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Chromatica: Reviews Thread


Anveeroy

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Wet Fire

BTW getting a zero from one metacritic reviewer basically proves how problematic these scores are :selena:

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Vitleysingur
11 minutes ago, Aarghya said:

                                                              The AV CLUB - (B) 

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta put a lot of time and effort into creating the Lady Gaga persona launched in tandem with her 2008 debut, The Fame—and she’s spent the past 12 years reinventing it over and over. Like an adolescent experimenting, Gaga started with the meat dresses and giant bow wigs before swinging to the other extreme and embracing American standards with Tony Bennett. Eventually she landed in the singer-songwriter zone with 2016’s Joanne and her contributions to 2018’s A Star Is Born. But who is the real Lady Gaga? She seems to ask herself that question on new album Chromatica, though she doesn’t appear to have the answer just yet.

Self-doubt and self-sabotage are recurring themes in the lyrics of Gaga’s sixth studio album, which itself suffers from an identity crisis. Unabashedly a dance record, Chromatica plays much like the Las Vegas residency show Gaga has been performing since December 2018. In fact, one Chromatica track shares its name with that show, Enigma. There are even costume-change breaks: It begins with an orchestral prelude, includes a short instrumental halfway through, and concludes with one more musical break (“Chromatica III,” an unexpected highlight reminiscent of a Hans Zimmer score) before a finale comprised of three of the most noteworthy tracks. The result is at times frenetic and disjointed, though it’s a fair guess that Chromatica was intended to be played from beginning to end as the soundtrack to pre-parties for 2020 Pride celebrations that sadly will never be.

That’s not to say Chromatica is unsuccessful. Borrowing a lot from the pop of the ’80s and early ’90s, much of the album is electro dance-funk at its finest. The irresistibly catchy “Plastic Doll” and lead single “Stupid Love” fuse the best of Gaga’s past iterations into feel-good disco tracks with just the right amount of pain and weight to them. (It makes sense that the latter was Gaga’s first top-five debut since 2013's “Dope”.)

Chromatica makes strong use of acclaimed house and electronic producers like Axwell, Maddeon, BloodPop, and Skrillex, but the production sometimes gets in the way of Gaga’s songwriting. Happily, the lyrics take center stage on “Fun Tonight” and penultimate track “1000 Doves,” which are the closest Chromatica comes to having ballads on par with fan-favorite deep cut “Gypsy” (produced by Maddeon) from 2013's ARTPOP.

But Gaga gets lost in the production on tracks like the album opener, “Alice,” which becomes sleepy as it relies on a generic ’90s dance-floor beat throughout. This happens again to a lesser degree on “Free Woman,” an ethereal empowerment tune that re-energizes at the bridge. There’s also the odd inclusion of a duet with Elton John, “Sine From Above”; the pair’s collaboration is no surprise, having performed together multiple times (and both are icons in the gay community), but the Brit’s vocals are unfortunately jarring when he comes in on the second verse, and there’s something unharmonious about how their voices come together here. It’s functionally the opposite of “Rain On Me,” the recently released single that improves when Ariana Grande joins in. And there’s a third collaboration—promotional single “Sour Candy”—that almost relegates Gaga to a supporting role, with South Korean girl group BLACKPINK taking lead on the throwback Euro-pop verse before Gaga returns us to 2020 in the chorus. The album ends with a smile thanks to the RuPaul’s Drag Race-worthy “Babylon,” though the track will only further enrage Madonna fans who accuse Gaga of being reductive, as it channels “Vogue” even more than “Born This Way” echoed “Express Yourself.” It’s a strong finale number, but the aforementioned “Enigma” is Chromatica’s most anthemic offering.

And “enigma” really is a fitting word for Gaga. Her choices can be puzzling, and not every song is a success, but that unpredictability is what makes her exciting and leaves us coming back for more. So maybe Gaga doesn’t know who she truly is yet. It’s still enjoyable to watch her figure it out.

https://music.avclub.com/lady-gaga-returns-to-her-electro-pop-roots-and-channels-1843743622

**** them

Dreams of you and me are in the dirt.
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ThatCanadian

AV Club's reviewer looks 12, are we sure he even knows who Madonna is?

