'Try This'

Pink is one of those "artists" we all pretend to hate. "Oh, that Pink," we lament. "How bothersome she is!"

And she is annoying. Kind of. First she pretended she was R&B when she was pop, then she pretended she was rock when she was pop, now with Try This, she's pretending she's punk when she's really ... Well, I'm not sure what Pink is anymore, which isn't too problematic.

In fact, Pink's variations and transformations from record to record and even within each single album serve this saucy starlet well.

While Britney may be publicly palling around with Madonna, it is Pink who seems to most wholeheartedly and effortlessly embrace the Material Girl's musical chameleon abilities.

Try This deviates from M!ssundaztood's dance-rock just enough to establish a fresh sound for Pink. Where Pink found herself collaborating extensively with ex-4 Non Blondes frontwoman Linda Perry to achieve M!ssundaztood's personal vibe, she finds herself working closely with punk outfit Rancid's Tim Armstrong to establish Try This's harder foundation, onto which she, Perry and Armstrong build a multi-genre pop album that's rocking, rolling and totally danceable.

Try This may be less lyrically confessional than M!ssundaztood, but Pink is far from falling flat as a generic pop cliché. With her chain-smoking vocals and bite-me attitude, Pink manages to evade the tedious drone that generally accompanies an album so catchy and marketable.

So I guess Pink is annoying, if your definition of "annoying" is a feisty grrrl who takes nothin' from no one, collaborates with respectable and talented rockers and tops the Billboard charts without reverting to mindless bubblegum pop.

-- Reviewed by Caralyn Green