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Lady Gaga: Joanne (Deluxe)

11/22/2016

A Note from J.Says: Ideally, I like to have reviews posted within 2 weeks after album release. Sometimes that doesn't happen. In this instance, the writer who requested to do this review reached the deadline and wasn't able to deliver. It didn't feel right to let the moment pass without remarks on this anticipated record, so here I am. My apologies to those who were looking forward to this sooner, and my thanks to you for reading on.--J

There was a lot riding on Lady Gaga's 4th solo studio LP. 2013's ARTPOP received such an overall tepid response, that the word "comeback" was hurled around. I myself wrote a borderline scathing critique, feeling that the record was too much of a reversion to Gaga's superficial past. I didn't write this then, but I also thought she sounded uninspired, and I theorized she was forced into putting something out before she was creatively ready (people forget that signed artists are employees). With Joanne, Gaga isn't in the mood to struggle and fit into a former mold of herself, nor be flashy. She seems grounded and as if her confidence and comfort has been renewed. This isn't to imply that she's unrecognizable or that all is lost if you love pre-2016 Gaga; many of her signatures are still there--they've just maturated. If fans are disgruntled about anything, it's that there isn't anything to shimmy to or easily turn into a dance remix for the ages. Ok, you got me, shimmy-factor has been a major component in her music, but there are great trade-offs.The beautiful voice and live instrumentation that was buried underneath a buzzy of effects and commotion on previous albums is finally most prevalent, allowing the listener to really luxuriate in the vintage alternate universe in which Gaga has always resided. For this excursion, 60's and 70's rock (ex. "Just Another Day") are dialed up with a pinch of 50's (ex. "Come to Mama"). If I didn't know better, I'd say "Hey Girl" (featuring Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine) sampled Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets." What was a kind of surprising addition, was the vigorous injection of country and folk, something Gaga had only toyed with before. She bends it to her theatrical will, and it provides a soundtrack feel. Mark Ronson and Michael "Bloodpop" Tucker join her as primary producers. Ronson's writing is also predominate.

Both a reference to Gaga's birth middle name and her late aunt, it's fitting Joanne concentrates on human relationships. Songs like "Diamond Heart" and the sweet, delicate title track have a personal and familial background. Others address romance dynamics (ex. Million Reasons) and how we treat one another. On "Come to Mama," Gaga implies suffering stems from an endless cycle of projecting our individual pain onto others. Reportedly written about the racially-charged aftermath in the death of teen Trayvon Martin, "Angel Down" speaks to our apathy in the wake of tragedy or injustice. In encouraging unity, she emphasizes sisterhood (ex. "Hey Girl"). Cherishing and giving love while receiving it seems to be the moral of this story. Sentimental, approachable and relevant, Joanne makes a less-ornate and de-shimmied Lady Gaga easy to embrace.

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Lady Gaga: ARTPOP

11/17/2013

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Album Review.
Likes: Do What You Want, Swine, Dope
Dislikes: Sex Dreams, Jewels & Drugs
Overall: Reminds me of the mindless “Fame” album; plain didn’t like it

My head hurts. Bearing in mind the great improvement I found Lady Gaga’s last album “Born This Way” to be from her glossy and shallow debut, “The Fame,” I assumed the new “ARTPOP” would be next-level and further my transformation into a sideline ‘little monster’ (as Gaga calls her fans). That didn’t happen. I’m terribly disappointed. My ears interpreted “ARTPOP” as an attempted middle-ground marriage between the2 above-mentioned records and if that’s accurate, the problem is that there was too much “Fame” and not enough “Born This Way.” Gaga gives “Born” in her lyrical conceptualization as there are strong topical and metaphorical themes of the interconnections between celebrity, sex and infatuation using Greek mythology and astrology (among other things). How this premise is implemented is where things get weak and “Fame-like.” The first leg of the album is so sexually hedonistic without any other enriching or stimulating story elements. I could be blind to the bigger picture, but with the exception of some lines, the only message I’m getting is “Let’s give into to our lust (and maybe we’ll fall in love)?” All these metaphors, and yet, everything feels so airheaded. Even Gaga’s statements on her own music and how she’s perceived and treated (ex. “Aura,” “ARTPOP” & “Applause”) seem surface and abbreviated. Ironically, “Do What You Want” ft. R. Kelly is the most frank and telling.

