade-long career, this lady has went from something worse than a gimmick - a bad gimmick - on her first album, to a complete turnaround with her second & corresponding albums. From the moment she yelled "Get the Party Started" on her sophomore effort, you knew she was going to do it her way, and her way is indeed the way pop music should be done.

P!nk scored some points critically with her third release, Try This, but failed to make an impact commercially. Such is alwasy true with great music: it gets ignored 99% of the time on the radio waves. The follow-up, I'm Not Dead, rejuvenated her career in a way, becoming a sort of crossroads between her artistic ability & her mainstream propularity. And oh yeah, in the midst of it all she got married...and now she's divorced. Thus we have the latest offering from P!nk, the "breakup record" atrociously titled Funhouse.

This brings me back to the first sentence of this review: it's too bad the labels don't listen. P!nk originally wanted to title this project a much different way. That title, Heartbreak is a M*********er, oddly enough would've described the album PERFECTLY. Instead the label didn't want controversy, so the very misleading Funhouse takes it place. Let me be clear here, people, this is not a "fun" album. It has it's moments, but there is more heartbreak than good times, and more reality than fantasy. Whatever label exec made the decision to rename this disc NEEDS TO BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!

But back to the album: what a platter of emotions this is! If it weren't such a bold statement, I'd compare it to another powerful female record, Alanis Morisette's multi-platinum Jagged Little Pill. Except this one is 80% less anger-driven, and has more a sense of loneliness & confusion than the confidence displayed in Alanis' work.

Yet everyone whose anyone listening to FM radio heard "So What", the braggadocious breakup jam & lead single off this set, and thought of how "fun" this "house" could be. Skip to tracks 2, 3, 4, & 5...you'll be realizing the truth of the matter. P!nk is obviously heartbroken, but desn't quite know where to place her feelings. Is she resentful or is she glad it's over? Is she lonely & depressed or bustin' out her "rock moves" at the nearest bar? The truly fun part of this album is that you never quite get the answer to any of these questions. She knows she contradicts herself, and quite frankly, she doesn't give a damn.

Now don't get me wrong, I think this album is excellent, I just think the portrait of what the label & most media outlets would have you believe is not the portrait of what this album really is about. There is a bit more fun, in the form of "Bad Influence," the awesome decleration of P!nk's love for parties, and the funky title track, in which she declares "this used to be a fun house / but now it's full of evil clowns". She even declares to "burn the ****er down" when referring to her "funhouse" on the same cut. So regardless of it being upbeat or not, P!nk can't help but to throw some bitter reality into even the breeziest pop tune. At least this time around, anyway.

Bringing us back to the original title, that's really the gist of the whole LP: heartbreak IS a **********er, and this girl's obviously had her fill of it. Only about 2 or 3 songs on this set are about topics other than breakups & rocky relationships, but that can be forgiven when you look at how entertaining the overall package is. The lyrics are meaningful, the melodies are either very catchy or sometimes haunting (ex: "Crystal Ball"), and you come out feeling exactly how P!nk wanted you to in the end. Just as in touch with the sobering realities of life & love as you could possibly be.

Bought the album,popped it in and liked it a lot...Have enjoyed the last 3 Pink albums & knew this one had to be good and I was right.It has the trademark ballads,soft pop rockers and a little r&b...I like when an artist,especially an artist like Pink, mixes it up...She has impressed me with her attitude and writing talent.I pretty much enjoyed all the songs,but my standout faves are...So What,Sober,I Don't Believe You,Please Don't Leave Me,Funhouse,Mean & It's All Your Fault.If you like Pinks style and past releases,there is no reason to stop.Go get this one and continue with Pink on her hit parade...

While "Funhouse" doesn't quite reach the heights of P!nk's fiery comeback album "I'm Not Dead," it still shines through with lyrical quality and rockin' power, a further testament to her seemingly unique power to dance through the seriousness and the playfulness rather like a mirror room in a funhouse.

"So What" is the lead single, featuring catchy riffs and hooks we've come to expect from her more rock-themed anthems. It's pure fun to listen to and it's a playful poke at the pain of heartbreak. Moving on, however, the album really starts to take off with "Sober," which is quite possibly one of the best tracks on the album as Pink takes us through the highs and lows of substance abuse and the fight to overcome it.

