'Joanne' User Reviews Megathread

[Nicogly 2,579]

On 10/17/2016 at 6:06 PM, drew said:

BTW > TFM > TF > Joanne => ARTPOP 

I had high hopes for the album based on who she was working with. Needless to say it seems like she didn't really use Florence, Ronson, Kevin, or Beck to their full potential at all, which is very dissapointing seeing as she probably won't work with them again.

 

Diamond Heart is kinda unremarkable and sounds like it comes from the cheesiness of BTW's worst half as well as gives me bad Bonnie McKee teas. Shouting is off-putting.

A-yo is good enough, the verses are catchy but the chorus is just there and is pretty much the same hook as one of MANiCURE's. Not really a favorite.

Joanne I think is the standout track of the album, the 'girl where do you think you're going' line is sung beautifully. Verses are kinda boring and flat.

Don't get the John Wayne praise. It's basically MJH's older sister.... slightly more mature but pretty much the same. Lyrics are bad and I think the chorus is abrupt, don't like her continuous shouting once again.

I wanted to like Dancing In Circles based off the snippet... and it's not bad but once again very unremarkable. It's a tad over produced and uses the same familiar chorus build up that she did with ARTPOP, I wish the song had a different structure 

Perfect Illusion strangely sounds better in the context of the album (?) but it's still a really weak track

Million Reasons is about as safe and boring as you an get for a ballad, her voice doesn't elevate the song like it should

My second favorite track is probably Sinners Prayer, it doesn't invoke total cheesiness or faux country like some of the other songs. Wish the bass part wasn't so soft, sounds better live

Idk what to think of Come To Mama. Just kinda there. I like the sound she was going for but there isn't anything special about the vocal

Hey Girl totally teases you with that nice groovy synth... cuz the song just goes nowhere. One of the most repetitive tracks when it has no right to be considering she has a feature. Speaking of Florence, not a good look when you get out-sung on your track lol.

Angel Down is a really disappointing ballad. Borderline "dope vocals" and like Hey Girl the track just lingers and lacks a real moment or hook. Production works well though.

 

Overall a 6/10 album, I think. Don't see the critics being too kind unfortunately  Can't decide if ARTPOP or Joanne is better, Joanne is definitely less messy but I think ARTPOP had a few more standouts.

wow.... ....

[Adakam 2]

Her best album to date by far

[Bjaf 1,313]

I apologize in advance for the never-ending post. 

Diamond Heart: 9/10 - Perfect choice for the first track. We dive into a more organic-oriented production with raw vocals and hints of rock, while keeping pure Gaga pop roots - which is exactly what Joanne turns out to be. In my opinion, the verses wouldn't need to be as striped down, even though I do understand their decision, and appreciate it a little more with every listen. It does make the build-up + chorus even more gigantic. The chorus is unforgettable, Gaga's voice perfectly complementing the stomping drums and bold guitar.

A-YO: 10/10 - I've seen so much hate for this song, but I really don't get it. I wasn't even a fan when I first heard it live at the Dive Tour. Its "country" feel first put me off - I don't know whether it is that I got used to it, or that I was absolutely wrong at first, but I'm thinking it's the latter. I'm not sure what genre it belongs to, and it really doesn't matter. It's a ridiculously catchy track with flawless production.

Joanne: 8/10 - I never imagined Gaga singing a ballad with anything other than piano being the main instrument. I was pleasantly surprised to see just how good her voice sounds when supported by a simple guitar riff. I say simple, but the chord progression is probably one of her best - touching, beautiful and original. You cannot relate this song to anything she's ever done before. It's going add something unique to her tours if she does perform the song live, which I hope she will!

John Wayne: 10/10 - I think we all agree on this intro being her best - ever. I know the comparison has been done a few times before, but I really do feel like John Wayne is Mary Jane Holland's big sister. I insist on "big": it's more mature, the production is perfect, and it not being 100% electronic fits the lyrics a lot better. One of the best songs of the album, without any doubt. I only wish it was a little longer... I wouldn't mind a little more of that instrumental outro!

Dancin' in Circles: 10/10 - Oh man, those TFM vibes! Love it... I had major throwbacks when listening to Dancin' in Circles, both because of the meaning and the melody. However, the production definitely is a step-up from anything she's done before, as for anything else on Joanne. Major Ace of Base/europop teas. It's impossible for me not to start dancing as soon as I hear the first notes. Overall, and for all of those reasons, the song actually made me feel a little nostalgic - I wonder if anyone else felt that way?

Perfect Illusion: 9/10 - It's hard to be absolutely objective about PI since it's been out for a while now. It's probably the only "grower" I've had on this album (all other songs, I was instantly in love with); I wasn't a fan on the first listen, but the adrenaline rush quickly grew on me, until the song became my favorite Gaga lead single.

