Not Much Fight In Rachel Platten

Self-empowerment has its merits. That said, that concept resurfaces over and over again in pop music. Kelly Clarkson has quite the rep for pulling that gun from her holster. "Since U Been Gone" shined no end. Massachusetts native Rachel Platten is no Kelly Clarkson. Maybe I've become jaded. As long as there are seemingly impossible odds to overcome there will always be songs highlighting never say die attitude. Sad when "Been there, heard that" rumbles throughout the chambers of your mind and heart. She's got some stirring sentiments to impart. The beef comes from the flavor tasting too similar. For example we've got small waves vs. big ocean, a Gilligan's Island recipe for disaster if ever there was one. "One match" sounds like a one life to live reference. The explosion pertains to the seismic impact she can make with that one life. The chorus segment gets wrapped around an assonance loop ("fight", "life", "alright"). Good for her for playing on regardless of whether anyone believes her or not. The fire within still burns. She might be losing friends and chasing sleep but to heck with that. Her fight song's armed for bear. She'll prove she's alright come hell or high water. You get engaging instrumentation here but it's a pity that's what it takes to lift "Fight Song" above generic motivational speaker terrain. You can only be yourself regardless of the baggage that entails. Rachel can't lift from Pink's rule book. She's not an Adele whose R & B sensibilities make painful break-ups look and feel like a tall glass of pink lemonade served at peak sour. She doesn't have Rihanna's sass. I'm hinting at the problem Rachel's going to have slinking her way into a densely crowded marketplace. Girl next door likability has its strong points but marching off to war for the umpteenth time isn't striking a chord that hasn't been run dry already. I've been around this block enough. Rachel isn't offering scenery that's more compelling. On the whole "Fight Song" doesn't pack much wallop.