Pink has another winner with 6th album

Pink, "The Truth About Love" (RCA Records)

Listening to Pink's new album is like watching a reality show about the ups and downs of her relationship with her husband, motorcycle racer Carey Hart: She's over him at times, under him at others. There are fights, and makeups, and then more breakups. There are "I hate yous" and "I love yous." And all of it makes for good listening.

"The Truth About Love," the singer's sixth release, is an exceptional album that takes you through Pink's rollercoaster of emotions, as her scratchy voice pierces on songs to create not just enjoyable tunes, but beautiful ones. Like 2008's "Funhouse," on which Pink

This CD cover image released by RCA Records shows the latest release by P!nk, "The Truth About Love." (AP Photo/RCA Records)
detailed her then-estrangement from her husband, Hart remains the centerpiece of Pink's emotions.

"I hate you, I really hate you so much I think it must be true love," she sings over a fun beat on "True Love," which gets a cute assist from Lily Rose Cooper (aka Lily Allen). Pink wants her lover to return on the rock-filled "How Come You're Not Here," she's explosive on first single "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" and wondering why love went wrong on the eerie and beat-driven "Where Did the Beat Go," singing lyrics like "I was naked and waiting for you to come back" and "you couldn't see anything beyond 'your baby's momma'" (the couple had their first child last year).

"Beam Me Up" is slow and gorgeous, and "Just Give Me a Reason" is an amazing, bluesy duet with Nate Ruess of fun. The album, which also features Eminem and was mostly produced by Greg Kurstin, continues to showcase Pink's versatility: This firecracker can pretty much sing a song from any genre.

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Walk of Shame" is hilarious, sassy, upbeat and signature Pink.

Mesfin Fekadu, AP Music Writer ___


Nelly Furtado has uber flavor on 'Spirit'

Nelly Furtado's been putting out an album every three years like clockwork since the turn of the century. Her newest release, "The Spirit Indestructible," is her first English record since 2006 (she went all-out Spanish on 2009's "Mi Plan"), and it's a welcome return from the Canadian songstress.

After the commercially successful collaboration with Timbaland on "Loose," Furtado turns mainly to producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins' deft hand for an eclectic sound. Her small voice emerges like a towering life force throughout the album, whose themes revolve around nostalgia and celebration of the human spirit.

The record evolves slowly from conventional sounds on the title track to more eerie tracks like "Something," to the Latin pulse-quickening
This CD cover image released by Interscope/Mosley Music Group shows the latest release by Nelly Furtado, "Spirit Indestructible." (AP Photo/Interscope/Mosley Music Group)
vibes of "Waiting for the Night" and the languorous retro-like "Circles." The 33-year-old reminisces about her musical beginnings in "Parking Lot," finds her teenage strength on first single "Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)" and gets quasi-reflective on "High Life," the album's only misstep.

But the album's best tracks belong to the collaborations: Nas shines on the Salaam Remi-produced "Something," as does Sara Tavares on the diaphanous "The Most Beautiful Thing," another Remi production which adds a Middle Eastern tinge to the already worldly collection of songs. All one can say is: "Whoa, Nelly - here we go again."

CHECK OUT THIS TRACK: "Miracle" starts deceptively slow, but morphs into a hypnotizingly catchy beat.

Cristina Jaleru, Associated Press
__