I bought this album on the 6-year “anniversary” of Wendy Soltero’s death because, well, sometimes you just need something fun and light to mark a somber occasion. It was the first CD that I had bought in more than a year and in being fun and light, it was money incredibly well spent. Music is so very healing and this album, as odd as it may seem, brought me a lot of good healing during really difficult months in the year.

Alicia Moore, a.k.a. Pink, is adorable. She has a real quirky voice and a lot of character, which is more than anyone can say for a lot of popstars. I try to keep this in mind when I get frustrated by her sometimes superficial lyrics and kitschy tone. She is indeed a popstar and for the most part her albums are geared towards a much younger target audience than the one I inhabit at a ripe 28 years of age. However, she does throw in a few songs for her older listeners, like “Dear Mr. President,” a scathing indictment of the current American president sung with the incredible Indigo Girls, “I’m Not Dead,” and “Who Knew.” She even goes so far to single out the “Stupid Girls,” the bane of intelligent women’s existences, who dress like teenage hookers in designer shoes. One of my favorite songs on this disc is the duet she sings with her father, a Vietnam war veteran, a terrifically moving song about coming home from a useless war. Another great one is “U + Ur Hand,” which is a hilarious attack at men who try to pick up women in bars.

All that said, Pink is a far cry from being a role model for young women anywhere close to the Indigo Girls or Ani DiFranco, who inhabit the large group of Goddess Musicians. She has yet to dig deeper and really share herself in a non-pithy way; the lyrics that make you stop and think are far and few between. She has yet to stop wearing skimpy outfits and pan makeup, a serious contradiction of many of her own lyrics and perception of herself as someone different from the Stupid Girls.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a really fun album and I do indeed listen to it a lot. It saved me in its own way, helping me to remember the lighter sides of life and living. I don’t feel so old listening to it, it lightens my load for a little while, and it almost makes me feel like not so much has happened to me. I haven’t lost so much.

If I want to soulsearch I listen to Ani DiFranco, the Indigo Girls, Johnny Cash, and others. If I want to have some fun, dance like a mofo, and feel like a kid, I listen to this album. Trite as it may be at times, it does lighten the spirit and makes me happy. That is no small feat, let me tell you. I would even go so far to say that this is one of my favorite albums of all time. What? Just because I think she could dig deeper doesn’t mean I’m not a member of Pink’s fan club. I am. I really, really like Pink.

Plus, Pink is just so HOT. I mean really, really really HOT. Not that you should buy the album for her hotness. I’m just saying, is all. Pink = Hot. And I would totally recommend you buying this album anyway.