Musically, Gaga kept with the spirit of shadowed, sharp, pulsating, noisy and theatrical (still lots of synths and effects) with 80’s inspirations; it depends on personal taste whether that’s a positive or negative. I loved the floaty, 80’s pop deliciousness groove of “Fashion!” and hated the trap hip-hop of “Jewels & Drugs.” First Miley Cyrus, then Katy Perry and now Gaga have trap beats on their records. What the hell? If trap is the next mainstream wave after techno, I’m going to lose it. I dislike trap for the same reason I’m unmoved by techno; to me, it’s too repetitive and simplistic and lacks instrumental quality. I’m sorry, but nothing beats the feel of drums, piano and/or strings, even if they aren’t live, which brings me to my next point about “ARTPOP.” While I don’t mind Gaga’s usual style of musical production, I think it does a disservice to her vocal abilities. Gaga has a rich tone that she exaggerates and manipulates in entertaining and fascinating ways; it’s as if she creates characters for each of her songs (ex. how she sings the 1st verse of “Applause”). It’s not impossible, but it can be hard to show evidence of the texture, colors and range of your voice on riotous up-tempos, which is why I quite enjoy Gaga when she sits down for tracks like “Dope.” “ARTPOP” has been promoted as an especially artistic, elevating work, but I am underwhelmed. It’s catchy, but the lyrical façade of depth kind of insults my intelligence. “ARTPOP” is pretending. Either that, or I’m just too dull of a crayon to “get it.” Anything’s possible *Kanye shrug.*

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Does Katy Perry & Lady Gaga's "Roar" Deserve "Applause"?

8/12/2013

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Single Reviews.

Lady Gaga: Applause
The pop world has been holding their breath in anticipation of Lady Gaga’s 1st single from the set-for-fall album “ARTPOP;” the wait is over (I don’t get why people were sweating bullets so hard; it’s only been 2 years since her last album, geez). Many are excited that “Applause” has the audio and theme feel of Gaga’s debut “The Fame,” but I’m personally not enthusiastic about this. “The Fame” had hardly any musical integrity and was lyrically mindless and superficial. Aside from seeming commentary on her critics and appreciation for her fans, “Applause” is like so. For this song to be the 1st taste of an album that’s supposed to be ground-breaking and symbolic, it certainly falls short. “Applause” is catchy, but it’s far from definitive and requiring a standing ovation. Listen to "Applause" here.

Katy Perry: Roar
“Roar” didn’t do much for me either. Although the lyrics are more inspiring with an “I’m no longer going to be a push-over” message, melodically, it’s very standard pop. So standard, that anyone, from a newbie to a veteran, could’ve recorded the song and it wouldn’t have made a difference. It’s surprising that such a generic song, stitched with plenty of overused platitudes (ex. “eye of the tiger,” “you’re gonna hear me roar”) was chosen not only as a 1st single, but for Perry, whose kind of formed her own unique sound and is recognized for her infectious and hard-hitting tunes. Disappointing day in pop for me. Hear "Roar" now.

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RollingStone Lists Top 10 Queens of Pop (I'M MAD!)

7/6/2011

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Britney's 1st Cover, 1999

Kinda mad, anyway. RollingStone Magazine has just released their reader’s poll results listing the top 10 “Queens of Pop.” While I find favor with majority of the list, there are a few things that irk me about the outcome. Here’s the list and afterward, I’ll go into my rant: 10) Mariah Carey, 9)Elton John 8)Cher 7)Katy Perry 6)Aretha Franklin 5)Beyonce` 4)Tina Turner 3)Britney Spears 2)Lady Gaga 1)Madonna.

First, let me say that all of these artists are worthy of acknowledgement and respect, but whether or not they’re appropriate for this list is another thing. Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner have had several hits on the pop chart, but pop is not their core genre or their core audience, especially considering the fact they’ve been pegged in culture as the “Queen of Soul” and the “Queen of Rock N’ Roll.” When there are only 10 spots on the list, it should be reserved for those who primarily record pop music such as Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and Christina Aguilera, all of whom were NOT on the list (which is atrocious). I find it almost disrespectful that Janet Jackson was not included. I suppose I should look to the reader’s of RollingStone, since their votes made the results. I don’t think I have to explain why Jackson should’ve been included, but, in brief, she was Madonna’s right-hand contemporary, dominated the charts from 1986-1998, sold over 100 million records worldwide, and influenced the choreographic styles of Britney Spears and Aaliyah, among others.

