There's talent under all that...?

I will step up and admit that I secretly enjoy me some Ke$ha from time to time. Say what you will about her opulent use of auto-tune, trash-hipster fashion sense, or hedonistic lyrics. Her pop fantasias are incredibly catchy.

It's easy for me to get caught up in the popular notion that pop singers are the fast food of music, i.e. they are artificially-enhanced, mass-produced products made from the sub par throwaway pieces on the cutting room floor. Much like the "pink slurry" that McDonald's burgers and Taco Bell meat are made from, they are ground to a paste, washed in ammonia and dyed to an acceptable color to appeal to our American grab-and-go lifestyle.

Ke$ha recently contributed to an excellent new Bob Dylan tribute titled Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International. I noticed her cover of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," and I honestly expected something in the vein of "Tik Tok" or "Your Love Is My Drug."

What I discovered was a lot more akin to Feist and the Head and the Heart chanteuse Charity Rose Thielin than Britney Spears or Snooki. As it turns out, once Ke$sha applies some makeup remover, mutes the synth beats, strips away the auto-tune and allows some vulnerability to show through, she can sing. Well.

Sure, pop music is full of manufactured, off-the-shelf voices (see: Rebecca Black). It always has been. Still, I appreciate the occasional reminder that some pop performers are indeed talented singers, and they have worked hard for their success. I wish Ke$sha would show this side more often.