Lady Gaga has stormed onto the scene in the past year and a half and just flipped the music industry on it's ear. Admittedly, dance/techno music is NOT my thing. As a matter of fact, I hate it with a passion. I find majority of it to be just droning noise, highly irritating. I'm also not into going to raves and shit like that so I guess I just don't get it. So the first time I heard Lady Gaga, the song "Just Dance", I hated it. Wrote it off as stupid techno bullshit, good for girls who have had a little too much to drink to shake their ass on the dancefloor. Fine and dandy by me, but it wasn't an album I was gonna run out and buy...or download.
Then something happened. I started seeing Lady Gaga everywhere, and I got sucked in. Maybe it was her bodacious bod, or her voice, or the way everything she did just seemed to drip with sexuality that captured my attention. The confidence and creativity that I discovered she had through her interviews, her cool videos...I guess she won me over the old fashioned way: with talent. She stood out from the pack with her zany fashion sense and super-sexual lyrics and backed up the image with top-notch vocals (rivaling Beyonce or Christina Aguilera, IMO) and killer dance moves. Her live performances also impressed me due to the fact that 1) she does not lipsynch like others and 2) manages to dance her ass off and still carry a tune. So for everyone, like me, who just wrote Lady Gaga off as pointless dance music, take the time and really "get to know her", you won't regret you did. Now onto the meat and potatoes of this review.
How does one follow up the hit machine that was "The Fame"? I mean, that album was absolutely perfect in terms of the genre and it's execution. There's not a single song I skip on that record. Well, dare I say Gaga has really one upped herself, with an edgier, somewhat darker tone for this follow-up EP that is being released with the deluxe edition of "The Fame" this Tuesday. The EP opens up with the current smash hit "Bad Romance". It's classic Gaga with an awesome beat, catchy melody and typical lyrics. The video is also one of the coolest I have seen in quite some time.
Gaga has often been compared to Madonna, and I will say there are some songs on here that show the similarities, albeit in a good way. At least she is imitating '80's Madonna (aka the good Madonna) and not the shitty Madonna we currently see. Take for instance the Latin tinged tune "Alejandro". Super catchy, just one of those songs that'll get stuck in your brain. It brings back memories of "La Isla Bonita" but that song was bad-ass too, so I can't complain. The highlight of the album to me has to be the song "Dancing in the Dark". Over a pounding beat that just doesn't quit, Gaga belts out some pretty personal lyrics. The melody is great, and just an awesome vocal performance. The spoken word breakdown kinda reminds of "Vogue" by Madonna, but it's a cool homage nonetheless. You definitely have to check out this song.
One track that should be melting the airwaves and filling dancefloors as we speak is "Telephone" featuring Beyonce. Wow what an amazing song. The beat is killer, you got two of the best voices going back and forth, what more do you want. The subject matter is a little cliche but come on, this is dance music we are talking about. This song does it's job which is making you move, and that's all you can ask for.
Hands down, this record is 8 tracks of pure heat from start to finish. The only time it lets up is on track four, the cool piano ballad "Speechless". It's songs like that that truly showcase Gaga's musical talents: no frills, no computerized beats, just her voice and a piano. I downloaded this album, but after being impressed by "The Fame" and now "The Fame Monster" I am truly considering going and buying this CD on Tuesday. If you still ain't sold on Gaga, now is the time. Get with the program, and hail the current Queen of Pop.
No comments:
Post a Comment