Million Reasons: 6/10 - A little too cheesy for me, but still a lot less than other songs from her discography. I actually listened to it a lot since its release, and I don't dislike it, but I realized that it's the only song I tend to skip when listening to the whole album. I love the chorus, but I'm not a fan of the verses. Once again, her voice + production are on point. It's a shame that it's right before Sinner's Prayer - this is probably why I always skip it, because I'm too excited for the track that comes right after...

Sinner's Prayer: 10/10 - I'm listening to the album as I'm typing this, and it's difficult to even find the words to describe what I feel when listening to this song in particular... Everything about it is beautiful. Even though she is and has always been an incredible writer, there is something unique and very mature to SP's lyrics - I can carry you but not your ghosts - wish that I had the faith, but I don't know. The ease with which she reaches the high notes, both in the verses and in the last chorus, is astonishing. It's my favorite track off the album, along with Hey Girl.

Come to Mama: 10/10 - The best word to describe my CTM first experience: unexpected. I see many people on here quoting 50/60's vibes. I wish I had enough musical knowledge of these periods to draw such comparisons, but I definitely do get a very warm and comforting vibe when listening to it. I surely adore the lyrics. I am a big fan of Amy's Back to Black, and I could hear so many of the things that I loved about that album in CTM. The track screams Mark Ronson to me, which obviously appears to be a good thing.

Hey Girl: 10/10 - A dream come true... I love Florence and The Machine, and I never expected a Gaga + Florence duet. I also never expected for their voices to complement the other so well, considering that they both stand out individually, but in very different ways. I'm glad Gaga decided to go for a very soft tone throughout the whole track, which not only matches Florence's voice perfectly, but the production as well. Talking of the production - my favorite from any Gaga track, ever. Those synths... Reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac in such a great way! My favorite along with SP.

Angel Down: 8/10 - Beautiful ballad. Love the rawness of her voice, and certainly amongst her best lyrics - Shots were fired on the street, by the church where we used to meet. There's something experimental about the production, which makes it even more interesting and captivating. And especially so in the outro - I haven't seen a single comment about it on here, but this small 30-second portion of Angel Down is one of the highlights of the album to me. It's a perfect ending to the (standard) album.

Overall: 9.1/10.

It might feel like I'm biased for giving out so many 10/10. Maybe I am, but I don't care. I most certainly didn't feel that way when first listening to ARTPOP, and even Born This Way, my favorite album of hers up until now. Joanne is undoubtedly my favorite Gaga album. I really don't care about its chart performance, even though there are some major bops... I feel such a strong connection to every song. This is exactly the album I needed in my life at the moment, and having it from Gaga is a blessing. I'm immensely thankful, and I can't wait to see everything the era has left to offer.

[Jesse 59]

My top 3:

Angel Down, Joanne and Dancing in Circles.

 

The ones i hated:

A-Yo, Come to Mama, Sinner's Prayer

[barcodemonster 3,525]

Diamond Heart 9/10

A-Yo 9/10

Joanne 10/10

John Wayne 9/10

Dancin in Circles 10/10

Perfect Illusion 9/10

Million Reasons 9/10

Sinner's Prayer 9/10

Come to Mama 5/10

Hey Girl 8/10

Angel Down 8/10

 

[faraway 0]

I looked all pages and saw same pretty faces that saying Joanne is better than TF(M) and BTW. I watched the same scenario when ARTPOP was leaked like this. Huge amount of person were said ARTPOP is the best album, etc. It's just nonsense.

This style kinda reminded me Daft Punk's R.A.M, it's using real instruments more than electronic.Overall, it's better than ARTPOP but as some people said it's not hard to reach that achievement since ARTPOP was an overproduced album. I predicted only Dancin' In Circles will reach success if it will promoted with good music video.

All other songs won't be remarkable in Gaga's discography.

 

 

[Bye 3,947]

All reviews giving Million Reasons low scores are invalid and in a severe need for re-evaluation

 

[Lord Ryry 3,367]

Diamond heart is her best song ever, like seriously, and the lyrics are so personal. I rate the whole album 10/10. I just wish it was longer. 

[Bad Romance xxx 1]

10 hours ago, Adakam said:

Her best album to date by far

Not even close. I have nothing good to say about this album. I have no idea what she's doing anymore.

[Tresor 1,649]

The only song I find myself listening to over and over is Angel Down pretty much for her heavenly voice in the bridge. The album is objectively good, and what I like most about it is that it's probably extremely cathartic for her as an artist. Happy for her, but I don't think the album is for me. I'll likely continue overplaying BTW forever.