Another issue I had with the list was the inclusion and placement of newcomers Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. I have no doubt that Lady Gaga will continue to impact pop music and build her legacy, but I don’t think it was appropriate for her to be ahead of more established, long-time acts, like Mariah Carey or Beyonce`. In a short time, she’s has had immense success, but the key phrase here is “a short time.” She has only 2 albums and an EP available. Should she be #2 to someone who has 11 eleven albums with a 28 year career? It would make more sense to me for her to be somewhere between #5-#10. Perry? I’m not sure she should be on the list at all; especially in exchange for Whitney Houston. Lastly, I don’t know whether to find it humorous or tasteless that Elton John was listed. Clearly, it’s a gay pun. A straight male wouldn’t have been listed. Again, there were only 10 spots, and they used one to make a potentially tacky joke. Speaking of jokes, let me mention a better one. I recently made a page of satirical “campaign videos” for the title of “Queen of Pop,” attempting to impersonate some of today’s pop-starlets. Head over to http://jsays.weebly.com/queen-of-pop.html to check it out and vote for your favorite video. Click the picture of Britney Spears above to read the detailed RollingStone article. What did you think of RollingStone’s list? Hit the comment button, or simply vote below :)

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Lady Gaga: Born This Way

5/26/2011

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Album review.
Likes: Judas, Edge of Glory, You and I, Bloody Mary, Born this
Way
Dislikes: Hair, Heavy Metal Lover
Overall: Not as catchy as “The
Fame,” but is much more artistically strong and worth the $.

Lady Gaga defied expectation and hardly duplicated her superficial and
easily-commercial debut album, “The Fame,” which is a bloody fantastic change. “The Fame” was catchy, but the lyrics were ridiculously superficial, the vocal arrangements didn’t compliment Gaga’s vocal ability, and the project ultimately undermined her talent. “Born This Way” does Gaga’s ability more justice and is artistically strong. The production is more complex, edgy and makes beautiful use of live instruments and choral voicing. Gaga brilliantly mixes mainstream dance pop with artistically respectable repertoire (ex. “The Queen” transitions from dance pop to a guitar ballad). The lyrical theme of the album addresses young misfit culture; lust, impulsivity, rebellion, self-esteem and the desire to be validated. With a consistent theme, it’s hard for the album to sound shallow; so much to the point that a song about a hookup (“Edge of Glory”) even sounds like a “live life to the fullest” inspirational. The only downside is that the songs aren’t as catchy as those on “The Fame.” I anticipate that her 3rd album will be absolutely perfect. “Born This Way” is solid. An album sampler is below.

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Lady Gaga: Born This Way-Music Video Review

2/28/2011

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SMH. Not satisfied. The video for “Born This Way” did mostly nothing to covey the incredibly powerful message of the song. In the spoken intro, Lady Gaga tells the story of a pure and magnificent race being born that has to combat the force of evil (“evil” in this case is prejudice and hate). The intro is illustrated well visually, as we see “mother monster” (i.e. Gaga) and evil giving birth. From that point on, the visual doesn’t connect well to the intro, nor the song. We see Gaga prance and dance around with others, prance and dance in a tux and skull makeup, then prance down a street and get on a glittery horse. We never see a fight between good and evil, and/ or a scene representing self-acceptance or the joining of humanity (any of that could’ve been portrayed via choreography, but what do I know?).
Once again, Gaga gives us random imagery to her music that will be applauded and described as “edgy, ground-breaking and symbolically abstract (aka “deep”). Drink that Kool-Aid if you like, but I’m calling it what it is: pointless and inefficient. Gaga had the opportunity to create a forever impactful, culturally-defining video to spread the message of love and equality and she wasted it. The video is below.

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Lady Gaga: Born This Way

2/11/2011

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Brief song review.

Brava to Lady Gaga for making sure the 1st single from her forthcoming album had more substance than “Just Dance,” the 1st single from her debut, “The Fame.” “Born This Way” is the ultimate anthem of healthy self-love amidst discrimination or undue criticism. Musically, Gaga didn’t veer from her techno-dance formula, but considering the song’s theme, a celebratory, up-tempo feel was needed. Hopefully, the rest of the tracks from Gaga’s new album are equally rich lyrically with more versatility in sound . It’s time for Gaga’s music to reflect the depth of her talent.

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Lady Gaga

1/28/2010

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My Journey in Trying to Love the Lady.

Like many, when I first heard of and saw Lady Gaga, I passed her off as an artist destined to be a flash in the pan. That still might happen. But when she started to get critical acclaim, I wondered if there was more to her than the crazy costumes, looks and “Poker Face”. It turns out there was (Don’t stop reading if you disagree, there’s more to this). I heard a quite impressive, slower, acoustic version of “Poker Face” and saw great live performance. The girl can actually sing. Then, I started to hear of her work as a producer and songwriter before she became an artist. I thought “Wow. She has other talents?” So I finally buckled down and got the deluxe version of “The Fame” to give her a try. I was disappointed.
The material on the record failed to display any of the great vocals I heard on some of her acoustics sets. Some of the lyrics were intriguing, but I thought they had to compete too much with the hardcore, futuristic techno-pop that was the music. Which, by the way, unless techno-pop is your thing, a Lady Gaga album may be too much for you. My ears began to grow tired of the music.

