Nagini 2,440 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2016/10/21/498680172/on-lady-gagas-joanne-all-of-pop-is-a-stage As often happens with outsiders who grab a mainstream moment, she began to bore pop's novelty-seeking gatekeepers, at which point she exposed another layer of herself, the pure vocal talent supposedly at the root of all her schtick; but even singing this more allegedly intimate material, the diva born Stefani Joanne Germanotta was always fully made-up and bewigged. How could this shape-shifter find the social network inhospitable? It seems on Joanne, her alleged rejections of all the masks, Gaga is close to denouncing her own artificial roots. In fact, Joanne is as theatrical as anything Gaga has ever done. The album repositions her passion for posing within a soundscape whose touchstones are the great costume dramas (and comedies!) of pop. As on her most focused and effective album, 2011's Born This Way, Gaga uses rock and roll, that raw form populated by supercooked personalities, as a stylistic touchstone, a source of deep feeling and immediacy. Doing so, she upholds her romantic belief in a theatricality grounded in broad gestures and bold declarations, not in the carefully monitored, physically removed self-design of today. If Beyoncé has shown how a star's life can be so carefully curated that it translates into powerful universals and Rihanna has developed a sound that evokes a woman's consciousness dissembling through smoke and beats and cyberspace's ether, Lady Gaga still attempts to give her listeners the ancient pop thrill of catharsis: that experience of release that comes from immersing in a drama that absorbs an audience's shared spirit and might even transform it. For Aristotle, the vehicle of catharsis was tragedy. For Gaga, it's Bowie and Queen and her own high notes. Joanne's eleven songs trace the messifying path of rock and roll through other musical traditions: musical theater, crossover country, the disco-rock hybrid Donna Summer perfected in hits like "Bad Girls." Its ballads are earnestly mannered, a la David Bowie and Elton John; its dance tracks gain their fun from comical effects and florid guitar lines. There's even a nod to 1950s nostalgia, the font of pop postmodernism from glam through "Grease" and onward to Bruno Mars. Joanne may sport some semi-confessional lyrics, but that kind self-revelation is not the heart of it. The core belief it reflects is about sound, stance and attitude: that rock's dictum to kick out the jams can apply across genres and produce a sustaining sense of community and freedom. The thing about Gaga that's distinct, and sometimes confusing, is her ability to wink and project utter sincerity at the same time. Her conviction is unflagging throughoutJoanne, permeating the straightforward balladry of "Million Reasons," her bid to create an adult-contemporary radio staple and the least idiosyncratic song she's ever recorded. But it's also in the high-kick burlesque of "Come To Mama," which is actually a strong call for political unity, and on the Elton John-by-way-of-the-Jacksons gender play of her duet with Florence Welch, "Hey Girl" — also a political statement, this one extolling feminist shine theory. Her marauding desire to master every pop reference she encounters can be confusing: How can the woman who calls out sleazebags so ferociously in "Diamond Heart" then eagerly jump on one's horse in "John Wayne?" (That song's lyrics are just generally weird; Wayne was the cinematic symbol of law and order, not wildness.) What Gaga values is the way a person can assume a role to pursue a deeper truth than uncultivated identity can provide. Performance theorists would say that this occurs throughout everyday life; Gaga, however, cares about the heightened moments when that old-fashioned theatrical apogee is achieved. She defines herself in close-ups and spotlights, and even her more "personal" confessions recall the moment in a musical when all action stops and the lead reveals herself by walking to the lip of the stage and delivering a ballad that leaves us weeping. This is Gaga without the bells and whistles, wearing a mask that looks like her own face. She means what she is saying. "Doesn't everyone belong in the arms of the sacred?" she cries. And this is her unfashionable, sometimes confused, essential longing: to make that space of holiness in a world she knows is profane, in fact using the materials of the profane, just as rock's many ministers and sacrificial lambs have done before her. Maybe our skeptical era isn't the time for such attempts. But Gaga's still putting herself on the line, and trying. There's no rating+ for those who are too lazy to read, it's a positive review! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWinchester 41,390 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 2 minutes ago, Nagini said: There's no rating+ for those who are too lazy to read, it's a positive review! You forgot to specify if it counts Flyin' like a 1000 Doves Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarmaPolice 4,731 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 3 minutes ago, A Gaga Lad said: You forgot to specify if it counts Their reviews count just for Movies so...NO it doesn't count Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GagzDonkeyD 1,293 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Count or not Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Veil 2,395 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 But does it count towards metacritic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWinchester 41,390 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Just now, Tommi said: Just for Movies so...NO it doesn't count Keeping the trend of good reviews not counting, I see Flyin' like a 1000 Doves Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Music 15,215 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 a positive review? what kind of Perfect Illusion? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanWinchester 41,390 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Just now, Music said: a positive review? what kind of Perfect Illusion? the kind that's not counted for MC Flyin' like a 1000 Doves Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
swordstalker 1,829 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 What I got out of this review is that the album isn't perfect in many ways, but it's raw and sincere and that's what makes Gaga so charming. Spot on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Music 15,215 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Just now, A Gaga Lad said: the kind that's not counted for MC what a shock. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
River 116,877 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 2 paragraphs of Gaga's history.. they could cut.. why do they have to mention BTW.. it's like mentioning Oops I Did It Again while reviewing Glory.. At least is a positive one.. So sploosh your juice all over me you Riverboy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lextyr97 19,953 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 9 minutes ago, Nagini said: Joanne may sport some semi-confessional lyrics, but that kind self-revelation is not the heart of it. The core belief it reflects is about sound, stance and attitude: that rock's dictum to kick out the jams can apply across genres and produce a sustaining sense of community and freedom LOOOOVE this quote. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicOfCANCER 6,292 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 How can the woman who calls out sleazebags so ferociously in "Diamond Heart" then eagerly jump on one's horse in "John Wayne?" (That song's lyrics are just generally weird; Wayne was the cinematic symbol of law and order, not wildness.) lol Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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