Pink’s new album is like the Mugg&Bean. Standard issue. No surprises. What you get, is what you got two weeks ago. Or in Pink’s case, a year ago.

The recipe

I dig the M&B’s bean soup as much as I dig Pink. The disappointment was thus huge when a) I discovered that the M&B’s kick ass bean soup comes from a tin and a microwave is somehow, somewhere involved in the heating process and b) that Pink followed the exact same ‘hit making’ recipe used on her earlier albums. The iconic anthem from the last three albums sounds exactly the same, there are at least two ballads thrown in per album and a lot of the riffs, melodies and sometimes even lyrics sound ‘familiar’. I know, shocking.

The genre

The Mugg menu is varied. You will find a few Mexican dishes, New York style bagels, an Asian dish or two and a standard steak. But for really good Asian food you go to Cranks, for a good fillet you to the Local Grill, in other words you go to people who specialize in something.

The new Pink album is also varied. There are different styles on the album. And not. She tries out a little blues, a little rock, a little pop and even some folk, but she doesn’t fully commit to any style on any given song. For really good pop you listen to Duffy, for good folk you listen to Alela Diane. You get my point.

The pleasant factor

When on a road trip through the glorious South African countryside and you find yourself in Kuruman or Springbok or Put Sonder Water, The Mugg is a welcome site. It still beats Wimpy or Steers by a long shot.

‘Funhouse’ is the album you would play on a road trip. When you’re cruising through the Karoo and you are not listening to lyrics and you’re not in a particularly serious mood, she will get you to sing along, bob your head and hate her ex-husband. She still beats the likes of Christina, Britney, Avril and all the frigging boy and girls bands out there. And she’s piping hot.

Hope for the future

There is a slight difference between ‘Funhouse’ and the earlier albums. Alicia Moore is a little world weary, a little rundown, on this record. You will hear it in her voice and her voice is certainly her best asset.

Now if that weariness could translate into the music, the instruments, and she teams up with, say, T-Bone Burnett, we’d have something else on our hands.