I was really surprised that none of the songs seemed to really grab me. Being a lover of pop over the years, I expected to REALLY like at least one track, but instead, I just “KINDA” liked some songs. Like Alicia Keys’ “Element of Freedom,” most of the songs were “just ok”. At the end of the day, all I liked was what I originally liked- which was “The Cherry Tree Sessions” version of “Poker Face.” I’ve figured out that I like my Gaga slow, chilled out and just singing. All the over-production on the songs was just too distracting and gave me a headache. So, in conclusion, Gaga’s got potential, but her music doesn’t do her much justice. We’ll see what happens with the next album. I hope it isn’t more of the same.

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MTV Video Music Awards

9/16/2009

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Amazing show. I’ve always viewed the VMA’s as a more exiting, more hip and more casual Grammy’s, and I look forward to it every year. They’ve had some years that weren’t all that exiting, but this year didn’t fit into that category. This year’s show fit into the “classic VMA” box: exciting, entertaining, memorable, and of course with at least one “OMG! Did that really happen? ” moment. There were several “OMG” moments. Let’s start with the amazing opening: the tribute to Michael Jackson. MTV’s homage to the “King of Pop” was expected at this year’s show and was eagerly anticipated. If anyone NEEDED to do a tribute, it should have been MTV; considering he’s the 1st African-American artist to have his music video on the station and part of the reason why MTV is what it is now. Plus, MTV needed to make up for the lack of tribute programs aired in the days after his death (Yes, there was SOME tribute programming, but many of them were simple, underdeveloped and lackluster).
Giving an emotive and heartfelt speech, Madonna made several thought provoking points that captured the human and intimate essence of Michael that we often either forgot about and/or failed to see (see the post below for her speech in its entirety). When they panned to the audience to show their reactions to the speech, many of the recording artists present were either fixated on Madonna, had their eyes closed, or their heads bowed. Entrenched in every word and moment, it seemed as if the audience was in prayer or reflection. If you’re Michael fan, you were right with them. She ended her speech with the phrase “long live the king”. I was really hoping someone would run with that and start a chant.  Madonna’s speech was followed by a dance team performance of his hit songs. Each dancer was dressed in a replica of a signature M.J. costume. The only thing that would have enhanced the performance more was to have someone who was obviously influenced by M.J. (like Justin Timberlake, Usher or Ne-Yo) be a part of the sequence. The icing on the cake was JANET JACKSON (yes, J.J.) performing “Scream” (the only recorded M.J. and J.J. duet) as the music video played in the background. The choreography was synced perfectly with video. I don’t know about ya’ll, but I was jumpin’ around and screaming to the top of my lungs when Janet came out. It was the ultimate performance and the ultimate tribute, and it seemed like the crowd loved it. It only got sad when it registered that Janet was on the stage by herself without her brother, and we would never see them perform together again.