[melon 3,298]

Diamond Heart: 9.5/10 This would've been a potentially better lead single but I actually loved PI so...  I just love everything about this song so much, especially the build up to the chorus and then seamless transition back into the more toned down verses.

A-YO: 7.5/10 Doesn't mean it's bad, but I just don't really like it that much.  Every time I hear "Hear we go" I feel a sudden urge to switch song  however it is a bit of a bop in the sense that I unwillingly find myself enjoying the beat.

Joanne: 9/10 Love the production, definitely getting Simon and Garfunkel vibes in a good way, like a nice farewell, makes me feel safe.  The lyrics are just exquisite.

John Wayne: 10/10 Again the intro.  This is definitely an iconic song and I could imagine this being a success maybe not on the level of PF/BR/JD but certainly almost on that level, it definitely has the character/charisma of a star single.

Dancin' in Circles: 10.5/10 I was waiting for this song, I knew there was going to be something special about it.  I feel like this should be a single alongside John Wayne, it is the Old GaGa to the New GaGa, passing along the baton.  Should be the next single before JW so there can be a Just Dance/Poker Face double hit of awesome.  I would've also put this song before JW in the album chronology feel like it works better that way.

Perfect Illusion: 8.5/10 I don't care.  I loved this song when it was released, I listened solidly for 2 hours at 5am.  I love the EPIC vibes I get from it, especially the breakdown and *that* key change.

Million Reasons: 8/10 Not the biggest fan of ballads in general, but I do really like the stripped back production vibes.

Sinner's Prayer: 9.5/10 WOW.  Honestly had a feeling this would be good but not *this* good.  I just adore the guitar and the switches between chords and when CountryGa goes up the octave   Could easily be a single, but it is my beautiful melodic SATANIC mantra even if it doesn't get the single treatment.

Come to Mama: 7/10 It's better than expected but I don't really like it too much.

Hey Girl: 7.5/10 Meh than expected, but then again I didn't have much hope after the snippet.  Did end up liking this more than I thought though.

Angel Down: 9/10 Honestly this and DiC feel like a halfway house between TFM and BTW and I LOVE THEM FOR THIS.  Again not a big fan of ballads, but the production on this one is delicious, makes me feel less sinful after Sinner's Prayer.

 

Overall: 9.5/10  My favourite album, joint with TFM if you count that.

The consistency on this album is amazing - the lowest lows (Come to Mama, Hey Girl, A-YO) really aren't that low and are still enjoyable and in the case of A-YO have good lyrics.  Pretty much every song is great in its own individual way, sonically GaGa has a beautiful tone on this album.

I am blown away by the quality of the ballads on this album, the lyrics and production on Joanne, Angel Down and Million Reasons are just amazing.  

Standouts: Dancin' in Circles , John Wayne, Diamond Heart and Sinner's Prayer  

These are the next-level songs, however Joanne, Angel Down and to a lesser extent Perfect Illusion all deserve praise.

[DeleteMyAccount 11,881]

3 hours ago, Bad Romance xxx said:

Not even close. I have nothing good to say about this album. I have no idea what she's doing anymore.

K

[SlayGagaloo 16,152]

3 hours ago, Bad Romance xxx said:

Not even close. I have nothing good to say about this album. I have no idea what she's doing anymore.

Keep the opinion. Delete the account. Disconnect from the Internet. 

This is a very good album. Not liking it is one thing, but "nothing good to say about this album" is a little extra.! 

[eksistents 420]

I wrote about it on my blog for that much-needed promo

Spoiler

 

"on Monday it was a joyous feeling to come home from work and find out that my favorite artist human being has her new album on sale five days early in a store in Belgium... by accident. but that meant i could finally listen to the songs i’ve been waiting for almost three years after the last ones came out. and yes, i’ve pre-ordered my digital copy from iTunes and additionally bought a physical copy from a local CD store, so you can shut up about piracy, haha. and take some notes and buy your favorite artists’ albums, ok? anyways, now after hearing it in full for a couple of times, i’ll do a track-by-track review of the record that has already become my favorite album of hers.

 

here we go...

