KE$HA - CANNIBAL REVIEW

Although completely unnecessary, Ke$ha has followed in the footsteps of Lady Gaga in releasing an EP between debut and sophomore albums. Cannibal is being packaged as a Bonus Disc alongside Platinum-selling Animal and also on its own.

For those of you who can't get enough of Ke$ha's Electro-Pop and Sing-spoken Humour, you will eat this Collection up "like Jeffrey Dahmer" as the Nashville native proclaims on the title track. Perfect Production from Pop Saviour Dr. Luke on tracks like U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number one hit We R Who We R will keep fans loyal. Another contribution from him, Grow a Pear, is embarrassing and v. aware of it, simultaneously poking fun at "dudes with a Vag" while also sonically and structurally resembling smash first single TiK-ToK.

Collaborations with Montreal-based Billboard (Mathieu Jomphe) account for two of the EP's brightest moments: the Remix of Animal, which is rather Björk-esque in this incarnation and also title track Cannibal. Although simplistic in its Casio Keyboard charm, C U Next Tuesday is another winner, one of the less in-your-face moments offered here. The track is produced by British Producer David Gamson, best known for his work with '80s Pop Act Scritti Politti. The Harold Song is a Collaboration with Dr. Luke prodigy Joshua Coleman, perhaps the most honest moment to be found. On this track we finally see a bit of vulnerability from Ke$ha, reflecting on lost young love a la Taylor Swift, name-dropping her Lovers in song title.

Where the EP suffers is its insistence on remaining in character and because this is the case, I question whether Ke$ha is taking her talent where it rightfully should be. The difference between Ke$ha and the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga is that despite the shiny Pop sheens we get on the surface, there lies a reservoir of emotional depth that we are allowed to tap into. Ke$ha hasn't quite let us in yet, but maybe soon. Cannibal is now in stores via Sony Music. Grade: B+