Kesha - Gag Order

It's called Gag Order because Kesha feels she's been restricted in her speech due to her ongoing litigation with her former producer Dr. Luke. Those lawsuits prevented her from speaking directly about the events at the root of her personal trauma, so she winds up writing around the problem on the album, focusing on the emotional aftermath instead of the instigating events. Given the anger and sadness roiling in her psyche -- feelings only intensified during the isolation of COVID-19, a pandemic that hit just weeks after she delivered High Road in 2020 -- it's not surprising that Gag Order is a twisted ball of fury and sorrow. Her inner turmoil is conveyed through washes of electronics, contorted Auto-Tunes, spectral samples, and a keening performance from Kesha, whose passion cuts against the dour atmosphere. That's by design: the amorphous swirl captures torment, the singing suggests perseverance. These are the qualities that sustain Gag Order, carrying it through 13 tracks so tightly