The rest of the live performances were awesome, including Taylor Swift, Muse, Lady Gaga, The Queen Bee (Beyonce`), Green Day, Pink, Kid Cudi , Jay-Z with Alicia Keys and a special tribute to the late DJ AM.
Taylor’s performance was interesting -it was shot following her through a New York subway and into the street in front of Radio City Music Hall. Several fans won a chance to ride with Taylor on the subway and dance with her in the street for the performance. That’s another thing I love about the VMA’s- they always involve the fans, and give them the best seats (right by the stage). Lady Gaga made me want to check out her album- I didn’t know she could actually sing. It’s hard to get passed her craziness long enough to notice that she can sing. She doesn’t realize that she’s distracting from her own talent. I find it interesting that Lady Gaga is considered to be “cool and different” for her eccentricities, but Michael was called “Wacko Jacko” and weird. Intriguing…......anyhow, on to Beyonce’s performance….Bee Bee, (as I affectionately call her ) NEVER fails to perform well (and believe me, I have seen enough performances to say that with confidence). The only reason why “never” would turn into “almost never” with her VMA appearance is because there were about 3 notes at the beginning that didn’t quite hit right. And she almost tried TOO hard to put the sexy on with one too many body rolls. Sometimes, I think she forgets that she’s Beyonce` and things like “sexy” just come natural to her, requiring no work. Her introduction was cool and creative; she made a tribal-esque remix of the bridge to “Single Ladies”. Looking like a small “Sasha Fierce” army, several dancers eventually joined her on stage to perform the infamous choreography.
Like Beyonce`, Pink is usually impressive live and was even more impressive as she performed “Sober” while being flung around in a trapeze act (believe it. It happened). If you thought THAT would be distracting or keep her from performing well, it didn’t. She sung in full voice and didn’t miss a beat. Now Keri Hilson really has no excuse for her poor live performances (See my June 29th Keri post). The coolest New Yorkers in music, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, gave an excellent performance of “Empire State of Mind” from Jay-z’s latest album, “The Blueprint 3”. I LOVE THAT SONG! One whiff of that song and you’re gonna wanna pack your bags, put on your Manolo’s, and book lunch with Samantha, Carrie and Bloomberg. I’m leaving tomorrow.  LOL It was a perfect ending to the VMA’S- the best of New York music, in New York, singing about the aura of New York. It was classic. The only glitch in Jay’s performance, if you can call it one, was the random and sudden appearance of rapper and fellow New Yorker Lil’ Mama. Because she’s from New York, I initially suspected that she was supposed to be up there, but there was still a hint of “this wasn’t planned.” And it wasn’t. On NBC’S “Today” with Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb, Alicia Keys was quoted as saying “We can appreciate her being overwhelmed and inspired, but we would have appreciated it if she would have done it from her seat."
There was another random and obnoxious interruption earlier in the show by Kanye West. Now an infamous and much talked about moment, Kanye interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for Best Female Video, denoting that Swift’s fellow nominee, Beyonce`, should have won. “Taylor, I’m happy for you and I’m gonna let you finish, but Beyonce` had one of the best videos of all time” (referring to “Single Ladies”). After his snide remark, West handed the mic back to Swift, shrugged his shoulders and left the stage as he was booed by the audience. The audience showed their support for Swift by chanting her name. Host Russell Brand, who was less obnoxious this year (thank goodness) mentioned that in the spirit of Michael Jackson, we should “love everybody” and that all the nominees were great artists. West has a history of and a reputation for making fuss over award wins and losses, but over his OWN wins and losses. Kanye was being his typical self: rude, immature, arrogant and special edition. One of the things that irritate me the most about Kanye’s act was that he put Beyonce` in the middle of his bull. It’s one issue to act a monkey over your OWN awards, but someone else’s awards too? He called himself “defending” her, and yet he was putting her in the position to have to put out a P.R. fire. He stole Taylor’s moment AND Beyonce`s, as she had to use her moment winning Video of The Year (which better honors it as the pop-culture impacting video it was than Best Female Video, btw) to make up for his mess. RRR!!!! Like Lady Gaga, Kanye doesn’t realize he’s overshadowing his own talent with his chicanery. I’m surprised that he hasn’t matured, considering all that he’s been through with the death of his mother and his dramatic breakup (that he made a whole album about). It’s ridiculous.

On the note of who won and who lost, it appears that this year’s theme was “everybody’s a winner here.” The “heavyweights” of the past year (and therefore the expected winners-Beyonce` and Lady Gaga) won. The “authentic, genre impacting and legitimate” artists (Eminem, T. I. and Green Day) won. Old MTV favorites (Britney Spears) and the unexpected, yet fresh and new (Taylor Swift) won. It was everybody’s party and everybody’s night. No one was left out it seems, which makes for a good award show.
While Britney is still on my breath, I find it interesting that when Brit Brit was most deserving of a VMA (pre-“Blackout”), she never got one. She’s been nominated 26 times total, only winning 4 times. 3 out of her 4 wins were attained last year; her 4th at this year’s show. When she won last year, I felt like that were just giving them away to her as thanks for seeming like she got her crap together and putting out “Circus”. I thought it was a spit in the face because MTV didn’t appreciate Britney and give her just dues until they thought they were going to lose her. Say what you will about her talent and whatever else, but she MADE MTV in the late 90’s and in the early 2000’s. MTV Asia and MTV Europe gave her props from jump, but no, not in America. Why is it that Europe treats our artists (including minority ones) better than we do? If you can’t make it America, start selling your junk in Europe and you’ll be rolling in doe, but that’s besides the point. I digress.
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards were filled with lots “OMG!”, “sis-boom-pow!” and great performances, making it memorable one. Brava MTV.

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Lady Gaga: Joanne (Deluxe)

Lady Gaga: ARTPOP

Does Katy Perry & Lady Gaga's "Roar" Deserve "Applause"?

RollingStone Lists Top 10 Queens of Pop (I'M MAD!)

Lady Gaga: Born This Way

Lady Gaga: Born This Way-Music Video Review

Lady Gaga: Born This Way

Lady Gaga

MTV Video Music Awards

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