The fabulously weird Lady Gaga recently released eight new songs and a remix on The Fame Monster -- available in two versions: just the new songs or the new songs plus most of the songs from The Fame (in case you already don't have those). I already had The Fame (fab -- seriously, it reminded me of the second Kelly Clarkson album in the sense that almost every song you listen to you think, "This could be a #1 single.") so I just picked up the new tracks. Here's the breakdown.
The shining star of the new album is "Bad Romance." We've already discussed the fact that the video is a total crazy train, but I dare you not to get this song stuck in your head. The boys in my office claim to hate the song, but guess who overhears them humming the tune every now and then? Me. The song grows on you.
Gaga shows her softer side on the ballad "Speechless," which she wrote for dad. "Dance in the Dark" is highly danceable as is "Telephone" (which is sure to be a club hit) in which Gaga teams up with Beyonce. "Teeth" is uber aggressive, while "Alejandro" boasts a nice string section and "Monster" has a sick synth beat. In other words, Gaga provides a nice variety of pace to her songs, while maintaining a cohesive feel to the album.
The only track I really disliked was the Starsmith remix of "Bad Romance." On a scale of one to bad, it's bad. Why remix a good thing?
Even if you don't like Gaga's music, I posit that you should appreciate two things about her:
1) She's never boring.
2) She actually sings live.
I enjoyed her discussion of point two on The Ellen Show over Thanksgiving break. She said something along the following: "I'm always a bit surprised when people tell me that it's great that I sing live. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? I'm a singer."
Verdict: Good, but not as good as The Fame. Three stars
Key Tracks: "Bad Romance" and "Monster"
The shining star of the new album is "Bad Romance." We've already discussed the fact that the video is a total crazy train, but I dare you not to get this song stuck in your head. The boys in my office claim to hate the song, but guess who overhears them humming the tune every now and then? Me. The song grows on you.
Gaga shows her softer side on the ballad "Speechless," which she wrote for dad. "Dance in the Dark" is highly danceable as is "Telephone" (which is sure to be a club hit) in which Gaga teams up with Beyonce. "Teeth" is uber aggressive, while "Alejandro" boasts a nice string section and "Monster" has a sick synth beat. In other words, Gaga provides a nice variety of pace to her songs, while maintaining a cohesive feel to the album.
The only track I really disliked was the Starsmith remix of "Bad Romance." On a scale of one to bad, it's bad. Why remix a good thing?
Even if you don't like Gaga's music, I posit that you should appreciate two things about her:
1) She's never boring.
2) She actually sings live.
I enjoyed her discussion of point two on The Ellen Show over Thanksgiving break. She said something along the following: "I'm always a bit surprised when people tell me that it's great that I sing live. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? I'm a singer."
Verdict: Good, but not as good as The Fame. Three stars
Key Tracks: "Bad Romance" and "Monster"
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