Kesha, “Gag Order.”

For her fifth studio album, Kesha Rose Sebert—Kesha—tapped into a new partnership that paid creative dividends: Rick Rubin. The super producer is known for peeling back artists like an onion, distilling their sound to its rawest core and rebuilding them back.

So Gag Order, her first album since 2020’s High Road, isn’t an easy listen, but it rewards more adventurous listeners in the end.

For 36-year-old Kesha, a collaboration with Rubin meant trading in hard-hitting pop for something more left-field, between alt-pop and PC music. The dark stomp of “Only Love Can Save Us Now” is the only song to feature Kesha’s spoken/sung/rapped cadence in the verses before exploding into the revivalist bluesy energy of the chorus. “Peace & Quiet” also fuses a rhythmic urgency with a vocal exploration that sees the singer’s voice both chopped up and pitch-shifted all over.

“Maybe I should learn to be alone/ Maybe I can learn to do this on my own/ Maybe I should be a little a less/ I’m so fucking extra; I’m a mess,” she sings, admitting that while she sometimes questions herself, slowing down the pace isn’t an option. It’s been a long journey for the Los-Angeles-born singer, who struggled with rehab stints at a young age and famously took producer Dr. Luke to court alleging sexual assault, harassment and emotional abuse in a case that was ultimately dismissed by a judge.

Elsewhere, Kesha hones in the album on a more intricate and decisive pop balladry. The atmospheric “Something to Believe” builds the soundscape as she repeats a chorus refrain. The synths and electronics fuse with the guitar lines and other stringed instruments for a vibrant musical foundation that never overtakes the song.

One thing Rubin does particularly well is challenge his artists to disrupt their creative comfort zones. That’s evident of “Living in My Head,” a track that not only sees Kesha questioning her own fears but also challenging her own arrangements. The mostly acoustic number features an unusual mix of vocal layering to create unique harmonies.

“Eat the Acid” has more of a vintage feel. A singular ominous keyboard part carries much of the instrumental weight, joined by some layered harmonies.

“I searched for answers all my life/ Dead in the dark I saw the light/ I’m the one I’ve been fighting the whole time/ Hate has the place in the divine,” Kesha sings with clarity as the song builds to a crescendo.

Songs like “Fine Line” see Kesha drilling deeper into her vulnerability. She sometimes seems frustrated over her struggles, but manages to find solace and motivation to keep pressing forward.

“There’s a violence in the silence, and it’s coming for me,” she sings on the intricate and subdued intro to “The Drama” before things escalate to a synth-driven groove that’s heavy on experimental harmonies. The interlude, “Flicker’s Reprise,” transitions into “Too Far Gone,” a surprisingly straightforward earnest pop ballad. Kesha’s voice is as clear and focused as anywhere on the album.

The album covers a lot of territory in its back half, including “Only Love Reprise,” an interlude made up of wind instruments. It concludes with the piano balladry of “Hate Me Harder” and introspective closer “Happy.”

Follow writer Mike DeWald at Twitter.com/mike_dewald.