"I Don't Believe You" is a slow ballad that draws most of its power from Pink's sultry vocals rather than the lyrics. This goes into "One Foot Wrong," a strong R&B infused track that's more of a throwback to her "M!ssundaztood" days than we've heard in a while. "Please Don't Leave Me" is everything that "I Don't Believe You" should have been -- it's a somewhat sad song but the catchy beat and uplifted vocals lend it great listening power.

The album takes a sharp upswing in tone with "Bad Influence," a sheer fun romp through a party in Pink's mansion, displaying all of her trademark attitude. This is followed up by the title track, "Funhouse," which is an absolutely amazing -- if nonsensical -- break-up theme: "This used to be a funhouse/But now it's full of evil clowns/It's time to start the countdown/I'm gonna burn it down," she sings gleefully as she contemplates arson on her broken relationship.

"Crystal Ball" is an acoustic ballad that's stunning to listen to and draws rich and lush metaphors about life and love will still continuing the carnival imagery, which works surprisingly well. "Mean" is entirely unexpected: a pure southern-rock anthem whose riffs sound like they'd be at home on a Skynyrd album with Pink's rocker vocals detailing love gone sour with great skill (and good punch).

"It's All Your Fault" has a catchy beat though the lyrics are more nonsensical than meaningful. Pink masterfully saves herself by jumping into "Ave Mary A," (in my opinion the best song on this album) which is a rock ballad decrying the evils of the world and wondering why any sort of divine presence is seemingly absent. "Glitter in the Air" is the final track, a soft piano ballad that raises many questions about life and love, ending the album on a peaceful note.

While there are a two or three missteps, "Funhouse" is generally a fantastic album that showcases Pink's impressive range in vocals as well as genres, her ability to poke fun at herself and the world even as she mixes metaphors to ask and answer meaningful questions about life, love, and music. While it doesn't quite have the same solidity that "I'm Not Dead" had in spades, "Funhouse" is still a worthy addition to the credits under her belt.

DELUXE TOUR EDITION

In the Deluxe Tour Edition of "Funhouse," we get two new tracks and a bonus DVD full of goodies, rather like the Platinum Edition set of "I'm Not Dead."

"This Is How It Goes Down" is the first, a hidden track that plays after a small pause at the end of "Glitter in the Air." Featuring rapper Travis McCoy, "This Is How It Goes Down" is a rock/rap fusion that's pure fun from start to finish, rather like "Centerfold" or "Hooker" from her previous efforts. It's somewhat fluffy and not very important, but it's punchy chorus and catchy hooks that stick in a listener's head like white on rice is pure Pink.

"Push You Away," however, is a wonderful new track that perfectly compliments the rest of "Funhouse," and the studio version of this song is also now available as a bonus track on her Funhouse Tour CD/DVD release. A fresh ballad, "Push You Away" rings with the same power as "Mean" or "Please Don't Leave Me."

The DVD is a full bag of tricks, as well, featuring all four music videos to Pink's "Funhouse" singles: "So What," the amazingly in-your-face video of the year that featured a drunken Pink cruising down Sunset Boulevard on a lawnmower with a beer can in hand, flipping off the other drivers; "Sober," the delightfully nonsequiter delusion that features imagery of Pink making out with herself; "Funhouse," featuring Pink dancing gleefully in the ashes of her burned-out shell of a home surrounded by dancing clowns; and "Please Don't Leave Me," Pink's marvellously demented take on Stephen King's "Misery."

The DVD also features live performances of "I Don't Believe You," "Please Don't Leave Me," and the ever-popular "So What." The final goodie is a video-by-video commentary by Pink and her producers, which is fun to listen to once or twice.

OTHER RELEASED/UNRELEASED TRACKS

"Funhouse" had a wealth of bonus tracks that the listener can find via iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody, or as B-sides for her singles, including: "Boring" and "Why Did I Ever Like You," both of which are punky and punchy in-your-face rock songs; "Could've Had Everything," featuring a catchy riff and unexpected lyrics; and the heartrending and achingly lovely acoustic ballad "When You're Through."

P!nk: "Funhouse" 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

"Funhouse" Deluxe Tour Edition: 5 out of 5 stars