Hidden Gems #1: "Wonderland:" by Kesha

  Welcome to Hidden Gems! In  this new series, hopefully one with a new installment once every week,  I'll be reviewing songs that get overlooked either by the general public, or critics. The reason they get overlooked may be because it is from a smaller artist, a hated artist, or because it was a deep album cut. Anyway, I want to shine a light on as many of these deserving songs as I can.

  The first song in the series is "Wonderland", by Kesha. Kesha is an easy target for people who like to lampoon modern pop songs. They say her music lacks substance and judge her solely on her singles that they have only heard two or three times. This is unfair to the artist as singles are often chosen by the artist's label with little to no input from the actual singer. Labels will usually only go with what has worked before, refusing to take any chances. This is a shame, as Kesha's album, Warrior, has plenty of solid songs that bring something new to her sound.

  Regardless, "Wonderland" is an awesome, well written song about trying to find Kesha's wonderland, which is the place where all of her best memories are. It sounds like a classic rock song, with a bit of country thrown in. The instrumentation works well, driven by two electric guitars, a piano, and an organ. The interplay between the guitars in the second verse are interesting and the organ swells during the chorus help to sell the nostalgic frame of mind. Thankfully, the instrumentation complements Kesha  instead of stealing the spotlight away from her.

  Kesha's delivery is melancholy, and reflective. She wants to get back to the golden years, where: "Other than a dream, (she) had nothing to lose." She wants to get back to a simple life without anything actually serious to worry about. In the second verse, she sings about how she caught up with her friends from that special time, but those meetings fail to compare to her memories. Kesha can't find the same friendship she had with them back then, because their friendship is rooted firmly in the past, and things have changed. As she says: "Feels like it was a movie that plays in my mind. Shadows of a past life, wish I could rewind."

  This songs clicks on all cylinders for me. I suggest you give it a chance: Wonderland by Kesha