As Kesha releases her long-anticipated fourth album Rainbow, onlookers are reminded of a phoenix rising from the ashes. The awful things she has faced have been no secret, and yet she remains as determined as ever to show the world who she really is— not who she was forced to be before, but instead her true, unapologetic self.

Rainbow sees the songstress delve into territory that is nothing short of heart-wrenching, with first track ‘Bastards’ telling exactly how she feels about everyone who has ever tried to put her down, control her creativity or stamp out her spirit. The album’s first single ‘Praying’ also touches on a similar theme, and as Kesha’s official reintroduction into the music scene it was met with nothing but positivity from not only her fans but also every person that had been rooting for her.

Kesha has really hit the mark with this one; each and every track is uniquely excellent, and there is no instance where you may think to yourself that it’s falling flat. If she’s not bringing you to tears with the emotion she’s pumping in to her ballads, she’s reminding people that she’s a force to be reckoned with in feminist anthem ‘Woman’ and the fantastic party number ‘Boogie Feet’, featuring guest vocals and instrumentals from American rock band Eagles of Death Metal. Kesha is still very much the free-spirited, glittering cool girl we remember, but this time it’s on her own terms and with a lot more substance.

Later on, we are treated to ‘Old Flames Can’t Hold A Candle To You’, a country song co-written by Kesha’s mother, Pebe Sebert, in 1978. The song was released by Joe Sun, Brian Collins, then later Dolly Parton who arguably had the most successful cover. On Rainbow there’s a re-worked version, a duet between Parton and Kesha that really touches on the latter’s Tennessee roots, proving she is the most versatile of artists.

There’s no doubt that Kesha will continue to have her critics, even when she is portrayed in the media as the injured bird. With Rainbow, she is not trying to win anyone over; the record is merely a statement of how determined she is as both a musician and a woman.