Tough girl paints the town Pink

TAMPA -- It's hard to believe the course Pink's career has taken since the pop singer last performed at the Ice Palace two years ago. Back then, she was a third-tier opening act for 'N Sync, a fuschia-haired R&B singer with one hit under her belt, There U Go. She was given about 20 minutes to make a lasting impression. She did not.

Sunday at the Ice Palace, Pink, 22, was a new woman in front of a crowd of 9,563. Hot on the heels of her smash sophomore album Missundaztood, Pink opened for Lenny Kravitz, who is always something to behold in a live setting, and that's why Pink begged for this opening spot long ago.

But it's Pink who's the bigger star now. The singer has been enjoying airplay on radio and MTV like no one else this year. She's in a major music magazine each time she changes her hair color, and that's frequently. Her uncompromising style -- Pink swears! Pink smokes! Pink's got tattoos! -- gets her attention, as does her newly recognized vocal and songwriting talent. All of it has rescued her from the teen pop ghetto. Pink is the anti-Britney Spears.

Missundaztood' is a remarkable album. Its strength is in its rawness, something sorely lacking in today's pop. Pink's tunes are ferocious yet fun. Her sound has expanded from R&B and dance music and includes some real grit and bluesy wailing. The album was cowritten in part by Pink's singing idol Linda Perry of the defunct 4 Non Blondes.

Pink kicked off with the adrenaline-soaked smash hit Get The Party Started. Dressed in purple pants and halter top, with chains dangling from her hip pocket, Pink blazed through her catchy tunes with tough girl themes. She paid homage to Perry by singing What's Up?, the hit that briefly put 4 Non Blondes on the map. (The song also got poor Pink arrested ten years ago, she told the audience, for disturbing the peace. Seems the spirited preteen belted it out repeatedly in a residential neighborhood.)

In a world where Spears doesn't know whose songs she's covering -- see her Joan Jett/Pat Benatar faux pas -- Pink has reverence for rock's female pioneers. This was apparent with the medley of Janis Joplin tunes she sang with as much as gusto as reverence. Her blues rock chops? Impressive.

Pink's candid originals are the real winners. They demonstrate a flair for writing confessionals that, unlike those penned by, say, Alanis Morissette, don't dovetail into maudlin self-absorption. Pink's songs are funny. They're tough and they reveal the trials and insecurities of a girl who never fit in, who was not groomed for stardom like Spears and Morissette. Pink -- gasp! -- never appeared on a kids television show.

That rebellious sentiment is summed up in Pink's current hit Don't Let Me Get Me. The song chronicles Pink's bumpy ride to fame and how her moxie may have made it rougher for her. It namedrops Spears, with Pink lamenting that she's not as pretty as her rival pop princess. The irony, of course, is that to some of us, who like our singing real and our rock stars passionate, Pink is more than pretty -- she's gorgeous.

-- To contact Gina Vivinetto, e-mail gina@sptimes.com

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