This one's going in the garbage can where it belongs

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Guest Adarsh
15 minutes ago, Aarghya said:

@Adarsh See

Make a spoiler for non Metacritic reviews on the OP and add them there please :flower:

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Bon Gonzalez

That AV Club review is BS. But oh well, what do we expect from some of these critics. They're generally not into most of her work and I don't really trust them. 

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Anveeroy

                                                                             US Weekly - 3.5/4 

The world has seen Lady Gaga transform umpteen times since she hit the scene in 2008. First there was the disco-stick-wielding New Yorker, then the meat-wearing Mother Monster, followed by the self-love preacher, the avant-garde creative, the Tony Bennett bestie, the pink-hatted folk star and, of course, Ally Maine. But now, a new Gaga has emerged — and she’s ready for her return to the dance floor.

On her highly anticipated sixth album, the Grammy winner, 34, goes full nightclub, vogueing and healing her way through life’s ups and downs. Chromatica Opens in a new Window. (out now) is broken up into three acts, each separated by instrumental interludes with ever-so seamless transitions. (“Chromatica II” into “911,” in particular, is a must-hear, with a progression so smooth it should be illegal.) The 16-track record is the love child of Born This Way and ARTPOP, with no sign of Joanne in sight.

That said, the pain that followed the death of Joanne Germanotta, the aunt who inspired Gaga’s 2016 album, remains present. On the opener, “Alice,” the pop star is “looking, looking, looking for Wonderland” while down on her luck, asking, “Could you pull me out of this alive?” Fortunately, things start to turn around as the album progresses. By the time the closer, “Babylon,” rolls in, Gaga confidentially sashays away from trivial gossip, commanding her Little Monsters to “battle for your life.”

On Chromatica — much of which is produced by electropop hitmaker BloodPop — Gaga enlists three collaborators: Ariana Grande, Elton John and Blackpink. She and Grande, 26, celebrate their tears rather than wiping them away on the colossal single “Rain on Me,” while John, 73, harmonizes with his good friend on the philosophical and angelic stomper “Sine From Above.” Considering Blackpink’s global success, it’s surprising that “Sour Candy,” the track on which the South Korean girl group is featured, leaves much to be desired. It samples Maya Jane Coles’ “What They Say,” rehashing the same bass line used in Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish” and Nicki Minaj’s “Truffle Butter.”

Luckily, the rest of the album disproves the misconception that Gaga reached her creative peak early on in her career. “911” is her weirdest song since 2011’s “Scheiße” (in a good way), while “1000 Doves” showcases how effortlessly she can turn her emotions into art with just a pen and paper. Her vocals are stronger than ever too, especially during the choruses of the diva-sized disco cut “Enigma” and the girl-power anthem “Paper Doll.”

It’s a shame the world is in quarantine because Chromatica is one big dance party waiting to happen.

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/lady-gaga-chromatica-review-club-ready-album-is-healing/

Stream Kylie-Janet Discographies!
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Anveeroy
6 minutes ago, Adarsh said:

Make a spoiler for non Metacritic reviews on the OP and add them there please :flower:

On it!

Stream Kylie-Janet Discographies!
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Cunta Kinky

That AV review was bullshit and they know it. 
 

that was the most backhanded, aggressive, and demeaning B ever 

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RainOnMeYup
6 minutes ago, Madam Margolyes said:

Well at least AV club gave it 75 on MC :billie:

Someone sent him a threatening email and it worked :billie:

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Anveeroy
Just now, RainOnMeYup said:

Someone sent him a threatening email and it worked :billie:

Really? :billie:

Stream Kylie-Janet Discographies!
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Franz Ferdinand

I'm predicting a solid 75. I think it has a chance to go past 80, and I would be VERY surprised if it went under 70. A lot of the early professional reviews are in the mildly positive (AV Club, The Riot) to the VERY positive (Medium, Billboard, UsW). Ultimately, it's gonna come down to what some of the other names say (like NME, Rolling Stone, Slant, and Pitchfork), but unlike some of Gaga's previous albums that have been a bit too disjointed in terms of sound (BTW, ARTPOP), Chromatica is very cohesive and I can see that working in her favor.  

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