1. Diamond Heart

a reference to her engagement ring from her ex-fiancé Taylor Kinney. she’s calling out a guy who broke her in and stole her innocence (either her rapist when she was 19 or her first boyfriend Lüc Carl) and finding strength in her weakness to find love again, this thumping album opener is all sorts of a classic Gaga record. the shouted out pre-choruses and bridge are definitely highlights. a nice way to kick off the album. 7/10

2. A-Yo

going a bit more country pop, this next record sees an edgy and soulful Gaga seducing her lover in a playful way, backed by a clapping beat. everything’s not meant to be taken seriously and in any case this one is an all-around fun song. “A-YO, A-YO, we smokin’ ‘em all”. 8/10

3. Joanne

the title track of the album is supposed to be the “heart and soul” of the record. first listen made me tear up. inspired by Gaga’s late aunt, her father’s sister Joanne with whom she shares her middle name. “take my hand, stay Joanne [...] girl, where do you think you’re going?” she sings about not wanting to let go of her and how she needs her more than the angels in heaven. it’s a mellow and blissful melody that could easily be sung as a lullaby to grandchildren. one thing’s for sure, she’s succeeding in her conquest to continue Joanne’s legacy through her music and making it big as an artist. 10/10

4. John Wayne

starting off with a banter from behind a bar counter about how she always ends up with the same wild man is exactly what this record is about. a simple shout-out to all the John Waynes in our lives. has the same sing-along vibe of “Yoü and I”. 7/10

5. Dancin’ in Circles

now this is what i’ve personally been waiting for. a classic unapologetically “Gaga” song that would fit nicely on her second album along the likes of “Alejandro” and “Teeth”. this banger has a reggae-ska vibe. she sings about feeling herself all night long while thinking of her lover who “funks her downtown”. a metaphor-ridden masturbation anthem for everyone who dares to sin. would be an excellent single choice. 10/10

6. Perfect Illusion

given to us as the lead single as a first taste of the album, this song never gets old with me. probably the rage-iest and most upbeat song on the album in which she belts passionately about having been so in love that she was “high like amphetamine” and in the end it was actually not what she thought it had been. a nod to her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Taylor. my favorite song off the album that i still listen to every day. 11/10

7. Million Reasons

i remember riding the train as the sun was setting to see my boyfriend and I was listening to this song when it had just come out. it was such a beautiful evening that I cried silently to hide my emotions from other passengers. this country-rock ballad is dedicated to her fans. the lyrics are everything and hit you straight to the stomach and heart. “every heartbreak makes it hard to keep the faith”. Gaga, i love you! 10/10

8. Sinner’s Prayer

probably the most country song on this album that has my favorite opening lines. “i came down the mountain, dragging our love affair, put on a pretty little number i’m wearing you still”. Gaga confesses her sins and admits that she doesn’t want to break any other man’s heart than her lover’s. 7/10

9. Come to Mama

like a 60′s Christmas song, this one is Gaga at her sweetest and lightest. a song about loving one another in these troubled times. love is what keeps us moving foward. funny and cute lyrics. “come to mama, i’ll put on your pajamas, come to mama, i wan’t no more drama”. 8/10

10. Hey Girl (feat. Florence Welch)

the biggest surprise on this album is right towards the end. a true old-school r&b record with one other great vocalist of our time. they’re singing to each other about staying together strong as women and not putting one another down. has quite interesting production. clap! 9/10

11. Angel Down

while everyone expected some “Bad Romance”-ish club banger from Gaga working together with RedOne again, they instead came up with easily one of the most beautiful ballads i’ve heard in a while. she’s singing about her religion and about the recent events of gun violence in the states like the Orlando shooting in June 2016. “shots were fired on the street by the church where we used to meet, angel down, angel down, why do people just stand around?” grab some tissues, folks. 10/10

 

end of standard album, deluxe followed by bonus songs...

12. Grigio Girls

and now the bonus songs. thisrecord is dedicated to her best friend Sonja who right now is battling stage four breast cancer that has metastasized to other parts of her body. it’s about how she and her friends come together to drink pinot grigio and cry. the song however has a happy and joyful vibe to it and has a drum-ridden beat with a sing-along vibe. in the end she invites her friends to sing along with her. she hits close to hearts with this one. 10/10

13. Just Another Day

this record was written only by her and was inspired by David Bowie and The Beatles. it has kind of a jazzy vibe to it as Brian Newman also plays the saxophone here. a feel-good song. 7/10

14. Angel Down (Work Tape)

a demo of track eleven, this one only includes her vocal and guitar. she showcases her voice in all of its rawness and vulnerability as she almost screams out the lyrics towards the end. 10/10

 

at the same time everything I didn’t expect from her and in fact everything I expected from her. that would be an accurate way to sum up “Joanne”. i’m in love with “Perfect Illusion”, “Dancin’ in Circles”, “Million Reasons” and “Grigio Girls”. could listen to them anytime. “Joanne” and “Angel Down” are beyond beautiful. there really are no duds on this album, although I’m not the biggest fan of “Sinner’s Prayer” and “Just Another Day”. but i have to admit she’s really grown as an artist and I like the direction she has opted for. already looking forward to what’s coming next.

9/10

 

 

[Tittle Monster 6]

Can anyone give me a download link for the deluxe version of Joanne? I wanna listen to the album on midnight 21st October and I only have the download of the standard version x.x