Lady Gaga is one of those artists who packs a pop powerhouse punch and constantly outdoes herself. She has proven herself worthy of a pop icon title in a few short years and is now releasing her fourth album, “ARTPOP.” As a mega fan of hers, it isn’t fun to admit this, but “ARTPOP” has put a pause in her platinum streak.
I’ve always been a huge fan of hers, from her creative style to her authentic pop songs and more. I have had the pleasure of seeing her twice in concert where the woman surely can sing her heart out and dance like her life depends on it. I even saw her on the VMA red carpet, where news anchors shouted “Lady Gaga!” with joy as she walked by. She is a genuine talent and each album (“The Fame,” “The Fame Monster” and “Born This Way”) kept upping the pop genre’s game.
One thing that Gaga has done superbly throughout each album has been her ability to synthesize pop gems that not only have become dance anthems, but keep you singing all day long. “ARTPOP” hits a steep, downward slope however. It doesn’t have the same magic as seen in her previous albums and suffers from a strong lack of effort. Many of the songs included on this disc are disappointments.
To give praise where praise is due, I should start off with the good. The lead single, “Applause” is the first standout and rightfully so. It may not be the songstress’ best effort, but it keeps you singing “I live for the applause” over and over with its catchy chorus. Her first choice for the second single, “Venus,” is not only catchy, but has a futuristic sound that isn’t overbearingly cheesy. It’s calm, but peppy.
“Venus” is quickly overshadowed for becoming the album’s second single and it’s all because of the infectious “Do What U Want” featuring R. Kelly as its replacement. It hooks you in with its steady beat and begs for many listens on repeat.
There’s one more fun tune present and it is “Gypsy”, which enters with a soft, ballad-esque sound, then kicks it up to an upbeat joyride. This joyride unfortunately is not continuous, because the rest of the songs fall flat and possess no confidence or strength. “Dope” has all the potential to be a standout, arena ballad amongst the likes of her song “Speechless” (2009’s “The Fame Monster”), but plunges very short of ever becoming a standout. She keeps her usually strong and vibrant vocals to a minimum, where there’s so much potential for a maximum and beyond.
With songs entitled “Fashion!” and “Donatella,” you would think that she’d put as much creativity and attention grabbing into them as the fashion world itself, but she doesn’t. They both are bland, lazy and appear as if Gaga is not even trying to keep auditory attention.
Gaga also makes attempts with intertwining pop music and other genres, but fails in doing so. “Jewels and Drugs” is a collaboration with rap stars Too $hort, Twista and T.I. that is just a bad endeavor at a rap crossover. Her try at EDM (electronic dance music) entitled “Swine” is also just as painful to listen to.
It’s not to say that Gaga is a failure with her new musical endeavor, but it sure isn’t a big success. I would like to know what happened here, because it seems like the Gaga that always went beyond to ensure a powerful album has taken a vacation. There’s no wow factor, let alone a stellar standout song that “Poker Face,” “Bad Romance” and “Born This Way” each were from their respective albums. This album struggles to find any consistency and any lasting, memorable tunes.
“ARTPOP” may not be her greatest work, but it is not an overall disaster. There a few sprinkles of fun, but nothing that can even compare or overthrow her previous, dynamic hits. It wouldn’t hurt to give this a spin, but don’t expect to be impressed or ready to dance all night. Hopefully, this is just a grey spot on her colorful brick road of pop wonder.
PHOTO TAKEN from rollingstone.com
