Pink!

Pink! fans have been anxiously anticipating the feisty pop icon's seventh studio album from the moment she unleashed the stunning The Truth About Love back in 2012. While 2014's side project You+Me explored a rather lush folk sensibility and gifted a new angle to Pink!'s loyal fanbase, the three year wait for a return to the solo domain has felt like an eternity to many. Having teased the album's release with the truly moving What About Us earlier this year, a song which still dominates the radio waves and many a Spotify playlist, it is clear that while Pink!'s enjoyed her time away from the spotlight, her distinctive ability to pen an unforgettable hit has not left her. So what of album #7? Given that each album she has released has boasted key signature elements but thrown new ingredients into the mix, what does Beautiful Trauma bring to the table?

Having spoken openly about how she needed to spend time living normally, most importantly having quality time with her husband and two children, the most interesting thing to note about Beautiful Trauma is that it is not an album glowing with positive thought. Although clearly glowing from family time in all her press appearances, the album does not shy away from exploring life's challenging twists and turns.

With The Truth About Love having dissected the trials and tribulations of life with her husband, which has had its very on and very off moments, it is clear that on Beautiful Trauma the couple of still facing the same issues that are met by all couples the world over as they find the balance between who they are individually and what they means for them as their growing family unit.

Current single Whatever You Want channels the Pink! that we very first met on Missundaztood, but interestingly turns her indignant bite on its head as she melts into a confession of her devoted search for a solution. While in her earlier years Pink! might have simply flicker her middle her finger and walked away, the Pink! we know and love today, realises that life is imperfect and has it's challenges, but we need to choose which fights we battle.

Domestic bliis is further explored on the very frank Better Life, but is most moving in the truly sensational You Get My Love, which closes the album with a really raw and open moment of clarity.

While the overall direction of Beautiful Trauma stays true to the sound of her last solo release, the rootsy I Am Here shows that this may not be where she remains as her careers progresses. Set over a strumming guitar, Barbie, is another album stand out, which strips away the sheen and polish of the record for an intimate exploration of motherhood and childhood.

Beautiful Trauma is the album the title promises. It is both elements. Pink! continues to shine as one of the world's most frank and true recording artists. Not wishing the simply overlook the tumultuous life we all lead, she celebrates both the highs and lows in one of her finest albums to date.